Whilst walking in the Upper Derwent Valley this morning I came across a large group of shaggy ink cap mushrooms (Coprinus comatus). There were about 30 fruiting bodies in various stages of development, providing an ideal opportunity for photography.
As the shaggy ink cap releases its spores, the gills rapidly deliquesce into black fluid. Eventually the whole cap melts away, leaving just a spindly white stem.
This widespread and common fungus is edible but should not be confused with the common ink cap (Coprinus atramentarius), which will make you ill if you drink alcohol during or after eating it.
Freshly emerged shaggy ink caps can be sliced lengthways and fried in butter. Patrick Harding's book How to Identify Edible Mushrooms suggests turning older specimens into ketchup... I'm not sure I like the idea of that!
I sometimes fried these shaggy ink caps with butter and enjoy during rainy days. Thanks for this interesting post to read.
Posted by: Anon | Tuesday, 15 November 2011 at 08:52 AM