(Topic suggested by a family member after reading of deaths from accidental poisoning from foraging identification mistakes.)
Every year at harvest time news articles document illnesses and fatalities caused by consuming poisonous mushrooms gathered in the wild known as "foraging"
Ma' Cline's Coffee never uses wild mushrooms but on the contrary only uses pure, non toxic strains grown under carefully controlled conditions inside FDA certified organic safe growing facilities. Great care is taken to prevent contamination with outside strains. Frequent tests confirm the purity and safety of the medicinal mushrooms. Our family member suggested potential customers might be easily confused by these nationally circulated news articles and be fearful about buying any mushrooms, including those sold by Ma' Cline's Coffee
There are 100,000 +/- different kinds of mushrooms including about 200 medicinal mushrooms. We focus on the 8 most beneficial, all of which are grown indoors under laboratory conditions. Mushrooms grown in the wild absorb environmental pollution as well as the naturally occurring biotoxins.
People forage for several reasons
- Fun and challenging hobby
- Perceived lower cost
- Gourmet desires
- Anyone can do it misconception
- Annual recreational pass time
- Culturally practiced
We advise against foraging because
- Some are deadly poison
- Can attack liver and other organs within hours, death follows in days or weeks.
- Not easily identified because some look like safe species
- Cannot be field tested
- Taste good
- Even experienced foragers can make an identification mistake
- Accidents occur every year
- Cooking does not deactivate the toxins.
Want to know more? Mushroom poisoning, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mushroom_poisoning&oldid=1335073907
photo credit https://pixabay.com/users/cocoparisienne-127419/