Mushrooms blooming in Edmonton backyards but be careful eating them
'If you're still having to look it up in a book, you're not ready to eat it'
The superstitious may not want to wander too aimlessly in Edmonton backyards this autumn.
Fungi of all shapes and sizes are sprouting up in backyards across the city, and the fairy ring mushroom is the most common type.
The brown-capped fairy ring mushrooms appear in tight circles in tall grass, and their magical shape and ability to crop up almost overnight has made them the stuff of legend.
According to myth, stepping inside a fairy ring will leave you cursed.
But one Edmonton-area forager is attempting to break the spell.
"I really want to empower people," said Eric Whitehead, owner of Untamed Feast, a gourmet wild food company based in St. Albert.
"It's strange that we've come to a place where we're afraid to go pick our own food, yet we're not afraid to go to a massive fast-food chain and eat there."
You can resist the urge to weed these mushrooms out of your lawn, and devour them instead.
These tiny lawn mushrooms are edible, and once cooked, have a mild and pleasant flavour.
"They are actually prized mushrooms in France and they're all over the place," Whitehead said during an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.
"You don't have to get rid of them."
Fungi forewarning
But if you dare to eat the tiny brown caps, proceed with caution. These saucer-shaped fungi look like a million other tiny mushrooms and are easily misidentified.
"You can eat them, but again, make sure you have the right little brown mushroom," Whitehead said.
"Just like berries, there are some poisonous ones and the ones grown on your lawn may not be the most desirable, but they're really interesting and there are some edibles."
Bumper crop
The fairy ring mushroom isn't the only tiny morsel you can find in your own backyard.
The dog days of summer have been hot and damp, cultivating a bumper crop of urban mushrooms in northern Alberta.
"We've had a really exceptional wet year, and as the fall comes, that's when many mushrooms come. The sap is starting to retreat down into the roots and mushrooms are connected to that.
"Mostly it's about weather and rain. You've got a lot of stuff coming up on the lawns, and a lot coming up in the bush."
Backyard blooms
The most common mushrooms you'll find include the shaggy parasol mushroom, large white caps that can bloom as large as a dinner plates, or Boletus mushrooms, known for their bulbous spongy under-bellies.
But, Whitehead says, whether you decide to eat mushrooms from your own backyard or from the bush, you need to be confident in your fungi knowledge before you take a bite.
"If you're still having to look it up in a book, you're not ready to eat it.
"Take it slow and take it steady."
With files from Stephanie Mitchell