I am not sure which subgroup this should go to. We are not experienced mushroom pickers. We found many of these mushrooms on our property here in No Idaho. Does anybody know what kind are these? Are they edible?
Most of the mushrooms that pop up are not edible in the usual sense of the word, and for many of the truely edible ones there are very similar appearing poisonous mimics. Some of the most toxic natural compounds known are found in mushrooms. My Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, by L. A. Peterson, lists only four mushrooms that it considers to be so easily identified as to be relatively safe to list. These are the common morel, the shaggy mane, the giant puffball and the sulphur shelf or chicken-of-the-woods. These have distinct features which make mis-identification less likely. In my area, there is a club which collects and makes feasts of wild mushrooms, and I believe they have at least one experienced mycologist member to help with identification. Even the morel, which is edible for most folks, causes digestion problems for some.