Hiking, walking and more hiking. That is what started this entire venture. To find wild mushrooms, you need to cover a lot of territory in the woods, and preferably off-trail.
These two Mushroom Mavens have always enjoyed hiking, and looking for mushrooms turned our hikes into treasure hunts. It is truly a thrill to find a cool mushroom, perhaps one we have not found before. It is even more of a thrill to find gourmet mushrooms that we can eat in a fabulous, super healthy meal.
We started foraging with mushrooms that were easy to identify and had very few, or zero, look alike mushrooms. The more interested in mushrooms we got, the slower our hiking became as we stopped to examine certain likely areas or interesting finds. Sometimes, we walk slowly to make sure we are really looking at our surroundings.
Being a wild mushroom forager entails being part detective and part hunter. Certain trees or ground conditions provide clues to which mushrooms might be around. And, once you find a mushroom, a clear checklist is required to confirm the mushroom’s identification. Mushroom identification can be very tricky for novice foragers as there are many mushrooms that look like other mushrooms, and a novice may not be clear on the “checklist” needed for proper identification. It is also important to note, that even expert mycologists can be stumped by a specific mushroom at times.
Mushroom identification may include details related to the cap, the gills, pores or teeth, the stipe (or stem), the material the mushroom is growing on, the time of year, the spore print, the smell, and bruising or oozing. Some people even taste mushrooms in the field and then spit out the taste, but this is not a method we advise or try ourselves.
When we start our mushroom foraging day, we basically set out on a hike. There are many things we bring in our backpacks to make sure that we are ready for anything. The more obvious items are water and snacks for fuel such as healthy protein bars, nuts and/or granola. The mushroom forager specific items are:
- Mushroom knife. This is a special knife with a slightly curved blade and a brush for cleaning dirt or debris from mushrooms before packing them away.
- Magnifying glass. We use a jeweler’s loop because it is compact and closes up to protect the glass. The magnifying glass allows us to more closely examine any mushrooms that are not obviously identified to verify a pattern on the stem or tiny pores, etc.
- Bags or fabric: Once different mushrooms are found they must be packed away to carry them back to the car. Sometimes there is still a long hike remaining so we must be able to carry the mushrooms out. Mushrooms do NOT like plastic or anything that doesn’t have air circulation. We prefer to use cotton bags or cloth to wrap each type of mushroom separately to avoid any cross contamination.
Our policy, and one that we recommend for all foragers, is that if you are not 150% sure of what you have, don’t eat it! I have regularly seen incorrect identifications provided in online mushroom groups, so please be careful. Mushroom identification books are a great source of info and easy to find online. We have a variety of different books that we peruse and rely on for assistance with lesser-known mushrooms.
While caution is required, everyone can get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Maybe even start your own mushroom hunting adventure, even if it is just out of curiosity and with no intention of eating anything. Mother nature has provided an incredible world of fungi to investigate. Perhaps we will see you on the trail sometime!
