These wild mushrooms have sickened Californians. Here's how to forage safely.

"The winter season has brought cold and wet conditions that are perfect for fungi like death cap mushrooms, or Amanita phalloides, to grow in California, experts say, but with that has come a rash of people mistakenly eating them thinking they're safe. So far this year, at least 23 people have been sickened by eating death cap mushrooms in California and one person has died."

"There's no silver bullet for finding out whether a wild mushroom is poisonous unless you know what species it is, said Rudy Diaz, president of the Los Angeles Mycological Society. Old wives' tales of silver spoons turning black when they touch a poisonous mushroom, or that only bright-colored or foul-tasting mushrooms are unsafe are false, he said. "A novice forager should only eat wild mushrooms after they've been taught to identify them by an expert in their region," Diaz said."

Cold, wet winter conditions in California favor growth of death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides), and at least 23 people have been sickened this year, with one fatality. Consumption of these mushrooms can cause severe liver damage, require intensive care, and result in death. Cases have been concentrated in Monterey County and the San Francisco Bay Area, though risk exists statewide. Folk tests like silver spoons or assumptions about color and taste are unreliable. The safest mushrooms are those sold in grocery stores, and foragers should learn species identification from regional experts before eating wild mushrooms.

Read at Los Angeles Times