Beauty in Decay

[buckabucka]

I just remembered, the chickens shared the squash with me. If they all drop dead, I'll get nervous.

 

[Smart Red]

Ah-ha! The proverbial canary in the coal mine.

You'd better get more than nervous, @buckabucka! You'd better get thyself to the ER! I would probably bring one of the birds into my bedroom for the night. Not worried, but cautious. I did almost die from eating Morel mushrooms, after all.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Should be fine, probably just mold. Even if it was poisonous, the toxicity is likely nothing that would've affected the good orange areas. Somewhat like cutting a moldy section off of a block of cheese and using the rest. Penicillin was made from mold.

 

[buckabucka]

Ah-ha! The proverbial canary in the coal mine.

You'd better get more than nervous, @buckabucka! You'd better get thyself to the ER! I would probably bring one of the birds into my bedroom for the night. Not worried, but cautious. I did almost die from eating Morel mushrooms, after all.

No chickens coming in here tonight! They might die from the shock of moving from below zero to 70+ degrees.

This was a Morel mushroom look-alike? DH gets frustrated that I do not like to eat the mushrooms he picks.

 

[Smart Red]

This was a Morel mushroom look-alike? DH gets frustrated that I do not like to eat the mushrooms he picks.

Not a look-alike, a batch of real morels picked at their peak of freshness right on our (non-sprayed) property. Darned near killed me! Or, rather, like a Chinese torture, I darned near killed myself with serious, pseudo-psycho symptoms that permeated throughout my body, but in fact were all in my head.

In the early years after we married and the first time DH picked morels. I cooked them, but DH refused to eat any. DD refused to eat any. Even the vacuum cleaner, as we called Cindy, our Irish Setter, refused so much as a taste. Easy step to figure they all knew something I didn't.

I got flushed. I got chills and shakes. I became nauseous. I felt feverish. I fluctuated between chills and fever most of the afternoon. Finally, about six that evening I suggest to DH that we take a trip to the Emergency Room because I was sick.

He knew just what to do. He laughed at me! Instantly, I was cured!

Could I have died? I don't really know. I was sick enough to wish I were dead part of the time. Nope, I don't read about illnesses or diseases on the internet for fear I will contract them by proxy.

 

[journey11]

@buckabucka , Most things will cause vomiting or diarrhea pretty quickly if they are toxic. You are likely out of the woods by now.

@Smart Red , There are toxic lookalikes for morels, but they all lack the obvious hollow core. Morels are considered one of the easiest beginner mushrooms. Undercooked, they can cause gastric distress. Again vomiting, diarrhea and such. Rare--but possible, some people will not be able to tolerate some mushrooms and get sick at their stomach. That's why they say not to feast on too many at first, only try a couple to see how they sit with you. What you may have had was an anxiety attack. No laughing matter, that's for sure. They can make you wish you were dead.

 

[buckabucka]

My fever is gone this morning! And I can hear the roosters crowing! My lungs are full of stuff, but I feel so much better.

 

[PhilaGardener]

That's great! Getting sick reminds you how nice it is to feel well! Get 100% better soon!

 

[Smart Red]

Anxiety attack. That's the perfect way to describe my 'episode'. I have long had the ability to make myself sick. I seldom tried lying because those few times I did, I got so sick, Mom and Dad quickly realized what had happened.

Fool a lie-detector? I can't even fool my mirror.

Now my brother used to lie just to keep in practice. He could have passed a lie-detector with no problem -- and probably did.

 

[flowerweaver]

Here's some Internet info I found on pink molds:

• Pink, Fusarium and Gibberella X fusarium, the non-reproductive stage of gibberella -- white to pink or salmon-coloured mold with a "streaking" or "star-burst" pattern. Fusarium attacks cells by secreting mycotoxins that dissolve cell walls so that the fungus is then able to eat the cell's contents, enter the cell cavity and reproduce. Produces a toxin called fumonisin which can cause liver and kidney damage and birth defects. It was used to create biological warfare agent "yellow rain". Mostly infects corn and other cereals, toxin mostly affects pigs and horses. Mold can grow in potted plants in hosptials and toxins can affect immunosuppressed patients. Caution: don't eat anything with pink mold and especially don't breathe or take in any.X gibberella, the reproductive stage of fusarium -- dark pink, red or purple. Produces: * gibberellin, a plant hormone that promotes cell elongation and is good for flower formation, and seedling growth; * vomitoxin or deoxynivalenol, an estrogen toxin that causes anorexia or lack of weight gain in animals but is not considered highly toxic in humans (that is, you would have to eat a lot of infected grain to be affected by it); and * zearalenone, a mycoestrogen that causes abortions in animals. Mostly infects corn and other cereals. Caution: don't eat anything with pink, red or purple mold. If accidentally, ingested, no treatment is required provided the toxin source is removed. Symptoms will go away 3-4 weeks after eliminating suspect food.