Instead of travelling far last summer I paddled only about 200 miles, mostly as a return to Ottawa from the Deep River area where I spent the summer canoe camped.  That summer was radical for me in that I ate wild mushrooms almost every day, and am certain I could feel the health benefits halfway through the summer.  Most mushrooms are high in vitamins and minerals.  Of course I realize the dangers, and continue to research edibles and poisonous species, but have learned that by far the most fatalities are caused by the Death Cap amanita, with Destroying Angel coming a distant second.  Wikipedia is a good source of information, but I have three books at home which I take canoeing with me, and take out public library books often.  The deadly amanitas are easily recognizable if they are at their prime of life and examined carefully and then dug from the earth carefully.  Amanitas are large mushrooms, and in their round, pre-opening stage they can be mistaken for puffballs, so every small or medium sized puffball should be sliced in half to search for the ‘body’ of other mushrooms.  Amanitas do not grow large enough to imitate huge puffballs.  I find the bennefits of mushroom gathering far outweigh the risks if a careful study is made beforehand, and I have been studying mushrooms for about 30 years.  I’m no expert, but I do know the basics.  There are several delicious and safe amanitas, and they too can be identified by their characteristics.  The Panther Cap amanita is said by some authorities to be potentially deadly, while other say it is merely hallucinogenic.  Same as with the Citrina, which I have eaten and enjoyed.  Happy Hunting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_cap

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroying_angel