Foraging Tips for Mushrooms -
Growing on stumps, logs, and living trees, its large, overlapping shelves of orange and yellow always remind me of giant Halloween candy corn. The chicken mushroom, or sulphur shelf, is a wound parasite.
Its mycelium enters a tree through an opening caused by lightning, axe, or woodpecker and penetrates to the heartwood, releasing enzymes to digest the cellulose, thus causing the wood to rot. It is known to damage wooden boats and to be a major cause of dry rot.
The sulphur shelf grows on many kinds of wood, but in the East I have found it mostly on oak. It grows from May to November in all parts of the country. One tree may provide over 20 pounds. All of it may be edible, but the best parts to eat are the tender young tips. The mushroom should be moist—almost slimy, according to some purists—when it is picked.
As the mushroom ages it toughens and is frequently distasteful. In the East this is one of the safest edibles around, with no look-alikes. It is rarely eaten in California, where it grows on eucalyptus trees, or in the Pacific Northwest. It is good sauteed, either alone or dipped in flour, egg, and bread crumbs.
It can also be dipped in pancake batter and deep-fried. There are several choice species of chanterelles, but it is Cantharellus cibarius that is the best known and most popular.
There are few sights more tantalizing than a woodland floor carpeted with scores of these vase-shaped, orange mushrooms. In beginning mushroom courses, the chanterelle is usually presented as one of the easiest mushrooms to recognize. Still, it has several lookalikes; one of them is poisonous, and it does take some care to tell them apart.
The chanterelle is distinguished from its lookalikes by the presence of blunt ridges—they are not really gills—with forked veins running down the cap and onto the stem.
It is a fall rather than a summer mushroom, it grows on wood rather than on the ground, and it grows in large clusters rather than singly or in scattered groups. Despite these supposedly clear differences, there are more reported poisonings in the East resulting from confusion between these two mushrooms than any others.
Chanterelles are firm, fleshy mushrooms with a strong, fruity aroma that often resembles apricots. Although it is best to cook all fresh mushrooms as soon after collecting them as possible, chanterelles can be kept for a week if they are well refrigerated.
And although no one will disagree about their edibility, there is little agreement regarding how they are best cooked. Some say they absolutely need a long, slow saute over a low fire; I have also heard that one or two minutes over a higher flame until the mushrooms are almost crisp is best.
Some people prefer them as a side dish, untainted by other tastes, while others cannot think of a better way to stuff Cornish game hens or make rice pilaf than by using chanterelles.
This mushroom is ethereal-looking, exquisitely edible, easy to recognize, and anatomically intriguing. Scores of these shaggy, white mushrooms appear out of nowhere, like ants at a June picnic, all over lawns, golf courses, roadsides, and other grassy areas after heavy rains.
Perfect city mushrooms, they also grow in vacant lots, housing project lawns, parks, and dumps. Unlike other gilled mushrooms, the Coprinus does not release its spores by means of gravity.
Under its cone-cap, the gills are pressed together very tightly in a vertical position, leaving very little space for falling spores.
The means of spore dispersal for the Coprinus is called autodigestion, or deliquescence; the gills literally dissolve into an inky black fluid. As the gills dissolve, the spores contained in the inky fluid drop to the ground. For this reason, many species of Coprinus are called inky caps. There are no toxic lookalikes for the shaggy mane.
The whole process of deliquescence can take place in a few hours; it is best to catch shaggy mane and other edible inky caps before they begin to turn black. Some suggest taking a frying pan into the field and cooking them there. Placed in the refrigerator in a covered jar of cold water, shaggy manes will stay fresh for a week.
These delicately flavored mushrooms can be cooked in a variety of ways. In addition to being sautéed in ghee, or clarified butter, they are delicious in a cream sauce with scrambled eggs, veal, or chicken. This smoky, gray-capped polypore with a white pore surface resembles a mass of ruffled feathers nesting at the base of a tree.
Its small, flat, overlapping caps fan out in clusters that often reach a size of up to several feet. Growing at the bases of oaks and other trees, this fall mushroom is primarily an eastern species in the United States, unknown in California and the Pacific Northwest.
It is common in Europe and Japan, where it is cultivated and prized. The hen-of-the-woods has no toxic lookalikes and, except for the spring and summer mushroom Polyporus umbellatus, has no real lookalikes at all. When cooking the mushroom, use only the tender fronds. The base is excellent for soups and stocks only.
It is a lovely addition to chicken or veal and is excellent in casseroles. This is the most common and best known of the tooth fungi. Although, viewed from above, its orange-to-reddish-brown cap makes it look like any number of gilled mushrooms, the tiny, white, tooth-like structures that it has on its underside instead of gills are its mark of distinction.
Although there are other tooth fungi that have stems, and most are of unknown edibility, there is no lookalike for this orange-capped mushroom, which grows on the ground in wooded areas, coast to coast, from July to November.
This is a good, steady edible; it is popular in Europe and sold canned in France. Some say it is best mixed with other mushrooms. I have been hunting wild mushrooms since What began as mild curiosity has become an obsession.
I have stalked the fleshy fungus from New York City parks and Long Island lawns to the woods of Ohio, Texas, Oregon, Canada, and France. Along the way I have learned to follow the flow of a river, to name mosses and ferns, to observe the behavior of insects, and to use a microscope.
I have learned to distinguish between deer dung and rabbit dung, not out of any scatological interest, but because hidden among the leaves they look like small brown mushrooms. I have explored the myths of science and the science of myths. I have come to know a variety of extraordinary people, and I have come to know myself.
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Close side navigation panel. Close search panel. By The Mother Earth News Editors. Email Print Facebook Facebook Pinterest X X. When eating wild mushrooms following a few simple rules can reduce risk to almost zero.
The cep, or king bolete boletus edulis , is one of the most prized edible mushrooms. There are bitter-tasting and dangerous lookalikes, though. It's best to learn your foraging skills with the help of several field guides and a local expert.
The morel is probably North America's most sought-after wild mushroom and should be appearing soon! Chicken mushrooms Laetiporus sulphuseus are especially tasty in stri-fry dishes, and can also be batter-dipped and deep-fried. Chanterelles are commonly recommended to novice gatherers, but they do have at least one poisonous lookalike.
As with all mushrooms, be sure before you eat! Shaggy manes are delicate-looking and short-lived, but also delicious. Try them with veal or chicken.
The hen-of-the-woods, ruffled like an angry broody chicken, appears on the bases of trees in the autumn. Odd-looking but quite edible, the hedgehog mushroom appears in wooded areas, coast to coast, from July to November. Foraging for Wild Mushrooms: An Introduction to the Field For some, identifying mushrooms turns out to be a far more challenging activity than finding them, and far more rewarding than eating them.
The Gilled Mushrooms These are what most of us picture when we say the word mushroom. Boletes With over species in North America, this large family of mushrooms, Boletaceae, is easy to recognize.
Corals Many members of this mushroom family, Clavariaceae, truly resemble underwater coral. Cup Fungi Turning over a rotten log on a wet spring day will often reveal a tiny orange or scarlet mushroom shaped like a cup.
Polypores Even on dry days and in the dead of winter, these mushrooms will cover trees and stumps with fungal shelves. Puffballs and Earthstars One of the most common groups of I mushrooms, puffballs grow throughout the summer and fall in all parts of the country, in grassy areas and on logs.
Stinkhorns Your nose will probably lead you to these strong-smelling mushrooms before you ever catch sight of them. Tooth Fungi It may seem like Christmas in September when you are in the woods and walk smack into a tree decorated with large clusters of glistening white icicles.
Introduction to Edible Mushrooms For many Americans, hunting and eating wild mushrooms seems a risky business. Eat only those mushrooms you can positively identify as edible, of course.
There is no way to tell a poisonous species from an edible one except to learn them both. You should be able to learn, without much trouble, a dozen or so easily recognizable good edibles and the small number of deadly toxic species. Use your eyes, your field guides, and other amateurs whom you trust to enhance your, knowledge.
Pick the whole mushroom; identification is often determined by the base-the part that is sometimes underground. It will often lead to positive identification, especially with gilled mushrooms. Even after you have positively identified a mushroom as edible, eat only a small amount the first time.
Be sure that you know the local flora where you are hunting. If you live in New York and are visiting California, double-check your identifications. Species can vary from region to region, and some are unique to a particular area.
A few species are toxic in one region and harmless in another. Eat only firm, fresh, young mushrooms. As they age, mushrooms decay rapidly, sometimes causing toxic reactions. Cut into mushrooms to check them for insect holes and other evidence of living creatures.
To be on the safe side, cook all mushrooms thoroughly. Although some can be eaten raw without harm, many delicious species, like the honey mushroom and many boletes, contain toxins that are easily destroyed by proper cooking.
Several minutes of sauteing over a medium-high flame is sufficient. If you drink alcohol when you taste any mushroom, do so moderately — and not at all with a member of the genus Coprinus. If a day or two passes and you still feel fine, it should be okay for you to incorporate them into your diet.
Thankfully, mushroom-hunting gear is generally pretty basic, inexpensive stuff. Almost all edible mushrooms taste amazing sautéed with butter and either garlic or shallots. But it bears repeating: Cook mushrooms thoroughly before eating, and never eat them raw. Consult your guidebook for cooking tips specific to each species.
You can find a list of local clubs through the NAMA website. These clubs are full of people of all experience levels who are more than happy to help newbies get acquainted with the hobby and avoid bad outcomes. They often host foraging expeditions led by veteran foragers , as well as talks by biologists, medical professionals, chefs, and authors of mushroom books.
There are few better resources out there. Specific species of mushrooms like to grow under specific trees or bushes, and often pop up in proximity to other telltale mushrooms or plants.
After all, half the fun is the thrill of the chase. If you do the necessary research and equip yourself with the right tools, you can become a proficient mushroom forager in just one or two seasons, bringing home enough delicious edibles to feed a whole family plus some lucky neighbors.
Trust me, I speak from experience. Learning a new hobby is a good way to keep your hands and mind busy during this stressful and sometimes lonely time. Wearable sleeping bags are the perfect way to keep your arms free and your core warm while hanging outside or even working a desk job in an underheated room.
I really like Boletus edulis , or the porcini. I love finding chanterelles , because the egg yolk colour is very beautiful.
They may grow in some yards in North Vancouver. And in spring, morels are really delicious. They can be found in the city, often on mulch. Boletus edulis — King bolete, cep, Steinpilz, penny bun.
Images and b-roll available for media here: www. On Nov. Click here more information. For media interested in joining the walk, please email alex. walls ubc. Find other stories about: department of botany , Dr. Mary Berbee , Foraging , funghi , Mushrooms , Teaching Learning and Research Excellence.
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How can you forage safely? Alex Walls UBC Media Relations Tel: Email: alex.
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