Wild Edibles
In the late summer the Colorado Plateau experiences a "monsoon season" which amounts
to about a third of the annual rainfall 3"-7" inches
depending on location, in a few weeks. 1999 being an especially wet year, caused all kinds of mushrooms to fruit.
Algaricus campestritis
Several varieties of Algaricus grew in
the bottomlands along the Animas and
San Juan River in New Mexico. The area described is a riverine environment elevation 5500 feet.
These mushrooms occured 100+ feet from the river in the dappled sunlight of cottonwoods, russian olives and chinese elms. The soil in which they grew contained decayed leaves, sawdust and worm castings.
Boletus edulis
In the 10,000ft mountain passes of the Animas River basin grow a number of
edible boletus. Their environment is the
alpine forests of the San Juan Mountains.
These grow in the duff of pine needles.
Quite a number are found in partial sun on the east side of the tall pines. Boletus edulis is a choice edible. The larger mushroom on the left is known by the common names orange boletus or aspen boletus with its green spore tubes and somewhat softer flesh it not as choice an edible.
"There are bold mushroom hunters and old mushroom hunters....but there are no old bold mushroom hunters."
Anon
Boletes from Taos Ski Valley
These three varieties were pleasing to the eye had all the qualities sought by culinaries and probably edible pending further identification.
Variety 1: reddish cap, yellow spore tubes, some red on stem ant it stained blueblack when cut/bruised.
Variety 2: white/beige cap, yellow to olive spore tubes, stains yellow when cut/bruised.
Variety 3: white/beige cap, white/cream spore tubes, no staining when cut/bruised.
I'm a novice at collecting edible wild
mushrooms.I eat only the choice edible ones I can positively identify refering to texts by experts and use the methods they apply in identifying them.
People have been known to have reactions to cultivated mushrooms. Take care!