The miller
Clitopilus prunulus
mushroom
⚠️ Toxic look-alike
Never eat this mushroom unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.
It is very easily confused with very dangerous white clitocybes (the fool's funnel, the ivory funnel): their gills stay white or cream, never pink, and they smell less of flour. The difference is not obvious to an amateur: a precise identification is essential. Have every harvest checked by a pharmacist or a mycologist.
If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.
A white mushroom smelling of fresh flour, with soft, highly prized flesh that is never wormy.
- Origin
- Woods and clearings of the Northern Hemisphere
- Season (United States)
- June to October
- Preparation
- It is cleaned with a damp cloth, without soaking, the earthy stem base cut off, then pan-fried for about ten minutes; like all wild mushrooms, it is eaten cooked, never raw. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.
- Molecules
- Mushroom beta-glucansIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine
- Did you know?
- It is nicknamed the « mother of the cep »: it appears a few weeks before it, in the same places.