Shaggy Mane Mushrooms

 

 

Shaggy Manes

Shaggy mane mushrooms (coprinus comatus), also called lawyer's wig or shaggy ink cap grow just about anywhere in Canada. We had a massive cluster of them growing around the chicken house in Ontario and I have seen them all over here in BC. The chickens loved them! They quickly disintegrate into liquid when picked or as they get older on the stem.

The little ones that are still intact and solid are very good eating, but they start turning to liquid almost as soon as they are picked. They have an enzyme that causes this. Heat destroys that particular enzyme in the mushrooms so if you can get them sliced and grilled within about 30 minutes of picking, you will have some tasty mushrooms. 

Shaggy Manes 

This takes some planning. If you have a portable heat source you can take with you, you can set it up nearby. Add a skillet heated to temp and you will be ready to pick. This is not necessary if you have them growing near your home, of course. You can take them directly into the kitchen to heat immediately on the stove. 

 

Healthy Caprinus Mushroom

Do not wash them first, just wipe clean with a soft cloth. slice the small, whole, solid mushrooms along the height and set them on the hot skillet. A couple of minutes on each side should do it. Remove them as soon as the are done and set aside with others to cool. Pack in plastic boxes for transport to your freezer. They are delicate. They freeze well and make a great mushroom soup or an addition to soups or a pot roast. 

Use only the small, intact coprinus mushrooms. If you cook with these when the caps are on the turn, they will dye everything you cook with them black. They are still edible after turning black, just not very palatable. 

Too late, starting to turn :(

Mushrooms are rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. They are a good dietary source of these things, so perhaps worth the trouble. Especially if you are in the bush wild crafting.

All coprinus mushroom contain a chemical that prevents the human body from breaking down alcohol. One variety in particular, called the alcohol ink cap, has more. If you eat a lot of them, while drinking alcohol, you can suffer the symptoms of alcohol poisoning. 

You can also make some very good ink from them. To do this mix the inkcap ink with a little water and some cloves and heat it. This process will help fix the ink and stop it from fading or running when you use it. I could do a drawing of caprinus mushrooms in the forest with the ink from the mushrooms! Hmmmm....  something to think about when mushroom time comes around again. I'll have to look for some shaggy manes somewhere in town. I have heard that they grow up here but I have not seen any. Honestly, I haven't been looking for them, either. Something to do on my walks about town in the summer! I'll ask around. Maybe I know someone in town that has them on their property. Most people consider them a nuisance, in town anyway, as they ruin the perfect grassy lawn look. They are good healthy fodder for animals, the edible ones are anyway. It's probably not a good idea to teach animals to eat them as they could also eat the toxic ones too, not knowing the difference. Like I said earlier, our chickens loved them and ate all that grew near. That's one reason I started paying attention to them, decades ago. 

Mushrooms can be transplanted. Shaggy manes are cultivated or transplanted by creating a nutrient-rich, moist bed of manure and straw, ideally in spring, that mimics their natural habitat in lawns and disturbed soil. They thrive in 50-50 mixes of cow/horse manure and compost or straw.Transplanting involves digging up some of the white mycelium under the soil and moving it to a new location, as in the new bed in your garden/lawn. You could probably do this with morels too, or oyster mushrooms. You would have to mimic their ideal growing environment. You can also buy mushroom inoculate for growing your own, on Amazon. It's not cheap and it wouldn't have the same "rewarding fun" value as hunting for them yourself, transplanting them, and having them grow and fruit. 

Make sure you know what you are eating. If in doubt, leave it alone! There is a similar mushroom with a shaggy mane but it is dark with while scales and it is toxic. The coprinus mushrooms are white with white scales and/or beige top and tips and white interior. The toxic mushroom is called a magpie fungus and looks like this: 

Toxic Magpie Fungus (dark cap)