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How to Pick Wild Agaricus Mushrooms in Nature

Agaricus mushrooms are a genus of mushrooms with both edible and poisonous varieties. They include Agaricus Bisporous, better known as the white button mushrooms that are regularly seen in the produce department at the grocery store. Many Agaricus varieties grow freely in the wild and can be harvested for human consumption. However, you must be able to determine if they are edible or poisonous Agaricus mushrooms. This is of the utmost importance to avoid food poisoning. There are a couple of tests that can be performed to figure out which Agaricus mushroom you have found.

Things You'll Need

Mushroom field guide
Paper
Bowl

Instructions

- 1
  Pull the mushroom up by its stem so that the entire mushroom stays intact. This is important because you will want to be able to see the entire mushroom in order to examine and run tests to determine if it is edible or poisonous.
- 2
  Check the mushroom against the pictures in your field guide to make sure it is an Agaricus mushroom. Agaricus species look like white button mushrooms that you would find in the grocery store. If they do not look like the ones in the grocery store, then you likely have a mushroom species other than Agaricus.
- 3
  Check the entire surface of the mushroom for yellow spots or staining. This is a likely indicator that either the mushroom has gone bad or is poisonous. Discard the mushrooms if they have this yellow indicator.
- 4
  Crush the edge of the cap (top) of the mushroom. Smell the mushroom where you crushed it. If it has an almond or even slightly fennel smell, it is likely a good variety of Agaricus mushrooms. If it has the smell of phenols, ink or asphalt, it is likely poisonous.
- 5
  Repeat step 4 crushing the stem instead of the cap. Look for the same smell indicators to determine if the mushroom is poisonous.
- 6
  Run your fingernail from the center to the edge of the cap. If the area you ran your fingernail over turns yellow, this could be the sign of a poisonous mushroom. Some edible varieties will get this yellow stain from bruising, but the poisonous variety is particularly yellow. If you have any question about the intensity of the yellowing, discard the mushroom. Better safe than sorry.
- 7
  Cut off the very base of the stem of the mushroom. If it turns yellow, it might be poisonous. Again, some non-poisonous Agaricus mushrooms might also turn yellow. Consult your field guide for comparison but if you are not sure if the yellowing indicates poisoning, then don't eat the mushroom.
- 8
  Place the mushroom cap spore side down on a piece of paper and place a bowl over it overnight. After the night is up, check the paper for an imprint of the mushroom spore. The color of the imprint can help determine the type of Agaricus you have. Compare the shade of brown of the spore print to your field guide to help identify.

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