Almost all mushrooms will grow on a walnut stump, provided the stump is at least a year dead.

Joe

On a related note....We took out a huge Chinese Elm tree and now have scads of what appear to be GIANT white button mushrooms. They are easily 3inches in the button stage. Pinkish gills turning brown with age. Anyone know where I can get them identified for possible consumption?

TIA

DeneciePie

there's some kind of mushroom festival going on in l.a. right now. maybe you can find info about it if you do a google search. i'm sure there will be mushroom experts there who can help you identify it. good luck!

Please, Deneciepie, forget about eating your mushrooms. We like you on this forum!

I think there's a "rule" about this: don't even consider eating a wild mushroom that resembles a Death Angel unless you are an incredibly experienced mushroomer. Death Angels look like white button mushrooms with pinkish gills that turn black or brown with age.

My personal belief is that mushrooms are too cheap to experiment with your liver or kidneys, let alone your life.

By the way, I hear Death Angels are delicious.

Renee

Well Renee it is comforting to know one of your last meals was delicious. My son in law is an expert who often collects exotic wild mushrooms which he trades to restaurants for gourmet meals. My personal belief mirrors yours. Al

Well, I'm still here! I really am not about to do a "taste test" on them. I was hoping one of you would know a mushroom ID resource somewhere near me (Tracy). Barring that, something out in the yard seems to really like them. Now that they are abundant there are lots of bug holes in them. Yuck.

Oh well, everybody eats when they can.

DeneciePie

here's an article in today's l.a. times about mushrooms:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2010/01/after-the-rain-mushrooms-now-is-the-season-to-explore-the-most-mysterious-and-all-too-transient-organisms-that-occur-in-dry.html

When identifying wild mushrooms, I use the app: "picture this." it a paid service, which I pay less than two dollars per month for, and after taking a picture of the Cap, or leaf, it identified what I am looking at, and tells me everything I would ever need to know.