Officials Say 2 Dead, 4 Sick From Wild Mushrooms

SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) — Authorities say two residents of a Northern California assisted living facility have died and four others are hospitalized after eating soup with wild mushrooms.

Placer County sheriff’s officials say that 86-year-old Barbara Lopes and 73-year-old Teresa Olesniewicz — residents of Gold Age Villa, an elderly care home in Loomis — died after eating the soup that had been prepared by a caregiver at the facility.
CBS Sacramento

I know it's late for shrooms around here, but you have to be very careful. But this incident begs the question why would you serve "wild" mushrooms to nursing home residents?????

I have been picking and eating wild mushrooms in this area for years now- and I have never had a problem. Anyone who knows what they are doing also knows that they are quite safe. I even regularly eat a few species that are considered to be "iffy" to other mycologists.

My guess would be that somthing went deliberately wrong with this incident, either a mistake with a lethal look alike- or some kind of foul play.

These types of occurrences are extremely rare and millions of people all over the world harvest wild mushrooms every year.

We are particularly lucky to live in an area with a wide variety of edible shrooms. I know a few dozen species that are edible and delicious- that grow around these parts, and also luckily- they have very few known lethal look alikes that grow here.

That said- don't experiment unless you do know what you are doing.

So the pretty red ones are,,,

Fun!!
Just kidding.
These actually do grow in our area- from about 8500 feet on up to 10,500 feet. Although it is generally considered poisonous, deaths from its consumption are extremely rare, and it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling. Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures.

BTW- I do not eat these shrooms- but I have tried them- many many years ago.
Again- if you don't know what your doing- leave um alone!

Lots of em at Turquoise Lake.

If I remember from a mycology class I had many years ago some mushrooms were poisonous or harmful when eaten along with alcohol.