I don’t forage for them. When they’re young they taste great but they’re easily confused for young death caps. When they’re old you risk dislodging the spores and they’re super toxic. Only mushrooms that are really morphologically distinct are safe foraging unless you’re using a guide and going through the list of every distinguishing feature.
You should always use a guide and go through every distinguishing feature. AFAIK their spores aren’t toxic, just allergenic. But you wouldn’t be getting them when they’re sporulating.
But you’re right, the fact that young amanitas are a lookalike is a good reason to avoid them. Giant puffballs don’t usually have that problem due to their sheer size.
I don’t forage for them. When they’re young they taste great but they’re easily confused for young death caps. When they’re old you risk dislodging the spores and they’re super toxic. Only mushrooms that are really morphologically distinct are safe foraging unless you’re using a guide and going through the list of every distinguishing feature.
You should always use a guide and go through every distinguishing feature. AFAIK their spores aren’t toxic, just allergenic. But you wouldn’t be getting them when they’re sporulating.
But you’re right, the fact that young amanitas are a lookalike is a good reason to avoid them. Giant puffballs don’t usually have that problem due to their sheer size.