> And people wonder why'd I risk eating an mushroom I found growing in my lawn
> and that I identifed with a key.


I love the stories and thank you for them, but I'm not sure they're
related to cooking up mushrooms you found in your backyard. I mean,
there was every possibility you might not have liked either Syrian, Thai
or not-spinach food, but you weren't really risking that the cuisines
might be deadly, were you?


Decisions of this type are a matter of weighing cost, risk and benefit
for ourselves. For me, the possibility of enjoying a tasty and cheap
mushroom doesn't outweigh the risk of having it kill me. I'm fully
aware that I take other deadly risks daily, but they have more benefits
for me.


Which brings me to the unknown: How great a possibility is it that a
backyard mushroom is deadly? Leave benefit out of it for a moment.
Anyone know? Are we talking struck by lightening chances? Plane crash
chances? Car wreck chances? How common are deadly poisonous mushrooms?


--Lia