Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Canary Islands

1. Jelly ear

The distinctive jelly ear grows mainly through winter and spring, mostly on the dead trunks and branches of elder trees. It occurs around the world and is often cooked into dishes in Asian countries. This ear-shaped jelly mushroom is often available in stores both fresh and dried.

2. Common puffball

These puffy mushrooms grow in small groups on the forest floor. Once they're mature, common puffballs turn yellow and "puff out" smoke-like spore clouds when disturbed. Be very careful when identifying these mushrooms, as their young, immature form looks very similar to the lethal Deathcap.

3. Chicken of the woods

Chicken of the woods is very noticeable in hardwood forests, appearing in clusters on standing tree trunks in bright orange and yellow hues that sometimes last through the entire winter. It is a parasite that causes an unfortunate brown heart rot, and is considered a particularly troublesome pest of Yew trees. If the fruitbodies can be seen, the tree is likely already beyond saving.

4. Goblet

This distinctively-shaped mushroom can be found pushing up tall through the detritus on forest floors all around the northern hemisphere during the late autumn. The goblet's edibility is not well known, and it looks very similar to the poisonous clitocybe rivulosa.

5. Pirate brittlegill

The cap is flat when young, matures to be somewhat funnel shaped, dark amethyst-violet to brownish pink. The margin is paler and noticeably matt. The cap grows up to 8 cm in diameter. The gills are cream to light ochre, rather crowded and connected at the base by cross veins. The spores are ochre. The stem is white and evenly thick. The flesh is white, and the base of the stem has a distinct smell of iodine.

6. Bloody milk cap

Bloody milk cap (Lactarius sanguifluus) has a distinctive appearance with its pale exterior but a deep blood-red interior, for which it is named. This mushroom can be found in pine forests where it grows in a mycorrhizal relationship with the trees. Bloody milk cap is known to accumulate large quantities of toxic heavy metals.

7. King bolete

Extremely popular in many cuisines, this edible wild mushroom grows around the world near the roots of forest trees. In some regions, king bolete mushrooms are collected in great enough volumes that their sale can support entire families during the harvest season. King boletes are reported to be high in fiber, vitamins B and C, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and several antioxidants.

8. Common stinkhorn

The common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) grows incredibly quickly, sometimes nearing 30 cm in a single afternoon. Their caps are pitted in a way which makes them reminiscent of morels. However, there's little mistaking the common stinkhorn for a morel; the former, in addition to sporting a much longer stalk, has a clear and pungent odor.

9. Golden chanterelle

Golden chanterelle mushrooms are popular in gourmet cuisine across Europe, where they grow wild during the warm (but not too hot) months. Similar species grow in other countries. Extremely popular with foragers, the golden chanterelle emits an apricot-like scent and contains an array of nutrients that benefit the human body. Several studies suggest consuming extremely large amounts may have detrimental effects on the eyes and muscles.

10. Bonomyces sinopicus

11. Yellow morel

The yellow morel (Morchella esculenta) is one of the most iconic and sought-after species of edible mushrooms. It is often one of the first species that novice mushroom gatherers will hunt for. Yellow morels have elongated caps that are "honeycombed", being filled with roughly polygonal holes. Splitting them down the middle reveals them to be hollow on the inside, a key feature that distinguishes them from toxic false morels. Experts recommend cooking or boiling this mushroom before consumption, as raw morels may cause an upset stomach.

12. Blewit

The blewit mushroom grows in fallen leaves in autumn and winter, sometimes appearing in ‘fairy ring’ circles. It can be used to make a green dye when chopped and boiled in an iron pot. The scientific name, Lepista nuda, derives from Latin words meaning “bare goblet,” a reference to the shape and texture of the mushroom.

13. Enoki

The enoki grows wild on dead elm trees, and is also cultivated for human use. This flavorful species (Flammulina velutipes) has been used in dishes around the world for generations, being particularly high in nutrients. Though store-bought enoki are often plain white, wild ones can be found in a range of colors.

14. Shaggy mane

The shaggy mane mushroom is commonly found in North American and European grasslands. Some peoples foraged for its young egg-shaped caps, but it has more recently been found to be a bioaccumulator of heavy metals, meaning it pulls toxic metals up from the soil where it grows. As a result, shaggy manes should not be eaten. The mushrooms usually appear in clusters or “fairy rings.”

15. Buttery collybia

Buttery collybia mushrooms grow mainly on the floors of coniferous forests, from summer to winter across Europe and North America. This mushroom is called “buttery” not for its flavor, but rather the greasy texture of its surface. In the genus name, “rhodo” means pink, a reference to the shade of the gills beneath its cap.

16. Slippery jack

This mushroom blooms in summer and autumn, usually near or beneath pine trees. It does well in cold climates, but can also be found further south all around the northern hemisphere. During moist weather, the slippery jack's caps become quite slimy, leading to their common name.

17. Weeping widow

This mushroom appears in groups around the northern hemisphere in parks, lawns, open fields, and roadsides. The name, weeping widow, refers to the watery, black droplets that accumulate around the caps when moist. Do not eat this mushroom; some poisonings may be connected to it.

18. Big sheath mushroom

These large white mushrooms bloom all over cleared, harvested fields, as well as pastures and roadsides. The scientific species name comes from Greek words meaning “glue” (glioio) and “head” (cephalus), in reference to the sticky surface of this mushroom’s cap. The big sheath mushroom looks so similar to the poisonous Deathcap and Destroying Angel mushrooms that it should always be left alone.

19. Chestnut bolete

Chestnut bolete(Gyroporus castaneus) is most readily identified by its cap, which tends to split and flare as the mushroom grows older. It often grows in groups, particularly in the presence of oaks, and its stem is hollow--one of its most salient features. It is found in Europe and eastern North America.

20. Parasol

Found in clearings and grassy areas in late summer, the wild parasol mushroom has a snakeskin-patterned stem. The brown spots on its cap make it look a bit shaggy, but that name is reserved for its poisonous counterpart, the Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes). You can distinguish the two by the stems: the latter has a smooth stem and red flesh inside.

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