Scarlet Elf Cups (Sarcoscypha coccinea) and Ruby Elf Cups (Sarcoscypha austriaca) (indistinguishable without microscopy) are one of the few Spring mushrooms that are also edible. They have a mild taste (when overcooked, can become flavourless). They can be gently pan-fried in a little oil/ butter or used in a stew, and they make a nice addition to pasta and rice dishes, or fried eggs.

If you're out looking for them, Elf Cups enjoy wet, muddy places (often close to a stream), and they grow on fallen twigs, rotting wood, under dead leaves but can be easily spotted because of their bright red color.

tiny dude

shaggy ink cap / coprinus comatus Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Just so everyone is aware:

An international group of qualified mushroom identifiers who do worldwide identification in emergency cases have identified the Shroomers App as a potentially very dangerous system that could kill you if you try to use it to identify edible mushrooms. They use AI to generate almost all of their content, including their identification profiles on their app as well as their books and other materials. Not only is this unethical from a content creation standpoint, it is also extremely dangerous.

DO NOT USE APPS FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES BEYOND SIMPLE CURIOSITY. A MISTAKE WHEN IDENTIFYING AN EDIBLE COULD COST YOU YOUR LIFE. DO NOT EAT ANY FORAGED MUSHROOM YOU CANNOT IDENTIFY YOURSELF BY SIGHT OR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN PERSON BY SOMEONE WHO CAN.

ONLY BUY BOOKS FROM REPUTABLE SOURCES AND AT THIS POINT THAT MEANS ASKING EXPERIENCED PEOPLE WHAT BOOKS THEY USE.

Mushrooms are fun, amazing organisms. Enjoy safely.

Mushrooms releasing spores into the wind. Captured by Paul Stamets

Foraging Finds

A cluster of Hypholoma fasciculare

supervisor at work desperately wants me to try her herbal mushroom coffee and I looked at the insert and it has cordyceps in it ‘for stamina’ and don’t get me wrong I’m sure it’s a normal edible non-parasitic variety but there IS a little part of me that’s like. oh so that’s what they’re calling it now

catching the light

fairy inkcap / coprinellus disseminatus Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Paleontologist: I became a paleontologist because dinosaurs are cool

Astronomer: I became an astronomer because space is cool

Chemist: I became a chemist because explosions are cool

Archeologist: I became an archeologist because Indiana Jones is cool

Mycologist: I. Fucking. LOVE. Mushrooms.

Paleontologist: Uh…

Mycologist: IWillLiterallyMurderYouJustSoICanWatchFungiBreakDownYourDecayingRemainsDon’tTestMeBoneBoy

rb to fungus your followers

(they deserve it) (they have been very good)

It's fungi season!! Don't eat these, you'll die

source