Meadow Mushrooms

I've never posted a picture of how little loom waste is created with the AVL if you use cords to tie onto the beam. There actually couldn't be any less waste because you need the ends to tie on a new warp and prevent having to rethread.

[About a yard of waste]

In the last few weeks I've been so focused on the prized Chanterelles that I almost overlooked the beautiful and plentiful edible that's growing right in the back yard: Agaricus campestris, the common meadow mushroom.

[Look at them all!]

I am still without my good mushroom books so I'm forced to be less conservative than I would ordinarily be. I know that this mushroom is identified by a dry, bright white top that blushes tan but doesn't turn yellow when bruised, pink gills that turn brown with age, a thin membrane over the gills that turns into a ring on the stem, and brown spores. The last indicator I know of is that it smells delicious when cooked. Even with all these indicators, I'm not enough of a mushroom expert to know if there are unpleasant mimics so I'll probably harvest and dry them until I can get a positive ID.

[Here's the beautiful mushroom. See the pink gills? See the loom oil on my thumb? :)]

[A quick first harvest]

Update: Once these guys warm up, they bruise yellow quite quickly. The crushed stem bases smell phenolic, too. That changes the identity to Agaricus xanthodermis, a related species that causes mild gastrointestinal distress in most people. Ah, well. Guess I'll hold out for the Chanterelles after all.