My mother used to boil the wild mushrooms in salt water and then pour it off. She said that would draw any poison out of the mushrooms but I would not trust that idea unless I was near death starving. Apparently, that is to be done with a few mushroom varieties anyway, like the honey mushroom and a type of lepiota.
Parents knew which ones were safe but I did not recall what they were and they may be different in Ontario from those in B.C.
Mom used to salt them too, in a gallon jar in the fridge. Delicious cold with some sweet/sour rye bread.
2015 was so dry in the woods here that there were patches of dead moss and very few mushrooms. Last fall was so wet that the chanterelles were often soggy and those do not dry well when so wet. Last fall I found a patch of matsutake only about 3 km from home on a walk I do once in a while. I was sure there were none in that woods but found one little corner where I picked about a dozen over the season, leaving and scattering the old ones to spread out the spores a little further.
Seems that daughter has a new boyfriend who likes to go mushrooming. I am thrilled and hoping they will take granny out into the hills at least once this fall, after all the tomato work is done!
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