I never really thought it would happen to me. I'm so careful. But it did happen, and I'd like to share some thoughts about mushroom poisoning with you.
The day started off like any other vacation day. We were enjoying ourselves at a cool little B&B on the southern Washington coast. The facility was cute and well-appointed, and it featured a mushroom-themed dinner on the second night of our visit.
Like other guests at the B&B, we spent our day exploring the sights of the area. We took camera in hand to snap shots of the various fungi we would discover along Highway 101 and its intersecting back roads. It had been years since we'd visited this area, and we really enjoyed it. The old growth woods were certainly inviting, lush and relatively free of litter, and it was a spectacularly clear and beautiful day. Although the mushrooms weren't abundant (thanks to a lack of significant rainfall), there was enough variety to hold our interest even to the point of foregoing lunch and relying on dinner to satisfy our appetite for the day.
That night we were treated to a delectable 4 course meal that featured 2 mushroom appetizers (one of which included slices of raw Matsutake), a salad topped with mixed, lightly sauteed Chanterelle and Bolete mushrooms, an entree of braised beef short ribs and giant sea scallops with Porcini mushrooms, and finished with a mushroom-free but scrumptious frozen chocolate mousse with salted caramel, chantilly and hazelnuts dessert. What could be nicer, we asked ourselves as we tucked ourselves in between the layers of our luxurious bed.
A Bolete is offering a feast to those who dine here in the forest.
Regretfully, the answer came about 5:00 the next morning, when I awoke. sicker than the proverbial dog. Thankfully, I was the only person who became ill after the dinner, and thankfully my symptoms lessened as the day went along, although I was tired and weak for the next several days.
This was a new way of looking at myself. I never saw myself falling victim to a mushroom poisoning. Maybe it's because we consistently prepare our own wild mushrooms for consumption and always cook them thoroughly. We've never had any kind of problem.
Will we ever know if my food poisoning was a result of the mushroom dinner? No. However, a good friend and authority on mushroom poisoning has advised us that he "strongly suspects that it was indeed a mushroom poisoning." So why didn't everyone get sick? Like any food poisoning situation, it's not unusual for one person in the party to become ill and not others. Just leave it to my persnickety spouse: she refused to eat the raw mushroom appetizer, announcing "I don't eat raw wild mushrooms." She was therefore able to take care of me in my desperate hours of need. And need her I did!
Collecting, preparing and consuming wild mushrooms is a wonderful thing to do. It's an important and enjoyable part of our lives, and has been for many years. But, do be cautious. Always ensure you know your mushrooms, and always ensure that they are thoroughly cooked...which I didn't, in this case. Even delicious edibles contain elements that can cause gastric discomfort when not stabilized by the cooking process. Some people are more affected by this than others, but this is a tough way to find out whether you're one of the unfortunates.
And, as long as we're passing on our wisdom as experienced foragers, here are some other things we urge you to keep in mind:
- On our first encounter with a particular species of mushroom, we eat only a small amount to better ensure that we will have no allergic reaction to the mushroom. You should observe this rule, too.
- Some edible mushrooms are known to cause discomfort in some folks while others consume them with impunity. The Honey Mushroom is one example of this.
- Remember that there are mushrooms that should not be consumed with alcohol. The Shaggy Manes and an alcoholic beverage are not usually a good combination, as one example.
Keep these cautions in mind, and enjoy this wonderful fall mushrooming season!
Looks like a slug favors this mushroom for his dinner.