> when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.

As someone who has cooked with exactly one kind of mushroom (button) I find this intriguing. I thought all mushrooms taste more or less the same. I may have eaten something at a restaurant, but don't remember anything unique.

Part of the reason some people think mushrooms taste the same is because many common supermarket mushrooms in the west do taste similar.

In particular, three of the most common western supermarket mushrooms (button, cremini, and portobello) are actually all the same species (Agaricus bisporus). They just look different.

Shiitakes are a different species and do taste different, but are somewhat related; at one point in the past they were classified in the agaricus genus.

Once you venture outside those, tastes and textures rapidly diverge. Truffles and morels are definitely memorable if you've never had them before.

They taste wildly different. Just like not all fruits taste the same. Or all veggies. Or all meat.

My personal favourite is Chanterelle. Yellowfoot is pretty great too.

It's the only kosher mushroom.

Any way you can expand on this? What would make a mushroom non-kosher?

It has lowest change of having worms inside which are not kosher. Most other mushrooms needs checking if it's not worm-eaten.

Button are the most bland 'tasting' mushrooms, but you can find them in any shop because they are easy to grow in artificial conditions. There are so many quite strong tastes in the mushroom world, that some were/are used as spice. But its same as with forest fruit - those growing in wilderness have much stronger taste.

The strongest ones I would say are morel and of course truffles which are used for finest (and most expensive) delicacies, but many others which are more common are great too.

To experiment, find some chanterelles, lobster or porcini, and shitake mushrooms. These should be available fresh or dried in many large groceries in bigger cities. Make some dishes with each or try a taste.

Huge huge differences in mushrooms.

My favs are chanterelles, chicken of the woods, and candy caps (which have a distinct maple/sotolon flavor).

> It's a shame because these kinds of stories create unnecessary fear in Americans about picking things from the wild, when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.

To be fair, until we have better tools to diagnose and treat the tick-borne illnesses that are prevalent in the US, it still isn't the safest hobby. This year I finally got sick of worrying about Powassan virus et al. so largely gave up spending time in the woods and just bought a road bike for outdoor time instead.

Odds are pretty low of getting a tick borne disease. I would assume they're even lower if you take precautions. About 60000 incidents a year. Powassan virus 33 incidents (https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-summary/index.html)

I would speculate that more than 33 people manage to kill them selves road biking each year, but I confess I'm just guessing.

60,000 reported cases, which means more like 600,000 estimated cases. You can definitely vastly lower the risk if you take all the right precautions, but most people I see don’t even have their pants tucked into their socks.

Maybe they understand how miniscule the risk is and can't be bothered?

And even if I ask a doctor to remove a tick he discourages a test of the dead tick, because „nothing would turn up anyways“. This supports a high rate of unnoticed cases.

That's... one of the worst excuses I ever heard to not go out into the wilderness. How can you ever sit in the car for example?

Pretty much!

Depends on where in the US. Lyme's disease from ticks is very rare in some parts of the US.

I think it really helps to be taught by someone who knows what they're doing. Where I live (Poland) it's common to have this knowledge passed down in families. I wouldn't dare to pick up anything based on a picture in a book.

There are apps that lead you through a series of questions (pores/gills, cap shape, etc) to try to identify a mushroom. App + book + internet for anything that is remotely uncertain is a pretty good avenue if you don't have anyone to teach you. And yes, it's crucial to inspect every single mushroom before eating it and discard anything that one isn't 100% sure about.

Have you ever used bird identification apps like that? I would never in a million years trust an app to tell me what is safe to eat. To learn? Yes. But not to eat.

Hm, I was already starting to think about some sort of portable chromatography kits to identify toxins in the field, but I guess your solution works too.

Agaricus could be confused with white amanitas if they miss the capsule or the annulus (capsule is the biggest danger sign). Or a parasol with a A. pantherina. TBH, even the distinct Coprinus comatus could be confused by a beginner to another ink cap that could be really nasty if eaten with alcohol. I guess mushroom hunting requires a lot of common sense, perception and experience, which a lot of people lacks to some degree.

Agree. I usually avoid picking Russula because sometimes Amanita may lose their crown and look like Russula.

Quite a few delicious and safe Amanita spp. out there. It's a genus to be careful in, but there are a number of species that can be eaten with a little experience. Amanita calyptroderma and A. vaginata for instance.

I found myself foraging for these bright orange lobster mushrooms off a scenic trailhead in Oregon.

They were quite delicious!