Friday Fungus: Cows

Last night I missed the last of the “Great Election Debates” as going out celebrating 21 years of marriage seemed and altogether better idea! And what an excellent night out it was at the recently opened Gauchos on Park Row in Leeds – brilliant steak, some tasty mushrooms and good Argentinian red wine.

Since we’re talking about Argentina, I would be remiss of me not to mention a mushroom – Psilocybe cubensis – that is native to that place and indeed has been called the “Argentina Mushroom”. Firstly, you should note that possessing these mushrooms is illegal in the UK as they are “those” sort of mushrooms. And it would be tricky to plead ignorance as they don’t grow wild in the UK either!

Secondly, there’s a beef connection. Cubensis grows on cow dung or where cow dung has lain:

“Large, fleshy, cap and a persistent ring on stalk; bruising blue; on cow manure. Color varies depending of the age of the mushroom. When they are babies they can be a deep golden brown. As they mature the caps lighten turning a rich golden color right before their veils break loose.”

This mushroom has become one of the most commonly grown drug mushrooms spawning slang names and DIY kits. And – according to The Partnership for a Drug Free America – this is the effect of using Psliocybins.

For my part, I’m sticking to all those fantastic, edible mushrooms – life’s weird enough without the need for hallucinogens! With them you just get this!

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