chanterelles are pretty safe to forage if they grow near you.

they are very distinct looking.

And this is why I grow my own. I'm very fond of Albino Texas PE6. Easy to grow, consistent, and you can clone and agar spawn over and over again. Such an aggressive little strain. And looks very distinct. Unmistakable.

Mushroom foraging can be safe, but the rules are:

• Always learn from a local guide first. It's not transferable to other regions. Which makes books a bad way to do it, and the internet a horrible way.

• You don't rule out dangerous mushrooms, you identify a specific edible mushroom.

• Never trust a little white mushroom.

There are no bold, old mushroom foragers

Sure there are, they just have to not eat what they picked up.

Source: friend's mom once gave food poisoning to the whole family by serving them an omelet made with mushrooms she found, but didn't eat it herself. Fortunately it was merely mushrooms of the "fucks up your stomach" variety.

Easiest way to avoid problems I've heard is to never pick any mushroom with ribbed underside. If the underside looks like a sponge, it's usually safe to eat. At least where I'm from.

Tech is ravenously trying to convince the world they need AI for every aspect of their business. Tech wants you to think LLMs are infallible and they strongly imply that they are even if the fine print says otherwise. So personally I would say tech is very much part of the problem. One could say they are the root of the problem in fact.

This guy sees the most terrifying description of a toxin killing someone and goes "Yep, that's a fun mushroom facto"

Once.

You'd have to use a very strange definition of edible. For something to be edible it does not only need to be able to fit down your throat, it has to be capable of nourishing you without harming you. You can swallow paper and it won't harm you, but it also can't nourish you and is thus inedible. You can eat this mushroom and it'll probably provide some kind of nourishment, but then it will swiftly kill you and thus it is inedible.

I would accept a definition of edible which includes things you can't digest. For example, gold can also be a food additive referred to by the code E175. Can't digest it, but it doesn't hurt you. So I could accept someone referring to gold as edible. But I think the barest, most universal element of something being edible is that it doesn't kill you. If literal deadly poison is considered edible one must wonder what the word "edible" is even supposed to mean.

Destroying Angel

Eastern North American Destroying Angel. Half a mushroom is enough to completely destroy your liver and symptoms show up too late to do anything about them

Probably bitter and followed by a slow agonizing death by liver failure.

Saute in a pan with butter and garlic. Death will taste fabulous.

I remember years ago reading you can tell if a mushroom is "magic" by blotting it on paper towel and seeing if it stains blue or purple. Unfortunately, that is also how many things say you can tell it's toxic. Maybe you'll trip balls. Maybe you'll die. 🤷🏻‍♂️