Gnome:
The Stinkhorn Mushroom.
This issue’s edible mushroom is the stinkhorn mushroom. I have to admit that this one is probably going to appeal only to the hard-core enthusiasts out there but since it fruits abundantly on my farm without any work on my part, I eat it and enjoy it for what it is.
Stinkhorns are one of the easiest mushrooms to identify; in one form or another they resemble erect penises when mature. They are different from other mushrooms in that they spread their spores with the help of flies and carrion beetles (lovely, isn’t it!) which are attracted to the smelly, slimy spore mass that adheres to the tip or head. To quote David Arora from Mushrooms Demystified because I could not do a better job in describing these unusual mushrooms:
The stinkhorns’ most outlandish feature, however, is the unpleasant or provocative odour of the mature spore slime, which has been variously characterized as “foul,” “foetid,” ”compelling,”…”disconcerting,”…”nauseating,” “like rotting carrion,”…and most apt and understated of all: “indiscreet.” Lured from afar by the stench, flies and carrion beetles come to feast on the slime and if the day is hot, roll around in it. With their eventual reluctant departure, spore dissemination is accomplished (some spores stick to their feet, others are presumably passed through their digestive tracts)…
Now that I have thoroughly disgusted everybody with the general description I shall try and answer the question: “Why would you want anything to do with such a mushroom, let alone eat it?” Well, while the mature mushroom itself is thoroughly unappealing, the immature or shall we say, “un-erupted,” mushroom looks like a puffball on the outside and if sliced open reveals a miniature stinkhorn compressed inside with a gelatinous substance beneath the outer skin and a darkly coloured spore mass on the “head.” It is at this stage which it is worth eating and in fact, these odourless (thankfully!) eggs are considered a delicacy in parts of China and Europe. Allegedly, they are pickled raw and may be found in markets in mycophilic countries.
They are generally easy to find; on my farm, I have a naturally fruiting patch that comes up after heavy rains under Salmwood trees. All I do is walk around the area, use my nose to spot the carrion smell, look for the mushroom sticking out of the ground and then use my hands to shuffle all the leaf mulch around looking for the “eggs,” and they are approximately egg-sized. They also will randomly pop up in the garden, especially if we have been fertilizing with cacao trash; in the grass occasionally, and of course, in leaf litter in the bush.
We generally get two types, though there are plenty of different species varying in size, colour and appearance: Dictyophora indusiata or the tropical basket stinkhorn, which has a net around the phallic protrusion and Phallus impudicus or common stinkhorn which just looks like a phallic protrusion.
So, how do you eat them? I have never had them pickled but I can attest to the eggs being sliced and then either fried or stewed. Fried crunchy they are unequivocably better; while stewed, I find them too gummy and chewy with no particular taste.
We enjoy them on our farm because they are free, no work bounty that adds variety to our diet but I will admit that this is truly a mushroom for the dedicated mycophile only.
Go forth and spread the spores!