Rex Trulove
In the other article I alluded to, I mentioned that shaggy mane mushrooms were the easiest to grow from a kit, taking only about two weeks for maturity. In this picture, there are two clumps of shaggy manes. The one in the front is several hours older than the other clump and it is well on the way to dissolving into an inky puddle. The clump in the rear still has a number of shaggy manes that are edible, though a few are ‘changing’.
This is an excellent tasting mushroom before it starts turning into a puddle. I often use an ice chest filled with ice water when I collect these because the cold temperatures make them last longer. I like eating these sauteed in butter.
There are inedible look-alikes for this mushroom, though none of them become inky, so in a case like this picture with a clump dissolving and another clump nearby, it is pretty safe to know that the clump that is still in good shape is edible.
