Yngvar Holt lives in Indre Østfold. He is one of those people who has a secret mushroom place. – It is very rare that I see people in that area. It is in spruce forest and halfway down towards a bog. Like a forest ranger, he follows the chanterelle from its infancy until it grows large and ready to roast. And when news is visiting, the forest’s gold is fried in the frying pan together with butter and cream. But Yngvar Holt sticks to the yellow mushroom. And with good reason – because an incident a few years ago was about to have a tragic outcome. A small white mushroom That day, Holt’s neighbour, Tore, appeared at the door. He wondered if Yngvar knew which mushroom he had in his hand. – I thought it was a mushroom. It was not in my mind that it was a white fly fungus. When you make a mistake like that, you get scared of yourself, says Holt. Tore Iversen was supposed to cook dinner until his wife got home from work. They had a wedding anniversary. And the menu included mushroom stew. – We can laugh about it now, Yngvar, and it was just as much my responsibility to check, says Iversen. He goes on to say that they ate dinner, and that it would take half a day before they noticed anything. – The scary thing about that fungus is that you don’t feel anything until after 12 hours. And then it’s too late, says Tore Iversen. It’s a good idea to look at the back of the mushroom to find out what type it is. The first is white fly agaric, while the second is champignon mushroom. Lying on the floor with convulsions It all started as a social illness. Iversen vomited, but no matter how much he vomited, the nausea would not subside. He also got cramps in his feet. – I looked after the children of a couple of our friends, so I called the father and asked him to pick them up. When he came, I was lying on the floor with cramps in both legs, says Tore Iversen. The ambulance was called, and the children’s father sent the remains of the mushroom stew to the hospital. On the way there, Iversen’s wife had also fallen ill, so they picked her up on the road. – If we hadn’t gotten there so quickly and started dialysis, it wouldn’t have gone so well. Now both the two guys have become more skeptical about mushrooms. – You get a little scared. When I see a white mushroom, I think of this story, says Holt. – I think we both realized how easy it is to make mistakes, continues Iversen. Figures from the Poison Information show that there has been an increase of 44 per cent in the number of inquiries this year, compared to the average of the last five years. Yngvar Holt with the basket full of chanterelles. Photo: Privat These are the most dangerous Trond Kristian Schumacher is a doctor, mycologist and professor emeritus of biology. The expert believes that interest in mushrooms has increased in the population because people are more concerned about what they eat. – It is a kind of green wave. You want to get to know nature, and know which plants and edible mushrooms nature has to offer, he says. The mycologist says that the white fly agaric is among the most poisonous we have in Norway. In addition to the green “brother”. And that these two are particularly dangerous for our liver. In addition, there are pointed toadstools. This destroys the kidneys. But why is it so easy to get it wrong? This is what a toadstool looks like. This is able to destroy our kidneys with just a tiny bit. Photo: Gro Gulden/Botanisk museum – Turn the mushroom around – You have to learn what to look for by characteristics. And then you must not be misled by the color. There are many mushrooms that are white. You have to turn the mushroom over and look at the underside, says Schumacher. The white fly agaric, for example, has discs that are close together on the underside. While the mushroom has pores or tubes, the expert explains. At Yngvar Holt’s home in Halden, the mushroom stew is finished. He asks if his old neighbour, Tore Iversen, wants to taste. – I have just eaten, otherwise thank you, is the answer.
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Mistaken for white fly fungus and sheep fungus – the neighbor and his wife were rushed to hospital in an ambulance – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
