Part 3

VOLVA. None, but ring present, and movable in the full-grown specimen.

SPORES. Black. SMELL strong, especially at centre of pileus.

TASTE. Pleasant raw, but should not be eaten after it is moist and black.

GROWS in rich lawns, roadsides, or newly filled city grounds, in groups or solitary.

=TO COOK.= For about twenty mushrooms, put into a saucepan one gill of milk or cream, add salt and pepper to the taste, with a piece of butter the size of the larger specimens above; when it boils, put in the stems and small hard mushrooms; after ten minutes' boiling add the larger specimens; keep the dish covered and boiling for ten minutes longer, then pour the stew over dry toast, and serve.

=TO SERVE WITH MEAT.= Chop the mushrooms fine, let them simmer ten minutes in one half gill of water, with butter, salt and pepper as for oyster sauce; thicken with flour or ground rice; pour over the meat and cover quickly.

N. B. But very little fluid is needed in cooking this mushroom, as it yields a rich juice of its own. It should always be cleaned before cooking, by scraping it smooth and until it is perfectly white.]

MARASMIUS OREADES, OR FAIRY-RING CHAMPIGNON.

=DESCRIPTION.= PILEUS. Leathery, tough, and of an equal cream color, pliable when moist; shrivelling, wrinkled, even brittle when dry, changing from the former to the latter with a dew or rain followed by a hot sun, and also vice versa. Cuticle not separable.

GILLS. Broad, wide apart, of the same color as pileus, or a little paler.

STEM. Solid, of equal circumference; tough, not breaking easily if bent or twisted.

VOLVA and ring, none.

SPORES white.

TASTE and SMELL musky, rather strong, but nutty and agreeable.

GROWS in rings or groups in rich lawns or roadsides.

=TO COOK.= For serving with meat or fish, cut the tops clear from the stems just below the gills. To a pint of mushrooms, if moist, add about a gill of water, pepper and salt to the taste, and a piece of butter half the size of an egg. Simmer together over the fire ten or fifteen minutes, thicken with flour or ground rice, and pour over the cooked meat or fish.

=TO BROIL.= Place the tops like oysters on a fine wire gridiron; as soon as they are hot, butter them lightly, and salt and pepper to the taste. Put them back over the coals, and when they are heated through they are cooked. Butter them, if required, and place in a hot dish.

N. B. When the mushrooms are dried, swell them in water before cooking.]

AGARICUS CRETACEUS, OR CHALK MUSHROOM.

=DESCRIPTION.= PILEUS. Pure white, dry at first, nearly globular, then bell-shaped, finally expanded and becoming darker, even smoky in color. In early growth very brittle, cuticle always peeling easily.

GILLS. At first pure white, then pinkish, finally rusty; withered in color and texture; always turning pink or dark if exposed to dry heat.

STEM. Hollow, bulbous at base in small specimens, then elongated and equal; leaves the socket easily, without breaking into the gills.

VOLVA. None; veil distinct and entire, enclosing the gills at first, then ruptured, forming the ring.

SPORES. Pale pink or rosy. TASTE, mild, agreeable, but insipid. ODOR, none. Grows in lawns and richly cultivated grass plots; rarely or never in forests.

=TO COOK.= This mushroom, while sweet and of firm body, has little or no flavor of its own. It may, therefore, be best to stew it as directed under Plate I., with milk, or under Plate III., with water; in either case mixing some proportion of either or all of the three preceding kinds. In such case, it will completely absorb their flavor. For those who like spices it is very nice cooked as number three for meat or fish, adding to that receipt chopped parsley, an onion, or a clove of garlic, chopped fine, with a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce. If served with any meat making an abundant gravy, cook as directed under the plate of Edible Russulas.]

AGARICUS PROCERUS, OR PARASOL MUSHROOM.

=DESCRIPTION.= PILEUS. Brown from first to last; thick skinned, very scaly and shaggy; at first egg-shaped, then swollen, finally expanded, a little point in the centre becoming prominent; always pliable and leathery.

GILLS. Pure white.