Thursday, August 20, 2009 ..
By Tom MeadeJournal Staff Writer.. 
Naturalist Joe Metzen examines a mushroom in the woods in Exeter.
..Joe Metzen has been studying mushrooms intensively for seven years, and he says, “The more I learn, the less I know.”
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Metzan and Laura Carberry, his colleague at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, are scheduled to present a series of mushroom programs on the mainland and on Prudence Island. The series is scheduled to start with a mushroom walk and lunch, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Audubon Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, in Exeter.
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Strolling through the Exeter woods, a basket in one hand and a folding knife in the other, Metzen stoops to pry a lavender mushroom from the forest floor.
It is beautiful.
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It is an Amanita, and it is deadly.
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In 2006, Amanitas killed a family of 10 in Mexico. They sickened another family of 16 in that country, 8 of whom died.“Everyone wants to know about the edible mushrooms,” Metzen says. “First, you have to learn the Amanitas, some of the deadliest mushrooms in the world.”
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During an hourlong walk last week, poisonous mushrooms outnumbered edible ones many times over.
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“I don’t want to put unreasonable fear in people,” Metzen says, “but you can’t be too careful.”
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Classifying mushrooms is becoming increasingly complex, he says, kneeling to pry a fluorescent orange mushroom from a rotting log. The stunning mushroom goes by a number of English names, including “Lady Purse,” “Chicken of The Woods,” and “Sulfur Shelf.” It is commonly assumed to be edible.
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Metzen owns dozens of mushroom field guides, and they often disagree about what’s safe to eat. Some of them also disagree about the Latin names of certain mushrooms. Flipping through one of his field guides, the naturalist finds a mushroom that has more than a dozen possible Latin names, and he observes, “DNA research is turning everything on its head.”
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The field guides also disagree about what’s edible and what’s not. He points to an entry that lists a particular mushroom as “edible/poisonous.”
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Also, he says, some people can suddenly become allergic to certain mushrooms. In 2006, for example, a 46-year-old Idaho woman became ill after eating a morel, which most mushroom hunters consider to be among the choicest of varieties. A report said the woman “had eaten and dried lots with no effects previously. Now [she is] sensitive to morels.”
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Other mushroom hunters can suddenly develop skin allergies to certain mushrooms.
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A few of New England’s edible mushrooms are easy to identify, Metzen says, and he plans to bring some samples to his Audubon mushroom presentations.
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For everyone who attends the mushroom programs in Exeter and Coventry, naturalist Laura Carberry plans to serve mushroom soup, mushroom pâté, mushroom strudel, and stuffed mushrooms.
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Metzen says, “Laura will get the mushrooms at the safest place to find them: the supermarket.”
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Joe Metzen and Laura Carberry will present their program, “Taking the Mystery Out of Mushrooming,” Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Audubon Fisher Brook Wildlife Refuge in Exeter. The fee is $20 for an Audubon member or $25 for a nonmember. Reservations are required.
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More on mushrooms
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• Metzen and Carberry will present “Taking the Mystery Out of Mushrooming” again on Sept. 19 at the Audubon Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge, in Coventry. Hours, fees and registration requirements remain the same.
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• There will be a “Wild Mushroom Walk” Sept. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Audubon Kimball Wildlife Sanctuary, in Charlestown. The fees are $8 for a member adult, $12 for a nonmember adult, $4 for a member child and $6 for a nonmember child.
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• A “Fungus Foray on Prudence Island” is scheduled for Sept. 30. The ferry is scheduled to leave Bristol at 10 a.m. and to return around 4:30 p.m. The program fee is $16 for a member or $20 for a nonmember.
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