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Painting by Brenda Sylvia
Howdy folks and welcome to the Eat More Toadstools site, which is primarily dedicated to such subjects as wild, cultivated, edible and medicinal fungi and plants, but anything else I find interesting is fair game. What I find interesting will usually relate to mushrooms in one way or another. The reason I have moved more into plants in recent years is that the local weather has been extremely bad for mushrooms as compared to a decade ago and this pattern continued throughout 2008. Maybe 2009 will be better. I like to be in the woods or outside and when mushrooms are not available plants usually are. I also teach workshops when I have a willing audience and descriptions of such will be found here.
The word “toadstool” has a number of definitions; in particular, as a lowbrow term for “mushroom.” Sometimes it implies any mushroom that is not the familiar Agaricus bisporus, some of which are edible, tasty and maybe even good for you. Eat more of those.
Sometimes the word refers to poisonous mushrooms, particularly amongst those who do not know anything about fungi not found in the produce department. If they do not recognize what it is, it is proclaimed to be a toadstool. I would not suggest that anyone eat more poisonous mushrooms or eat any mushroom that you cannot positively identify as edible. Well, actually I can think of a few people who should voluntarily eat more of the poisonous ones, but they are not likely to visit this site.
Sometimes toadstool means certain psychoactive mushrooms, some of which are illegal. You are on your own with these. I personally believe no plants or fungi should be outlawed. May whatever powers that be please not allow mankind to find a way to eliminate nature's manure decomposers from the planet for obvious reasons. However, the use of any mushroom, plant or substance that may be illegal in my jurisdiction is one subject I will generally avoid on this site. I do not write society’s rules, and tilting at windmills is not for this old hippie, who wore out his lances when he was younger. There are plenty of forums in cyberspace where these issues are cussed and discussed. This is simply not my interest here. I have bigger toadstools to fry – mostly in olive oil. Note that Amanita muscaria is not amongst the prohibited, is occasionally sold online, and is too interesting not to write about from time to time. The primary colors of this website are the same as the A. muscaria that grows in higher altitudes or more northerly climes. I will not urge you to pick it or eat it, nor will I urge you not to do so. Once again, you're on your own.
You might ask why I say "eat more toadstools." As I write this I am looking at a front license plate, sold for use in states that have only captured the rear plates and allow people to be creative about what goes on front of their vehicle. The plate says "Eat Mo' Cooter," a reference to the soft-shelled turtle that is served at the Yearling Restaurant at Cross Creek, Florida. I suspect the restaurant got the idea from other plates reading "eat more possum" or "eat more gator." Anything to offend the Yankee tourist or call attention to one's backwoods Southern heritage. Interestingly enough, Southerners are as likely as any to be mycophobic, so don't expect to see Billy Bob sporting an "Eat More Toadstools" tag on the front of his Georgia Cadillac. Possum and sweet taters he'll eat, but those mushrooms that aren't in plastic and styrofoam wrap in the grocery store? Those are toadstools! They're poisonous!
Again, welcome to the site. I pick my advertisers carefully and when you patronize them by clicking through the ads on this site to order seeds, books and other things which mushroom and plant enthusiasts might want, you help support my endeavors to keep the site up and running. And I'm always ready and willing to do a workshop for expenses plus a nominal honorarium.
Eatmore T.
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