understand without knowing

1) The word "edible" in lines 4,14,17 means

Once the rains really come, the pine mushroom season starts. These mushrooms have a yellowishbrown cap and are easily identified even by children, but they are far from the most delicious of the local edible fungi.Because the structure beneath the cap is not a web such as we see in the Champignon, but a thick spongy pad, pine mushrooms do not drain well, and if not carefully prepared they can be rather soggy. Nevertheless if properly prepared, they can be tasty, and if cleaned and dried, they can provide year-round dry mushrooms for soups, pies and the like.

There are many other species that have a stronger flavor and better texture, but most people avoid them for fear of ending up with poisonous mushrooms. However, if you get a good book on the edible fungi of Israel, it isn't difficult to learn to properly identity the common types that are edible and the ones which are not. Once you have mastered the basics , you are no more likely to pick a poisonous mushroom instead of an edible one, than you are to pick a thistle instead of a rose just because both have thorns.