Hypholomas

So this is one I've been trying to figure out for a good three or four years now and I'm still not entirely sure on and don't know that I ever will be without some first hand experimentation. Anyone have any?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypholoma_capnoides (smokey gilled woodlover = edible)

vs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypholoma_fasciculare (sulfur tuft = poisonous)

I'm pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty sure I've got capnoides. I've seen some of these with a greenish tinged gills and these aren't them. More of a fawn color. Spore print brown. Like chocolate or a russet potato skin. Over all rich golden orange color depending on specimine with the centers more of a burnt brown and the outer edge more of a cream and everywhere in between. After staring at them for years I tasted a piece about half the size of my pinky nail. Raw, dring at room temp for 5 days or so (40 degrees) Taste not noticeably bitter. Almost bordering on pleasant. Growing on various rotting conifers from 18 month old grand fir to 10 year old hemlock.

Wish I had pictures.

Anyone with experience here? Anything else I could possibly mistake it for after such prolonged observation? Just how bad is sulfer tuft poisoning? I know its not generally fatal. Experiences with that?

I also have been looking at getting some Hypholoma capnoides growing in my next state garden area. Here I find fasciculare much more common. Yes, a greenish yellow tinge should be visible in the young mushrooms of the poisonous one. capnoides does grow on conifers, which should be a good part of the puzzle. The spore print should be the same: they are both hypholomas. I have tasted some, to see. They weren't bitter at first. After about 45 seconds, it became bitter and I knew I didn't want to eat it. Substrate, bitterness, and early gill color before spores should be the best determinants that I know. Paul Stamets speaks very highly of that mushroom. I have the same goal as you. I would check out Mushroom expert, etc online, as well as a local organization/expert.
John S
PDX OR

Yeah, I've unfortunately basically been through all that. I don't have a car and am too far out for there to be a convenient way to approach a mycological society or university and the old hippies who taught me all my mushroom lore now call up expecting me to know whatever the mystery fungi they're looking at is. It's kinda flattering and totally the other half of the deal but still unfortunate too.

I'm pretty sure on these - though definitely definitely not 100 percent.

THEY ARE DEFINITELY NOT A GALLERINA which is what I would be most concerned about offhand with that brown print. Way way way back when... way much longer ago than the limitation of any sort legal liability would be concerned... I cut my eye teeth identify and sampling the local psilocybes and I survived that mostly unscathed despite them looking superficially similar to the deadly gallerina.


Here's a pick of some Smokey Gills from wiki-commons and Finland - but I had to do a triple take. Same mosses, sub out the long needle pine for hemlock and the whats-it bushes for evergreen and red huck and you're looking at my older stumps.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hypholoma_capnoides_2.jpg

The new ones, which are doing exceedingly well are in the grand fir I used for my huglish mounds. In one 'pocket' where things had settled and formed the perfect environment there was one Large cap of these about the size of a 32 oz yogurt container lid. Biggest I've ever seen of these (whatever they are).

I think I'm going to observe them carefully over the next 4 or 5 days, cut out any alcohol from my diet over that period, and then make 4 persons worth of soup using 6 caps. Eat one serving and wait a good 30 hours before reheating.