In gathering mushrooms for food, cut the stem off about an inch below the cap, and place them in the basket or dish, gills upward. Never twist or pull them, as the gills become thereby full of dirt, which is not easily removed. By placing them gills downward, they will shed their spores largely and thus lose flavor.
The stem in cutting will often exhibit fine holes; this indicates that maggots have entered the mushroom. If the substance of the pileus continues firm and hard, the mushroom may be cooked and eaten by those not over-nice; but if perforated and soft, the consequent decomposition might induce nausea, and even serious sickness.
Mushrooms may be noxious as food in three ways:--
(1.) They may disagree with the system, by their toughness, indigestibility, or use in a state of decay.
(2.) They may be slimy, acrid, or otherwise nauseous.
(3.) They may contain a subtle poison without taste, smell, or other indication of its presence.
Most noxious fungi appertain to the first or second class above given, and taste or common-sense would readily reject them, unless they were cooked with other food or excessively spiced. For this reason plain cooking is advised, and further, no amateur should venture to mingle with good varieties others to him unknown.
Of the third class, there is one family, many of whose members contain a violent and deadly poison. This is known as the _Amanita_ family; and although out of fourteen varieties, four are known to be edible, yet it is here advised to avoid all fungi as food which have these its distinguishing marks:--
(1.) A scurfy or warty top, the protuberances of which rub easily off, leaving the skin intact. In a number of specimens many will be found entirely smooth, while near them are others of the same variety where more or less of the specks remain.
(2.) A ring; generally large and reflexed or falling downward.
(3.) A volva; more or less enclosing the young plant, and remaining at the base of the older specimen, so that when the mushroom is pulled up a socket is left in the ground.
These three marks should all exist in the typical plant of this family, and the experienced eye will see signs of their presence, even where they are wanting. But the _volva_ rarely or never decays during the life of the specimen, and to reject everything with this mark is recommended to all amateurs.