Is that edible...

Pretty to look at but eating is a different story

 ... or not? Campus is surrounded by many plants and trees, some of which have edible fruits and nuts. Today's focus is not on fruits or nuts, but these mushrooms growing a decaying tree stump in the wooded area north of St. Joseph's Lake. Are they edible? Well, some are, but be careful, mushrooms are funny things... and can be very dangerous, even deadly. These mushrooms, stump puffball or Lycoperdon pyriforme, are edible with completely white, but when they mature, turning a shade of brown, there are not. Still, you can know stump puffball mushrooms from their distinctive smell. The genus name Lycoperdon literally means "wolf's flatulence" and just begs the question who got close enough to a wolf and stayed there long enough to become an expert on such matters. But that's for another day... and another blog posting. On eating mushrooms, Fr. Terry Ehrman, CSC, botanist and theologian, said, "Identifying mushrooms is so difficult. The safest course of action is to eat the mushrooms bought at the grocery store." 

BUT THERE'S MORE... 

Here's this week's installment of In the Red Room... To listen, click HERE.