Late Summer brings out the Parasol mushrooms
It’s a great time of year to start going out foraging more often. It’s late summer with a good portion of rain to get things going. And Autumn is not too far away just round the corner. Many different species start to pop out and show their faces. The problem is though I do tend to get covered in insect bites that itch like crazy!
Besides these problems, I was fortunate enough to find two different Parasols not too far away from each other in and around my local park. The Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) and the Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes – formerly Macrolepiota rhacodes). When I first published this post, the Parasols were both from the genus Lepiota, representing the larger specimens in this group. The name ‘Dappering’ is also used to label the majority of this species, but now the Shaggy Parasol has been chosen to stay in the Chlorophyllum genus.
The Parasol mushroom (M.procera) is fairly common and I found this one on the edge of parkland in thick grass (shared with nettles that added to my stings). It’s a mushroom you can’t really miss – standing their tall and proud shouting out it’s presence to the world. It was a solitary soul but sometimes you can find small and large groups of them together.
Note the Parasol mushroom’s distinctive central brown ‘bump’ and snake scale pattern on the stem
As the common name suggests, the open cap mimics the familiar shape of a parasol. When young, the cap is egg shaped and flattens out when it expands. The cap is a pale buff to white/creamy/brown colour with darker brown shaggy scales. Notably, it has a prominent bump on the top in the centre (umbo).
It’s long slender stem (slightly thicker near the base) has scaly snakeskin markings with a large (double) ring which can be moved up and down. Great fun. This scaly snakeskin appearance on the stem that helps in identifying it from a Shaggy Parasol which does not share this characteristic. Also note the smell, which is very distinctive (like ‘warm-milk as I’ve seen it written somewhere). The Shaggy Parasol on the other hand has no real strong smell at all.
This is an excellent mushroom to eat. Generally good as a fry up but I’ve heard they’re great deep-fried with dipping sauce on the side. Yum!
A few days before I had found myself a Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes) located on a patch of grass in the conifer wood close to the park (can also be found in grass gardens and shrubberies). It was kindly but indirectly pointed out to me by a passing little boy, shouting ‘MUSHROOM!’ to his mother who was very uninterested and replied ‘Don’t touch!’ Very wise words indeed – just leave it there – leave it for me (heh heh)!
Shaggy Parasol: Distinctive brown scales curling away from the white cap & thick bulbous base of stem. Notice the small compact shape of a younger specimen. (Locations: Front grass garden and conifer wood).
The rounded white cap (expanding to almost flat with age) has brown scales on top that curve upwards and out giving it a shaggy, torn appearance. The stem at the base is thick and rounded unlike the Shaggy Parasol which isn’t as bulbous.
This shaggy mushroom can be easily mistaken for the Parasol which is understandable. Good tips on how to identify this mushroom over the Parasol are the thicker, stockier appearance, no ‘snake-skin’ pattern on the stem and last but not least it’s colouring when bruised. If fresh, the stem and gills will bruise reddish-brown. Older specimens will have these reddish-brown tints appear naturally.
Edibilty-wise, this can be a very nice treat indeed – for some that is! It must be cooked, but it can disagree with some people and cause digestive upset or even a skin rash. It’s always best to try a little first and see how you go.
One last word of warning though – Never pick smaller sized parasols, or what appear to be parasols. You may by mistake obtain one of the smaller species of Lepiota (Dapperlings) which look like smaller versions of Parasols (around 7cm or less in diametre). Some of these are very poisonous and will cause you some serious grief. So, as a good rule with Parasol mushrooms only pick ones that are at least 12cm in diameter.
Update: North American poisonous lookalike:
As mentioned in the comments below (Nov 7, 2017), I thought it wise to mention the Green Spored Parasol (or False Parasol); Chlorophyllum molybdites, which is predominately most common in North America and causes gastrointestinal poisoning; such as diarrhea and/or vomiting a few hours after consumption. As of 2009 there has only been one record in the UK and I believe it may be still quite rare here. It looks very similar to edible Parasols (especially the Shaggy Parasol), but lacks the snakeskin pattern on the stem and has coarser cap scales. Fortunately a simple spore print test will reveal green spores. The gills, initially white often turn darker/greener with age.
Thanks for kind comments Martine. They’re not too common round my way either. There are a couple of spots where the Shaggy Parasol pops up time and time again but the normal Parasol is spread out and harder to find, and naturally the tastier one. typical! Hope you find some more pretty soon.
J
These are the best pics of the shaggy parasols I’ve seen! Pity I did not find this site a month ago, but I got mine identified by an acquaintance who knows what she’s doing.
I’ve been living here for 15 years and this is the first time we’ve had these. They’re incredibly impressive
Brain food too.
Nice one. Do you know what nutrients it has that are good for the this?
Hi, is this a Parasol Mushroom Macrolepiota procera? This is from the Philippines.
http://mindingthefarm.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/another-mushroom-for-id/
Hi Sylvia. It certainly looks like one, although it is a very old example. It has long since dropped it’s spores and is now withering away. They tend to have that dehydrated look with wavy and withered gills and the cap (fully round/circular at maturity) crinkles and contracts too. Shame you missed it in it’s prime.
All the best
John
Thank you John! Now I know what to look for.
This is a great site. Very interesting and fun to read!
I have some confusion between shaggy and normal…no scales on stem not really bumped on centre cap and more bulbous at base..16cm across cap…appears to be shaggy and some say NOT to eat…on the other hand, the ring moves without breaking,sporeprint white,does not bruise reddish or yellowish,found with others still egg ish shaped and 1 other mature and flat…in edge of field with regular horse usage nearer to trees… normal or not ???
Hi, we lived in the peninsula of Gower in Wales. I came across this mushroom while walking the dogs, please confirm if this is edible or now. Thanks in advance:
https://www.facebook.com/BritishFarm/posts/10153266403894867?comment_id=10153266513659867&offset=0&total_comments=12¬if_t=feed_comment
Yes. It is The Parasol (Macrolepiota procera). It is edible now. Make sure threy’re not too old.
All the best
John
Thank you so much John, now I think I will try to cook them in Garlic and Olive oil.. cheers.
No need to over season these particular beauties. The flavour is so rich and delicious, like a roasted meat, it needs no accompaniment. Excellent website by the way, wonderful and full.
Glad you’re liking the website Joe. And thank you for the cooking advice, you’re right, they have a great flavour all by themselves.
Thanks
John
Hi – I found this quite blue fungus growing in our lane – on a bank under oak trees, if it helps. Have you any idea what it is?
Many thanks
David
Picture here – https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/75566/DSCN2636.JPG
Hi David
This will be one of two Stropharia species. Either Stropharia caerulea (Blue Roundhead) or Stropharia aeruginosa (Verdigris Roundhead). The Blue Roundhead is much more common.
Thanks John! It’s so difficult to find out about mushrooms, I hardly ever take their pictures these days. Now I know its name I’m sure Google will be a mine of information.
David
In Anatolia, Parasol mushroom is existing. I found and showed them to two ladies from the village and they approved them for eating:) the taste was amazing.
https://www.facebook.com/keleshalil/posts/10154597560302948
That’s great to hear. They are one of the best wild edible mushrooms out there
It was incredible:) i wish one day i could find them in supermarket too:)
I agree. Mind you, it could take the fun out of the mushroom hunt!
Thought I’d found some Horse mushrooms yesterday, but thanks to your site realized (after eating I have to admit) I think they were Shaggy Parasol’s instead (no scaly snakeskin markings on stem and reddish-brown bruising when cut, so not a Parasol):
https://goo.gl/photos/LW7ivYHTN4x9YsbB6
Yes. Those pictures are young Shaggy Parasols. I eat them, with no bad reactions, after cooking first. Shame they weren’t Horse Mushrooms though.
Could you possibly talk also about the toxic, green-spored parasol? (Chlorophyllum molybdites) which is VERY important to be able to distinguish from these two species. It causes the most mushroom poisonings in North America, partly because nobody talks about it when they blog or talk about eating parasol mushrooms.
Thanks so much,
Good point Shlam. It is very rare here (only one recording that I’m aware of), but it seems wise to add it to the post as you have requested (as North America shares many of the same species we have in Northern Europe). Hopefully we can spare some people making this mistake. Please see updated post.
Many thanks
John
Hi there,
I have a haul of parasols- the shaggy kind. does anyone use the stalks? what experiences do you have to make them tasty?
I made battered whole mushrooms using paprika and salt and garlic powder with semolina with egg wash last night -which was nice.
still have loads so dehydrating the caps- but feel the stems are a bit stringy/woody even though the pickings are unopened- so lucky to have caught them early.
any ideas please- also uses for dehydrated pickings.
thanks
Hi Milly, my cooking skills are not so great, let alone being fancy with them! But I always tend to remove the stalks as they don’t retain the flavour like the cap and they’re a different consistency.
So if anyone out there has any good cooking tips for these, please leave a comment.
Thanks for all the info about parasol mushrooms ! We are so lucky here – we have a beautiful wild park right alongside our house in the South Downs and on our walk today we came across dozens of Parasol mushrooms, both young egg-shaped ones and loved wide open ones more than 12cm across ! Your descriptions of it are perfect and we now hope we will enjoy them in our diet from now on ! If I understood correctly, it is only the Shaggy parasols that may cause an allergic reaction and the normal parasol mushrooms themselves are quite safe & delicious to eat ! We also found a perfect Penny bun boletus mushroom well over a pound in weight (called Porcini in Italy and Steinpilz in Germany, which we will definitely enjoy for breakfast with scrambled eggs !
Sounds divine. And I’m happy you liked my post. The Shaggy Parasol is the one that can cause mild allergic reactions, but when trying some food for the first time, always try a little first, just in case you do have a reaction. I had a mild reaction from eating young Shaggy Inkcaps, but nothing bad. I still eat then now :)
Enjoy your breakfast.
Has anyone been advised to “pre-boil before cooking”? One Finnish mushroom book recommends boiling *before* cooking “Akansieni”, which it classifies as Chlorophyllum Olivieri, whilst a second book classifies as Chlorophyllum Rhacodes. In contrast, English websites and videos advise simply chopping the raw mushroom before frying it. One website even advises against using excessive water when cleaning the Shaggy Parasol, in case the meaty taste is washed away.
I haven’t heard that at all, no. I have simply fried or placed in the oven depending on what dish I’m cooking. Anyone else pre-boil?
We have picked & eaten lots of beautiful Parasol mushrooms over the past couple of weeks. No problems at all and they were delicious ! We usually scraped the top so the brown bits come off & then fried them in olive oil or butter with herbs, garlic, black pepper & sea salt cut up or whole also stuffed with grated parmesan or cheddar cheese ! My wife also made delicious mushroom soup with them ! Csaba
Thanks for the Parasol mushroom cooking tips. Sounds lovely. :)
Update: I spoke to some Finnish mushroom academics who indicated that the reason for boiling Chlorophyllum rhacodes was to lessen the effect of the chemicals that make some sick (1 in 25 people), otherwise the mushrooms can be cooked without pre-boiling.
Thanks Dave. That’s interesting and good to know.
Thanks again.
I’ve found some Parasol Mushrooms whilst holidaying in Surrey – I was wondering if they’ll be too late in the season to eat?
They’re slightly brown underneath?
It’s not necessarily late in the season, it’s just sometimes you can find them when they’re too old and ‘gone over’ so to speak.
We found the procera in late October this year. An expert told me that many varieties are late fruiting this year and this is true of the procera. I cut the caps up like cake in triangular slices, egg and breadcrumbed them and froze them, as they are filling, just like meat. I also bake whole caps stuffed with chopped bacon and cheese (Gruyère or Comte is good). It’s early November, is anyone still finding these fine tasting parasols?
Great cooking tips there Jan. I’ll be giving that a go.
A know a local place where they often pop up :)