Posted on 06/02/2017 11:32:07 AM PDT by simpson96
A bumper crop of deadly wild "death cap" mushrooms in northern California is likely to blame for the poisonings of 14 people in December, health officials say.
The culprit: Amanita phalloides, believed to be the world's most dangerous mushroom.
All 14 recovered, but three required liver transplants, and a toddler suffered permanent brain damage, the researchers reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone picking wild mushrooms have them evaluated by a specialist before eating them.(snip)
The 14 people described in the report had eaten wild mushrooms they picked themselves or received from others.(snip)
After eating just one that he picked in Santa Rosa, a 37-year-old was hospitalized for six days, according to the report.
An 18-month-old became critically ill after nibbling one-half of a mushroom cap given to her mother by a stranger who had picked mushrooms in the mountains that morning.
The child's mother, father, and two adults who had joined them for dinner also became ill.
The child developed irreversible liver failure that affected her brain. She required a liver transplant and suffered "permanent neurologic impairment," the report said. Another adult who attended that dinner also needed a liver transplant.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Most people do not have your level of knowledge or my level of anxiety;)
Stay safe.
My dad used to pick wild mushrooms, I asked him how he knew what was good. He said he didn’t, but his mom told him what wasn’t when he was a kid. He is 89.
http://theselfsufficientliving.com/10-edible-poisonous-mushrooms-guide-mushroom-identification/
Great photos for any FReepers wanting to go on a mushroom hunt.
A fair number of prime edible mushrooms, such as the boletes, also turn blue when the flesh is bruised.
In fact most Amanitas do not turn blue when bruised. Looking in the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms neither Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) or the next most lethal mushroom in the world, Amanita virosa (Destroying Angel) turn blue.
Be careful out there.
“Wild mushrooms should never be harvested”
Well I don’t agree, I have been picking and eating wild mushrooms for decades - along with many friends.
You do need to know what you are doing. And you do need some common sense. Same goes for wild plants. Heck - parts of many animals can kill you also.
“The large outbreak may be related to a reported increase in the growth of wild mushrooms in 2016, triggered by greater rainfall and warm weather at the end of northern California’s autumn.”
more death and injury caused by “global warming”
Morels are too dangerous for amateurs to handle. If you find any in the Ohio area contact me to have them removed. That includes if you already have them in your refrigerator.
“I asked him how he knew what was good. He said he didnt, but his mom told him what wasnt when he was a kid. “
That is a dangerous approach. You need to be able to identify both mushrooms to avoid (known to be dangerous) and then those you know absolutely positively are edible. You only eat those you positively know that are safe. Unknown, and known to be dangerous, you do not mess with.
My paternal grandfather who had come over from Slovakia (when it was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) would work his way through the woods of western Pennsylvania with a basket knowing exactly which ones to pick and which to bypass. I would have better luck playing Russian roulette with one empty chamber.
What’s for dinner? Deathcaps. Yummy.
Every year, the same stories,, different names.. but they love their mushrooms.
Honkies can absolutely be idiots, many of them are, but when this happens in about 90% of cases in California it’s some illegal alien.
I do remember a time about four years ago when every single person in the San Diego Burn Unit was an illegal alien needing treatment of like half million dollars per day per burned Pedro.
in Mexico you would get an SUV Express ride into the desert.
I totally agree with you. You only eat the ones you are absolutely sure of. The slightest shadow of doubt means ‘leave it alone.’
Buy farmed mushrooms at the store. Don’t be a moron.
A number of poisonous ones smell like the old brown library glue. Phenol, maybe?
Sorry. I beg to differ. When the Morel mushrooms are in season, I am out there searching. There is nothing finer than Morels with egg batter and Ritz crackers fried in butter.
For some , its the thrill of the hunt in the woods. I hear ya, better to be safe than worm food.
Ooh! Did they eat the green ones and get extra lives?
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