Poisonous mushrooms have sickened more than 30 people across Northern California and the Central Coast, resulting in three deaths. But despite the popularity of wild mushroom foraging in Santa Cruz County, local hospitalizations remain low.
As of Jan. 6, three people have died and a total of 35 people have been hospitalized in California due to amatoxin poisoning after consuming wild, foraged mushrooms in coastal counties from Sonoma to San Luis Obispo, including two hospitalizations in Santa Cruz County.
The culprit is amanita phalloides, known as the death cap mushroom. Abundant rainfall and warm weather so far this winter have created favorable growing conditions for death caps, and foragers are mistaking the dangerous fungi for an edible look-alike. Death caps remain poisonous even after cooking, boiling, freezing and drying…