cultivated mushrooms and wild mushrooms

fresh fortune mushroom

black fungus

lingzi

wild mushroom (unidentified)

wild mushroom (stinkhorn fungus)

wild mushroom (unidentified)

wild mushroom (unidentified)

wild unidentified mushrooms

there is this mushroom farm in lim chu kang that grows a variety of mushrooms and some herbal plants. the name of this farm is kit yan agrotch. you may have read about it in this post by seenthisscenethat.

i always have a problem identifying mushrooms. whenever i visit this farm. they all look more or less the same to me. i know a few species, like the oyster mushroom, the abalone mushroom and the fresh golden cup.

during my walks, i have came across mushrooms that look similar to those grown on the farm and i sometimes wonder if they are edible. i have been warned often enough that wild mushrooms are usually poisonous and so far i have heeded this advice. during our walks, those that grow on rotting tree trunks, we always labelled them 'lingzi'.

today, while taking the walking trail from bukit panjang to macritchie reservoir, i came across the rarely seen stinkhorn mushroom. in fact, we came across two of these veiled fungi. on one of them, the veil was still intact; the other veil was slightly tattered. these are white ones, slightly different from the one i saw at the macritchie reservoir.

i do not think singaporeans are into mushroom hunting. most of us are just contented to take pictures of them. few go beyond identifying the species of the fungus. although mushrooms are quite common, especially after a period of rain, i have yet to see anyone collecting the mushrooms in the wild.

some tips on how to avoid mushroom poisoning; it is to follow these five rules:

identify every mushroom you collect in the field out there before eating them. when you are doubtful about its identity, do not eat it.

strictly avoid any mushroom that looks like an amanita, all little brown mushrooms and all false morels.

some people are allergic to even the safest mushrooms. the first time you try a new wild mushroom, it is important that you eat only a small amount and wait 24 hours before eating more.

as with other foods, rotting mushrooms can make you ill. eat only fresh and undecayed mushrooms. this applies to mushrooms you purchase at the supermarkets.

most wild mushrooms should not be eaten raw or in large quantities, since they are difficult to digest.