Like the rest of the province, I became obsessed with small golden mushrooms for a few weeks in the past summer and early autumn.
The yellow and orange tones spring from the forest floor. Hunting is exciting because there’s nothing as delicious as a batter.
I like toast. I sauté them and stuff them in garlic and parmesan cakes. I fold them in quiches with goat cheese and kale in my garden.
Although the batters value their weight in gold, I sought to spend this summer learning more about the other types of Newfoundland mushrooms. What are edible? How vital are they to the island’s ecosystem? Why do everyone make the same horrible word game with mushrooms (“I’m a kind of laugh!”) So you don’t miss the mushroom word games?
On a more serious note, rumors of wild mushrooms abound. I told him you can “eat for sure those who smell good,” which is actually not true. I’ve also seen dozens of other people applying for identification online, a harmful and reckless practice.
Obviously, there are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about wild mushrooms, so I contacted Sarah Jenkins, board member of the fungal enthusiast organization Foray Newfoundland and Labrador and editor-in-chief of the Omphalina newsletter, to learn about the facts about the mushrooms and to transparent up to the fictionals.
I learned at school that fungi belonged firmly to the plant kingdom; this is what I feed my vegan and vegetarian friends at dinner parties. I find mushrooms in the groceries section.
My brain, according to the evidence presented, has long been the link between fungi and plants.
Jenkins informed me that he didn’t even have my right taxonomy.
“The first taxonomic systems grouped fungi and lichens with plants because they looked a bit similar, but now we know from genetic research that fungi are more like animals than plants.”
Some more readings have shown me that animals and fungi seem to represent a percentage of an evolutionary history derived from plants 1.1 billion years ago. We (animals and fungi) are bound through an ancient, maximum, probably single-celled organism.
It’s pretty rare that me and the mass culture I overlooked in my forties are connected through genetic material, but here we are.
Let’s go back to the main point: fungi are not animals or plants, they exist in their own kingdom.
Mushrooms are not plants and are in fact not vegetables.
Fungi are the fruit organs of fungi.
Essentially, they are fungi like apples in their tree. The rest of the fungus is called mycelium. This word refers to a network of elongated cells that live underground, internal trees and other organisms, but is not hidden from view.
Jenkins says: “If you flipped a rainy log on a rainy day, you might see bright white filaments between the trunk and the floor. It’s a dense mycelium web!”
I’ve heard this several times over the last few seasons and it’s crazy.
Many species of animals eat fungi. In fact, some environmentalists have reported that fungi are the maximum source of food for creatures living in deciduous forests. Bears consume them, as does the little slug.
“In addition to humans, fungi appear to be a food source for rodents and insects. At least I’m still with squirrels to chop my mushrooms before I can identify them,” Jenkins said.
Mushrooms, he emphasized, also contribute to local ecosystems by eating their environment.
“Fungi can grow from live trees, dead insects, live animals or even internal marine invertebrates, such as sponges. They can form notable associations with other living organisms. They want many of the same nutrients as us: sugars for energy, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. They necessarily eat their home to get those nutrients. This means that old fallen logs, dead leaves and animal remains are broken down and consumed,” he said.
This might seem spectacularly disgusting, but a forest where nothing rotten would soon be suffocated by the accumulation of plant and animal matter.
Yaya. It is a province complete of delicious mushrooms.
The hedgehog fungus is one of my favorites (they make an amazing mushroom broth), but we also have a lot of ballots.
Until I spoke to Sarah, I didn’t know that our remarkable King Bulletin was the same fungus as the cepe of France and the ceps of Italy. For a long time I had been slowed down that they were completely other fungi.
Sarah pointed out the delicious West Coast mushrooms.
“If you are lucky enough to live on the west coast of the island or on the Labrador, watch your butts in the spring. They constitute a complex species that is similar and spectacularly delicious.”
Now, let’s move on to some facts.
Look, there’s a saying that I repeat when I’m in favor of mushrooms: “There are old mushroom hunters, and there are ambitious mushroom hunters, but there are no ambitious old mushroom hunters.”
Specifically, there are fungi in this province that can kill you, so don’t eat anything unless you’re 100 percent sure you’ve known correctly.
Sarah described the “destructive angel,” which is a non-unusual call for several similar fungi in eastern North America. These innocent-looking mushrooms can be discovered in the forests of Newdiscoveredland, so be careful.
He also noted that Newfoundland is a variety of small brown mushrooms that can ruin their day, liver or worse.
“Now it’s popular to post a photo of a fungus on social media teams with the question” Is it edible? “I beg others not to do so. Instead, review some fungus books and locate a local enthusiast organization. For hiking. Choose mushrooms, get information to practice them up close, smell and season safely,” he says.
Sarah recommends bringing in the mushroom house and making spore prints for identification. He also encouraged others to make a stop at the same fungus site for several days before picking up to see how the weather and temperature might look like the smell or smell of the mushrooms.
“Become a fungal expert at a time. And please don’t accidentally ask an organization of strangers about a blurry phone call if your next meal could be your last meal,” he said.
Although the Newfoundland greso resembles golden batter, it is a distinct species and Jenkins would say it is an impressive specimen.
This fungus was discovered through DNA research to distinguish itself from other batter in samples taken in the province through Andrus Voitk, Greg Thorn, Renée Lebeuf and Jee In Kim.
In a note, one of the researchers, Voitk, recently won a great honor for his work.
“Just a few months ago, his significant contributions to science were identified in honor of the species by a mycophilus. Now he has a fungus that bears his name: Gymnopilus voitkii,” Jenkins said.
Foray NL hosts an annual weekend where other people gather to hunt, eat and talk about everything similar to fungi. You can also attach with mavens easily.
Shawn Dawson of Barking Kettle is at the San Juan Farmers Market. Mark Wilson, of Newfoundland Gourmet Mushroom Company, is another wonderful user to communicate with. Both are able to teach and percentage information.
There is also a giant network of mushroom enthusiasts here, all happy to pass the word.
Look for them.
I approached this autumn by writing on the batter label, but this is repeated: the mushroom patches are very old and their production can be slow.
Trampling can damage mycelium, while overexploitation can harvest next year and deprive other creatures of a food source.
Happy hunting friends! Go slow, find out and join the mushroom community.
Oh, and great in puns.
Read from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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Andie Bulman is a chef and comic at St. John’s.
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