Matsutake Mushrooms – The World’s Most Expensive Mushrooms
Japanese matsutake mushrooms are the most expensive mushrooms in the world. Fetching up to $500 per pound, they rival truffles and are considered one of the most valuable ingredients of Japanese cuisine. Matsutake, or mattake mushrooms grow on the Korean Peninsula, in China, and even in the United States, but only the ones harvested in […]
Scientists Baffled by Mushroom Growing on Live Frog
In what is believed to be the first ever such documented case, researchers in India came across a live frog with a small mushroom growing on the side of its body. The Last of Us, the hit HBO series based on the namesake video game series, has popularized the fictional idea of mushrooms and fungi […]
How the World’s Deadliest Mushroom Used a Clone Army to Conquer California
Amanita phalloides, commonly known as the ‘death cap’ mushroom, has always fascinated scientists both because of its deadly amatoxins and the way it manages to conquer new lands in record time. The death cap originated in Europe where it grows by burrowing into the roots of European Oak trees and forming a symbiotic relationship with […]
Man Injects Mushrooms Into His Veins, They Grow in His Blood
Doctors recently reported the strange case of a 30-year-old man who injected magic mushrooms into his bloodstream, only to find that they had started growing in his veins. The Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry published a case report about a man who sought to self-medicate for opioid dependence and depression by injecting magic […]
The Potentially Deadly Mushroom That the Finns Can’t Get Enough Of
Gyromitra esculenta, or the False Morel, is a Spring mushroom that contains the toxin and carcinogen gyromitrin, which makes it illegal to sell and cook in countries around the world. In Finland, however, it is considered a delicacy. False Morel mushrooms have historically been consumed in northern Europe for centuries, but as chemistry and medicine […]
Author of Book on Mushrooms Lets Mushrooms Eat His Book, Then Eats Mushrooms
When it comes to promoting a book on mushrooms, I think it’s safe to say that no one will top biologist Merlin Sheldrake’s marketing campaign anytime soon. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Future is an intriguing book on the fascinating life of various fungi, written by biologist Merlin […]
Indiana Grocery Stores Let You Pick Your Own Mushrooms
Looking for super-fresh mushrooms? Head on over to a Kroger grocery store in Indiana, where you can pick them yourself. Instead of selling already picked and packaged button mushrooms, Kroger grocery stores in Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana, give customers the chance to pick them by hand from a compost stand. Sure, you have to get […]
Natural Canvas – Artist Etches Beautiful Illustrations on Mushrooms
If you like unique art mediums, you’re going to love Corey Corcoran’s work. The Boston-based artist uses mushrooms as canvases for his original illustrations. Creating really good illustrations is hard enough on paper, but on the surface of Ganoderma applanatum (also known as Artist Conk mushroom) is even harder. You can erase a mistake on a piece […]