Foraging Hygeine

[jonbem]

When I go out foraging, along with my basket, knife & field guide, I also take some wet & dry wipes, a bottle of water and a small bottle of anti bacterial gel. Then I got to thinking with fungi we are talking toxins, not bacteria I believe . But then again, with all the wild and also domestic critters that excrete countless untold nasties when in the great outdoors, I think I'll stick as I do.
Unless anyone has other suggestions (apart from the usual keep your fingers awa from eyes, ears, mouth etc)?

Jon

[cowshill]

Jon,

I've always been led to believe that A. phalloides and A. virosa were the only two fungi one is likely to come in contact with that are deadly enough that you need to be careful if you touch them. For the rest, if you don't actually ingest some you are in no danger. As I stated, this is what I have been led to believe and others may disagree.

Apart from that, I don't see that fungus foraging is hygienically different from any other outdoor activity that brings you in contact with the soil. I've been a dirt eater from infancy, so I don't worry about it. To each his/her own.

- Jim

P.S. You are certainly correct that anti bacterial gel is not going to protect you from fungus toxins.

[NickCantle]

If it's something you're genuinely worry about, then a pack of latex gloves in your bag will do no harm. At least that way you can pick the deadly species to study and observe without fear of becoming ill.

Just don't lick the gloves afterwards

[jonbem]

Good responses guys. Having been brought (dragged) up in a less than priviledged family, with traced roots through agricultutral association over 350 years, I was a trained chef, hence associated hygeine practice, and now work for a large food manufacturing company, where there are a lot stricter rules. However, I think personally that lack of exposure in our young to some less than beneficial organisms is contributing to certain alleged food intolerance situations, eg failing to build natural toloerance to what some may class as a minor upset.
I still think that with basic common (although this is now uncommon!) sense we should all be ok in such situations in the field.
My only "error" a couple of years ago was failing to remember that a certain fungus can cause undesired effects when consumed with alcohol! Who needs all those other "chemicals"?

Ta
Jon

[NickCantle]

Assuming you mean Coprinopsis atramentaria (prev. C. atramentarius)? What actually happened? Did you feel anything odd?

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by cowshill

Jon,

I've always been led to believe that A. phalloides and A. virosa were the only two fungi one is likely to come in contact with that are deadly enough that you need to be careful if you touch them. For the rest, if you don't actually ingest some you are in no danger. As I stated, this is what I have been led to believe and others may disagree.

- Jim

My understanding was that it is ok to touch those two. Maybe the concern is that you might get bits under the fingernails and later on lick your fingernails clean (though that wouldn't be enough to kill you). More likely it is that if you pick one it, or bits of it, might end up inadvertently in your basket of edibles.

Melanie

[jonbem]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

Assuming you mean Coprinopsis atramentaria (prev. C. atramentarius)? What actually happened? Did you feel anything odd?

It was actually the bog standard Trooping Funnel Clitocybe geotropa . Went through me like a dose of salts all of a sudden, uneasy feeling then................, only made the bathroom door, then had to put certain items of lower body clothing into the washing machine!
Unless it was the toast I had them on?
As you may glean from previous I have a good constitution generally

[jonbem]

Originally Posted by jonbem

It was actually the bog standard Trooping Funnel Clitocybe geotropa . Went through me like a dose of salts all of a sudden, uneasy feeling then................, only made the bathroom door, then had to put certain items of lower body clothing into the washing machine!
Unless it was the toast I had them on? As you may glean from previous I have a good constitution generally

And I was consuming a rather good french merlot (Red wine)

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by jonbem

It was actually the bog standard Trooping Funnel Clitocybe geotropa . Went through me like a dose of salts all of a sudden, uneasy feeling then................, only made the bathroom door, then had to put certain items of lower body clothing into the washing machine!
Unless it was the toast I had them on?
As you may glean from previous I have a good constitution generally

hi

given that we are not reliant on wild fungi to stay alive, I would be very wary of eating any Clitocybe . . . the recommendation with C. geotropa is to avoid the stems, but . . . .

I realise that we are venturing into "is my fungus edible" here, but don't forget - it's horses for (dinner) courses . . . . I know people who are allergic to shop-bought mushrooms . . . the illest I have ever been was after eating Leccinum versipelle which were a little (only a little, mind) past their sell-by date

I once ate a meal of honey fungus on toast which I found quite delicious, no problems - a former partner was violently ill eating the same meal* - you have to be very careful, eat only a little if for the first time - it really isn't worth taking any risks

cheers

Chris

* oh, and she survived I'm glad to say - we met up only last week, nearly 20 years later, for a meal

[cybershot]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

* oh, and she survived I'm glad to say - we met up only last week, nearly 20 years later, for a meal

I was thinking cheapskate, then remembered your location