Tag Archives: A. banningiana

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Camp weekend with mushrooms

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Suillus americanus, chicken fat mushroom or American slippery Jack, an edible found in multiple spots. We’ve not tried it.
Aureoboletus auriflammeus, flaming gold bolete, staining fingers orange. This is a young fruiting body.

We camped over the weekend at SAFF and not only did we see some cute critters but it was also a mushroom wonderland.

Amanita rubescens, blusher, with deadly lookalikes it’s not a beginner’s mushroom. They are abundant throughout the farm and are always eaten by bugs or animals. Need to be thoroughly cooked for 15-20 minutes to break down a dangerous hemolytic protein toxin. Foragers say it has a mild, nutty pleasant flavor. Some compare it to a mild meat or beef like richness. So far, we can only hope to find a good looking blusher to bring home and cook.
Xanthoconium seperans, lilac bolete, a prized choice edible in the porcini family.
Leccinum aurantiacum, red capped scaber stalk, found all over but heavily in the north pine and oak forest.
Saturday foray from SAFF includes Frost’s boletes, Amanita banningiana and jacksonii. Chanterelles and lilac boletes. We also found one Lactarius indigo.
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Wednesday Walk at SAFF with Mushrooms

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2 inches of rain this week! What a dream come true.
Amanita polypyramis, Plateful of Pyramids Lepidella, named after the pyramid like warts on the cap. We found these on Mary Banning Way up top near the driveway. It’s poisonous and smells like chlorine.
Chris surrounded by multiple types of mushrooms on Chanterelle Trail.
We found our first chanterelle in two years just a few feet away.
We found multiple Lactarius species including this Lactarius psammicola.
Lactarius psammicola, underside view with lactation from the gills.
Trametes cinnabarina, Northern Cinnabar Polypore, found up top on a conifer.
Sabatia angularis, Rosepink, flowering in the woods, clearings and on trails.
Amanita jacksonii, an edible found near Three Pine Trail.
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Amanitas at SAFF on Thursday afternoon

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Amanita parcivolvata, the ringless false fly Amanita or False Caesar’s mushroom. This is edible but avoided by many because of its poisonous lookalikes.
Amanita banningiana, known as the yellow Caesar or Mary Banning’s slender Caesar. It is prized for its taste but caution is advised due to deadly lookalikes.
Amanita canescens, Golden threads Lepidella, grows near oaks. Found up top in the main clearing. Inedible.

What a great day we had yesterday at SAFF. We went over to check out how much rain the farm had gotten. The gauge was at .2 which is better than none. But much less than the 1.9 inches our weather app reported. Nevertheless, we still had mushrooms growing. Even some we hadn’t seen before. It was like a dream come true.

The pawpaw fruit in the old clonal colony is getting bigger. We are planning a trip to see what pawpaws are doing in our foraging spots along the Rockfish River soon.

Xanthoconium purpureum, found growing under an oak up top in the main clearing. It’s edible although this one has been claimed by bugs.
Small bolete popping up on Chanterelle Trail we hope to see mature.
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August 4, 2024 A New Trail —Mary Banning Way

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Amanita banningiana, Mary Banning Slender Caesar, has been found in every corner of Saint Andrews Forest Farm.

Mary Elizabeth Banning (1832-1903) was an American mycologist and botanical illustrator from Maryland. She described 23 previously unknown species of fungi. Her scientific achievements remained unrecognized during her lifetime. With no formal schooling or training, and during her free time, as she taught children and took care of her sick mother and older sister, she created the first mycological study of fungi in America with “The Fungi of Maryland.” This manuscript includes 174 13” by 15” watercolor paintings of various fungal species. She self funded her own study and lived in ever increasing poverty.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-lost-mushroom-masterpiece-unearthed-in-a-dusty-drawer

Banning dedicated her life to mycology and lived in a world where women could not be scientists. She has inspired many people with her love for fungi and who knows how many she has inspired with her accomplishments while facing tremendous hurdles and difficulties.

We blazed a new trail from SAFF’s north side to North Trail, and we have named it Mary Banning Way to always remember and honor this powerful, intelligent and creative woman.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=e328c47da5cf79ba&hl=en-us&sxsrf=ADLYWIIwmcwpkr0oTLUTOUnkz28–u7l5w:1722959078107&q=mary+Elizabeth+banning&source=lnms&fbs=AEQNm0CgxwOFjiKYHNCRHSK3fdWj5Bfhn0qfSojWNk3sUgIBYunTvGd-atQ5vuydI-jpHqlf2bG9PoOqCjjAck2_Nh0_PQsVULTK7SAiDVgQtYGa-T2VhecsAjmd7f48Tpj2Wc96XEURaS756ngHPNnSgh-deW9qthss0LDkmdW0YgoRvNuTSFBvRX-HHAaboi-icdChhwk0PwgER4wyaU5GMZH4gvCdIw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiijMDe2uCHAxW2F1kFHU83Am8Q0pQJegQIGBAB&biw=320&bih=497&dpr=3#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:70a48c23,vid:NlGam0jSZ04,st:0

We hope you look up her works.

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Late July and early August Many Amanitas at Saint Andrews Forest Farm

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Amanita amerirubescens complex from below
A. amerirubescens from above. Note the red blushing. These are edible when thoroughly cooked. We haven’t tried them.
Amanita jacksonii, a delicious Caesar mushroom that can even be eaten raw. We cooked them and they maintained a wonderful texture. These were some of the tastiest mushrooms we’ve had.
A. jacksonii, A. banningiana, Bolete edulis and Exsudoporous frostii in our basket. All were delicious. 😋

The forest is full of mushrooms with the rain we’re getting. Every day we go out and find something completely new. Since we bought the farm last year, we’ve searched for Amanita jacksonii. Saturday we walked down Amanita Way towards the wet weather gully and there they were. They were very large and strikingly red with orange caps and yellow stems. We have seen hundreds of Amanita parcivolvata, commonly called False Caesar, and these were instantly recognizable as the true sought after delicacy. The small one to the left in the basket is the first American caesar we found last week, Amanita banningiana or Mary Banning Slender yellow caesar. This is also tasty and special. They are much smaller and found in the northeastern and southern regions of the US.

A. banningiana has striations along the edge of the cap. It is found in oak-beech-hickory forests from Maine to Alabama.
A. parcivolvata, or false caesar. Found all over SAFF.
Amanita rhopalopus, American club footed Lepidella.