Are these mushrooms still edible?
Are these mushrooms still edible? The colour of the gills changed.
I'm not sure what kind of mushrooms they are. They're not store-bought though, my mother picked them from the forest. She also washed them straight away. They've been stored in the refrigerator for 5 days. No off-odour. Gill's colour changed from light brown to dark brown-black.
Best Answer
No - not edible, is the only responsible answer to this question. From the given information and photo, it's impossible for someone on these message boards to positively identify what you have.
The saying is "When in doubt, throw it out". As with all foraged mushrooms, don't eat it if you are not able to 100% positively identify it. This goes for fresh and as well as 5-day refrigerated specimens.
My background: 3 years experience foraging local wild fungi in midwestern USA and scientific fungi identification.
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Quick Answer about "Are these mushrooms still edible?"
Mushrooms should look dry, crisp and fresh. If your mushrooms look wet, have developed a slimy film and feel slimy or sticky, they're not edible anymore. Slimy skin is an indication that the mushrooms are beginning to rot, and bacteria are breaking them down.What happens if you eat old mushrooms?
According to Consumer Health Digest, old mushrooms can lead to botulism, a rare but fatal condition. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, vomiting, and paralysis. Old mushrooms may also carry E. coli, especially if they were improperly cleaned or served raw.Are mushrooms that turn brown still good?
If they look pretty shriveled, it's a safer bet to toss them than consume them. They're becoming darker or have dark spots. Dark spots are a sign that your fungi are starting to go bad. The best thing that you can do is to keep an eye on your mushrooms throughout the entire time they're in the fridge.What does a bad mushroom look like?
Though a slimy mushroom is the first way to tell a bad mushroom from a fresh one, another big sign is if they develop wrinkles. Some mushrooms will go wrinkly and shrivel up when they dehydrate. If your mushrooms look like they're way too shriveled then it's time to get yourself a fresh batch.Can you eat old mushrooms?
One of the easiest signs to look for in bad mushrooms is a slimy texture. This typically happens when the mushrooms have been in the fridge for too long, but they're usually not dangerous to eat at this stage, either. It's just less appetizing, and most people throw them out at this point.Growing the Rarest Edible Mushrooms
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Polina Tankilevitch, Polina Tankilevitch, Ella Olsson, Ashish Raj