this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 157 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (50 children)

A general rule is if it has pores instead of gills, you’re probably in the clear.

Except for that one in Europe, that shit will megadeath you.

In all seriousness, the general rule I’ve heard for foraging wild unknown things is:

  • cut it open and rub it on your skin, wait an hour, if it gives you a reaction, stop here.
  • touch it to your lips, wait a while, if it gives you a reaction, stop here
  • touch it to your tongue, wait a while, if it gives you a reaction, stop here
  • chew a bit and spit it out, wait a while, if it gives you a reaction, stop here
  • swallow a small amount, wait a few hours, if it gives you discomfort, stop here
  • if you’ve made it this far, it’s likely ok, do so at your own risk tolerance

Roots are generally OK, particularly if you have access to double boil them.

For mushrooms:

  • pores are generally safer than gills
  • don’t eat it if it’s bioluminescent
  • don’t eat if it oxidizes quickly when you cut it open
  • don’t eat it if it bruises blue or red
  • learn how to detect what a bolete is. Boletes are generally safe, unless it breaks one of the rules above
  • Slime: Just say no.
  • make sure there’s not a mushroom growing on your mushroom. Double the mushroom is not double the fun.
  • learn what a destroying angel looks like, even when it’s young. Appreciate it from a distance, but give that fucker 5 feet of space at all times.

I am by no means an expert. I’m just a rando guy from Appalachia with some wild ass Russian buds and we do some funky shit down here. Take everything I say with as much trust as you give to anyone on the Internet.

When in doubt, take it to an expert and even then, consume at your own risk tolerance.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)

There was a guy a few years ago who tried to live off grid. He died, having left behind a journal detailing his final days. In it, he logged the exact process you outlined above for various things he foraged, which included wild potato seeds. Turns out those things pass all the above tests, but contain a deadly neurotoxin that builds up over time (that even modern science didn't really know about). Poor guy starved because he was too weak to even crawl.

nature be scary fellow humans. Be careful out there.

https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/13/4726722/into-the-wild-author-reveals-chris-mccandless-cause-of-death

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (2 children)

That some guy ISNT JUST ANY GUY! 😤

  • Documentaries were made about him
  • A very successful movie was made about him “Into the wild”
  • Countless Youtubers keep making videos about him; Thoughty2 made a very good video about him..
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The point of my comment was to highlight that even if you follow all the good advice, there's still a chance you discover some new things that will kill you.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago

Cool… I also forgot to mention all the books written about him… 😅

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I heard about a guy that didn't get accepted to art school.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

German bloke too. His name? Albert Einstein

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Eh, it's sort of a tradition at this point. You just win some and lose some (and as is quite obvious the outliers of both categories are really out there!

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