is there any place in marin county or san francisco where i can bring wild mushrooms to be identified?

Question

I see a lot of mushrooms growing after the rain, but i dont trust my own judgement. Is there a place i can go to consult a mycologist. I heard there are poison control centers that do this

Answer 1

I love picking wild mushrooms in the Bay Area. First rule, of course, is never eat anything you haven't positively identified. Second rule is respect the environment when foraging. With that said, not only do I enjoy picking mushrooms, I have enjoyed many tasty and delicious wild mushroom meals without wrecking my liver (Beware! Death caps and destroying angels grow in the Bay Area) because I know what I'm doing.

The Bay Area is a hotbed for mycologists. Check out http://www.mykoweb.com for lots of info about mushrooms, and if you are really looking for mycologists, visit the Mycological Society of SF website http://www.mssf.org They like visitors, and they have regular meetings.

btw, MSSF has an annual Fungus Fair at the Oakland Museum every year (with a table where you can bring your mushrooms to a mycologist for identification). Check it out, it's coming up December 1-2!

ADDENDUM: If you want to check with the mycologists at UC Berkeley, the prof to look for is Tom Bruns. I was a student in his 'Mushrooms of California' class, and it was one of the best electives I took at Cal. Prof. Bruns is a member of the MSSF, so you might as well meet up with that group.

Answer 2

Hi,
Another mycological resource is the Bay Area Mycological Society (BAMS), based in the East Bay. You can join our yahoogroups list for free (with listowner approval), and post photos for ID:

[e-mail]

We are having our first BAMS meeting this week on Thursday, October 25, 2007, at 7:30 pm, UC Berkeley, Tolman Hall, Rm. 2326. If you are in the neighborhood, drop on by! Our myco-meetings are sponsored by the Bruns Lab, with whom we have partnered to create the Pt. Reyes Mycoblitz:

http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/events/pt_reyes_mycoblitz_2006.html

This would be a great time to have your myco-finds IDed by experts, and learn more about local mushrooming, field trips. etc.

Caution in eating wild mushrooms is a wise choice, but you, too, can learn how to do it safely. There are many resources in the Bay Area to help you out. Step up, and meet your mycologcial community.

Debbie Viess
Co-Founder, Bay Area Mycologcial Society
www.bayareamushrooms.org

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Please don't even consider eating wild mushrooms -- not worth it. People have died or if lucky, survived with permanent and severe liver damage

The recommendation is to buy your mushrooms at the market.

Answer 5

i would imagine uc Berkeley would have the resource to do it

please don't eat them