Page 21 - Kyalami Issue 4 December 2024

Kyalami Estates Corporate Brand Bible Design 26
3.0 Folder (Inner)
NATURE

Stay away from the
Death Cap mushroom,
left, and the Copper
Trumpet, below

As fungi, mushrooms are biological-

ly different from any other food group

and have a unique nutrient profile. They
make delicious additions to meals, add

magic to the garden and have good
healing properties.

ince their first controlled cultivation *Field mushrooms are also tasty, with a
in 1707, many varieties - ranging white cap and sometimes fine scales. The
from edible to poisonous to stem grows 3-10 cm tall, is white and bears
Smedicinal – have emerged around a single, thin ring. Be careful if it begins to
the world. Here are some of the most show signs of yellow bruising, as this can which occurs throughout South Africa.
important fungi families: cause it to become toxic and inedible; Ingesting it is dangerous and it accounts for
90% of all fatal mushroom poisonings, with
*Starting with edible varieties, there are *The soft, corky and flat Reishi mushrooms its toxins attacking the liver and kidneys.
many to choose from to add flavour to food. are one of the oldest known medicinal Look out for a pale yellow to light olive
The White Button mushroom is the one most varieties. The cap looks like it has been coloured cap, which grows from 5 to 15 cm
commonly grown around the world. It has a red-varnished and it features an underside in diameter. The gills and spore print are
cap spanning 3-16 cm and a stem of 2-8 cm of white pores containing fine brown white.
long. Although white in colour, it often has spores. They grow at the base of stumps of
brownish bruising; deciduous trees, have herbal healing powers The Copper Trumpet, commonly known as
and are easy to grow; the Jack-o-Lantern mushroom, is orange
*The Oyster mushroom is another popular to yellow in colour and very poisonous.
edible variety. It has decurrent gills which *Shiitake mushrooms are an edible favourite Although enchanting with its large, funnel
are attached to, and run directly down the with health benefits. They start out with shape and gills that glow in the dark, this
stem. They are white to light brown in colour dark brown to black caps, which become mushroom is filled with a compound called
and often grow in a shelf-like formation with lighter brown and more convex with age. luciferin. Rather just observe its beauty and
overlapping clusters; The undersides have white gills that do not don’t have it for lunch!
attach to the stem, which is smooth, fibrous,
*Porcini mushrooms are a well-known light brown and with no ring. It has many The False Parasol mushroom has a convex
addition to Italian dishes due to their strong, medicinal properties such as supporting the cap at full maturity, and grows from 5 to
nutty flavour. As they mature, the cap can immune system and assisting with heart 40cm in diameter. The gills are white when
grow up to 30cm in diameter and then health. young and turn green with age. If bruised,
flatten out. Its reddish-brown colour darkens the mushroom turns a dingy red colour.
with age and fades to white along the cap AVOID THESE POISONOUS It is highly poisonous and causes severe
margin. The stem is club-shaped or bulging MUSHROOMS gastro-intestinal symptoms of vomiting and
in the middle; Stay away from the Death Cap mushroom diarrhoea.

Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 4 • 2024 19