Don’t Forage Mushrooms (unless you know what you’re doing)
England has thousands of types of mushrooms, and you really have to know what you’re doing to eat wild ones. We know button mushrooms but wild mushrooms can look exotic.
Mushrooms and Company is a super-interesting book on how marvellous mushrooms (some of them mouldy!) support life on earth. In this book, young readers are deep-dived into the fungal kingdom, and introduced to an incredible array of mushrooms.
Mushrooms are toxic to pets so keep them away, and don’t take them with you, if foraging.
Without fungi, there would be no penicillin, no bread (at least the kinds that depend on yeast to rise), and no blue cheese! Of course, some fungi can be dangerous—whether it’s moulds that grow on crops (like potato blight) or in buildings (like dry rot).
What Are Fungi?
Fungi are neither plants nor animals. They belong to their own kingdom, with over 144,000 species documented. Unlike plants, they cannot produce their food through photosynthesis.
Instead, they break down organic matter and reproduce through spores (tiny particles that spread through air and water). The main types of fungi are:
- Mushrooms: From button mushrooms to puffballs (that release spores).
- Yeasts: Microscopic but mighty, yeasts are essential for baking and brewing.
- Moulds: Often uninvited guests, they can spoil food or produce antibiotics.
Common Edible vs. Poisonous Mushrooms
Some mushrooms are perfectly safe, but others are eye-catching but toxic (all mushrooms are toxic to pets). Always consult an expert when learning to forage.
Ethical foraging respects nature. Always seek permission before collecting mushrooms on private land and follow local regulations. Take only what you need, leaving some mushrooms to ensure future growth and ecosystem health.
The golden rule of mushroom foraging: if unsure, don’t consume. Many mushrooms look similar, and misidentification can have severe consequences.
The deathcap has even been used as a murder weapon! And worryingly, it looks like an edible mushroom, which is why it’s so important to know what you’re doing, before mushroom-picking.
Often found growing under beech and oak trees, although a small amount of wildlife species can eat them, but they are responsible for 80% of all mushroom deaths to humans.
Some claim Charles VI died from being poisoned with this mushroom. And Roman Emperor Claudius was allegedly killed by his wife Agrippina who mixed the juice from this mushroom with his food. But most people die accidentally.
The Little Book of Mushrooms is a beautiful little pocket guide, for the extraordinary organisms found in nature. Some can cure and others can poison. Learn of mushroom folklore and identify wild mushrooms and learn those to avoid.
Cooking and Enjoying Mushrooms
Mushrooms are tasty and also low in calories and high in fibre. They are packed with B vitamins and selenium, and often are used in place of meat for veggie recipes.
Read up on food safety for people and pets. Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps (acids may harm compost creatures).
What are Toadstools?
Toadstools are fruiting bodies of fungi, these appear above the ground in summer and autumn (usually when it’s warm and damp) and should be removed around pets and children, due to being toxic.
They do elsewhere play an important role in feeding off dead plants, to release nutrients back in the soil. Some believe they are so-called as flies like them, and toads feed on flies!
Why Do Mushrooms Grow on your Lawn?
Often you’ll find large easy-to-remove mushrooms on your lawn. This is actually a sign that you have good fertile soil as they love carbon-rich earth.
If you are not a mushroom expert, never eat them, just pull them out from the base (easy to do) and this will stop them spreading. Ensure composted mushrooms are broken down, to avoid them growing back in your garden. Avoid fresh compost near pets, as it contains mould.
Another way to stop mushrooms growing on your lawn is to regularly dethatch a lawn by gently raking upwards to loosen build-up and mow your lawn regularly, limiting water applied to the soil.
Although you need shady areas in the garden for people, pets and wildlife, remove areas of over-shade (cut back branches that hang over areas that restrict sunlight etc). Using a nitrogen lawn feed (like alfalfa meal) may help.
Removing artificial grass is also good (this is not good for pollinators and over-heats in summer) as this does not drain water, so you could find mushrooms growing.
