Mushrooms

Last week I went on a long drive outside the city to visit a temple and feel really pleased that I did the trip coz for the first time in my life I saw a wild mushroom. I have seen plenty of small mushrooms coming up occasionally in the garden containers but never one growing in its natural habitat. I have earlier written in my garden blog about my fascination with mushroom foraging and how it is very difficult to go for edible mushroom hunting as I live in a place very remote to wilderness. 

Ha.. finally one of my wishes came true.These mushrooms were not found near our destination but actually on the way where we decided to stop for a minute to take rest. I stopped under a tamarind tree which had a patch of grassland in front and not far from my vehicle,were these mushrooms snuggling happily together. I took a few pictures and cut a few of them off their roots(hope thats what they are called) and bagged them to take home for proper investigation and possible identification. The mushroom had a mealy smell (means like a wet flour) so I guessed it could be one of the good ones.

Later on at home, after noting down the color,gill structure and the stem shape I went online searching its name and all pointed me to this ..Calocybe Gambosa. I tested the characteristics listed for this mushroom against the one I had and all checked okay.

1. A cap that is initially round, becoming irregular when bigger

2. A cap that is slightly inrolled at the edge

3. A stem that is stout and bulbous at the base(the latin word "gambosa" means "club-footed").

The most important things to check are ...

4. Flesh is firm and cream-coloured and does not change colour when cut - CHECK (did not change even after a day)

5. Gills that are cream, very crowded and "emarginate"  - CHECK (I had to search and find what does emarginate mean but it matched as well)

6. A white spore-print - CHECK (cut the cap off,lay it on a clean paper and leave it for 24 hours and observe the spore color and pattern)

7. The smell - very mealy and very distinctive - CHECK

Calocybe gambosas are said to be edible and a very tasty one at that and apparently much sought after by chefs. I did not try eating it nor will I do ever in the future without getting a mushroom expert's opinion on it first. The ones I took home, I have tossed them randomly in the garden and in the frontyard grass patch in the hope that the spores spread and the mycelia starts growing in this area.

I do not know if they will ever grow in this method but I can be sure whether they do or not in a year's time provided it rains plenty as well all through the year. Lot of ifs there but I just wish and hope these spores take life in the garden. I have also marked the place where I found it growing, so I will be surely checking it out the next time I go there.Even though I have said it twice above, I will say it again I am very pleased that I found this mushroom. I just like the simple pleasure of having a keen eye and the luck in spotting a good one at my very first opportunity.