The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-06-16
prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of AgriCulture)

Mushrooms and some other fungous
growths are highly priced as articles
Of food by many people. The nu-
tritiye value of mushrooms is low, but
they may be prepared in various ways
which render them delicious. More
people doubtless would seek wild
mushrooms and other fungi If they
were sufficiently informed to distin-
guiSh between the edible and the
deadly poisonous growths Some very
erratic and dangerous ideas concern
ing ways of telling the edible from
the poisonous growths are altogether
too commonly believed. Mushrooms
are frequently thought of as edible
and toadstools as poisonous. As
matter of fact, the United States De-
partment of Agriculture states, the
words mushroom and "toadstOo" are
used indiscriminately and do not in
dicate whether the plants are edible
or poisonous.
Silver Coin Test Is VaIueless.
a test for poisonous mushrooms
often recommended is based on the
belief that if a silver coin placed in
/ the utensil in which mushrooms are
cooked furnishes, the mushrooms are
/ poisonous. Absolutely no reliance can
4 be placed on this test, as both poison
Gus and edible kinds may turn silver
/ dark. Equally baseless is the belief
! that a mushroom is shown to be edL
/ BILE If the skin can be peeled from
the cap readily, because peeling is
/ possible with many poisonous species.
The notion that soaking or boiling
/ poisonous mushrooms in salt water
/ will render them harmless has no
foundation, in fact, Some people
/ have thought that the presence of in
/ sects on mushrooms is proof of their
edbility. This is dangerous suppo-
/ sitiOn, because insects infest the most
/ poisonous as well as the best edible
4 species of fungi
/ The collector of mushrooms cannot
| depend upon any simple test. If he
| intends to use them for food, he must
/ know what he is gathering. 1t is a
/ comparatively simple matter to learn
/ to recognize a few kinds of deadly
/ mushrooms and certain edible ones.
/ If he will gather only the kinds that
are well known to him, careful col
! lector need not be afraid to gather
! wild fungi for food. He should not
be misled by attractive colors or pleas
/ ant odOrs. In Farmers Bulletin 1856
/ Some Common and Poisonous Mush-
rooms, directions for identifying the
poisonous and edible kinds are given.
Recipes for Cooking Mushrooms.
According to the views of many per
sons, mushrooms are best cooked sim
/ ply, with no seasoning but butter, pep
per- and salt. The addition of vari-
GUS other seasonings impalrs the del
icate mushroom flavor. However,
tastes differ, and the opportunity Of
choice or experiment is afforded by
the recipes which follow:
The caps should be carefully
washed, gill side down, but peeling
Is not always necessary and involves
a considerable waste of time and loss
! of flavor. Unless the stems are ex-
tremely tough they can be used after
being cut into small bits and stewed,
or, even If tough, after long boiling
they can be run through sieve and
made into a soup or sauce.
Wild mushrooms should be cooked
soon after collecting, as they are then
preserved much better than If kept
uncooked, even in a refrigerator.
Fried Mushrooms.
Beat the yolk of an egg with table
spoonful of water and season with
pepper and salt. Dip each cap in this
and then dip into fine cracker crumbs
or corn meal. Have butter or cooking
oil very hot in frying pan. Fry slow
ly on each side for five minutes. A
sauce can be made by thickening with
flour ana adding milk or cream. If
desired, serve on toast. A smooth
tomato sauce is also excellent.
Mushrooms Baked With Tomatoes.
In a baking dish arrange small round
slices of buttered toast; upon each
piece place a rather thin slice of peeled
tomato sailed and peppered; upon
each slice of tomato place fine, thick
mushroom, gill side up; in the center
of each mushroom put a generous
piece Of butter; season with pepSer
and salt Cover the dish and bake In
hot oven for ten minutes; then UNI
cover and bake for an additional 8 to
10 minutes, as the mushrooms appear
to require.
Dreamed Mushrooms.
Cut the mushrooms into small pieces,
stew slowly in butter until tender, add
cream or milk, pepper, and SALT and
thicken with -four.
Peppers Stuffed With Mushrooms.
Cut the stem end of the peppers and
carefully remove all seeds and the
white membrane; chop or break the
mushrooms into small pieces, season
with pepper and salt, press firmly into
the peppers, and put a goodsized lump
of butter on top Of each. The water
adhering to the mushrooms after wash