"Shaggy Mane" Mushrooms are blooming like crazy right now in August-September. They are only good for an hour or so after picking, so we don't sell them. I have considered selling jars of starter to those who want to grow these themselves. These are delicious as babies, prepared in casseroles, especially with fish. Due to their high water content, they don't do as well sauteed.
They aren't here for long, though, so we take advantage of it while we can.
While these are not the "Alcohol Inky Cap" shaggy mushrooms, it is not recommended to drink alcohol while eating them. They can sometimes contain a substance that prevents the body from detoxifying alcohol and can cause tingling, flushing and rapid heart beat. These symptoms of alcohol poisoning disappear after a few hours. Needless to say, we don't drink alcohol when we eat them, not that we drink much anyway.
These mushrooms are easy to identify. There are no other mushrooms out there that look like them. They are only edable in the immature, unopen stage but don't last long when picked. They are solid for about 15-20 minutes then dissolve into an inky liquid. This is caused by an enzyme that is killed with heat. If you can get them sliced in half and heated flat in a skillet within that time, they keep very well and even freeze well.
These mushrooms are also known as "ink" mushrooms and, indeed, do produce a black ink when mature, that has been used for writing and drawing, in the past. I have not tried this, but may do some mushroom drawings with the mushroom ink. Interesting concept...
Mushrooms are good for you! Below is a chart form USDA with mushroom nutrition information:
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