mushroom harvesting

some one posted a thread on a mushroom they came across. I come across a lot of mushrooms while outdoors and always wanted to learn about them, what's safe, what's not.

I thought we could start a thread on mushroom picking if there already isn't one. I know there are many web sites with plenty of pics and info but thought we could start our own in house mushroom thread with pictures and stories on mushrooms we come across. We can try to identify and learn more about common edible varieties

feel free to post pictures of mushrooms you come across and any information on what you know about them and others can offer feedback.

This time of year there are only two types that I am 100 percent sure of to harvest and that's Puff Balls and/or French Morels aka Shaggy Manes. There was some Oak logs that the past owner grew shiitakes on but they don't produce much anymore. The internet and field guides help but if you can go picking with a professional picker is priceless and may save your life or at least a trip to the hospital.

Shaggy Manes are just starting to show in my area... Great eating if you can get them within a day or two of popping up...

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Originally Posted by longpointer

This time of year there are only two types that I am 100 percent sure of to harvest and that's Puff Balls and/or French Morels aka Shaggy Manes. There was some Oak logs that the past owner grew shiitakes on but they don't produce much anymore. The internet and field guides help but if you can go picking with a professional picker is priceless and may save your life or at least a trip to the hospital.

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Good to know thanks for the info in the couple mushrooms ghat are around this time of year. This is the kind of input I am hoping people will put out there. I agree learning with an experienced person is best and there is lots of great info out there. I haven’t had a chance to get out to the woods yet but hope to get some picks and post for feed back.

Puff Balls are a little more tricky to find ; old cattle pastures or woods nearby them are good spots to look but Shaggy Manes could grow anywhere. Some of my best pickings was along boulevards out in Scarborough; usually after a rain. Watch for the old "inky" ones that have already opened is another good way to spot future picking areas and when you do find fresh shrooms to harvest always cut them at ground level, never pull them .

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Originally Posted by longpointer

Puff Balls are a little more tricky to find ; old cattle pastures or woods nearby them are good spots to look but Shaggy Manes could grow anywhere. Some of my best pickings was along boulevards out in Scarborough; usually after a rain. Watch for the old "inky" ones that have already opened is another good way to spot future picking areas and when you do find fresh shrooms to harvest always cut them at ground level, never pull them .

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Why can't you pull them?

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Originally Posted by huntervinni

Why can't you pull them?

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Not a mushroomer-but i would guess,if you want mushrooms there next year too-better leave the "roots" intact.

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Originally Posted by gbk

Not a mushroomer-but i would guess,if you want mushrooms there next year too-better leave the "roots" intact.

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Mushrooms do not have "roots" per se.....they are actually a fruit which you typically would pick. They then release spores which spread around the forest in hopes of spreading elsewhere. I've always picked my mushrooms and then cut off the soil part.

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Originally Posted by huntervinni

Mushrooms do not have "roots" per se.....they are actually a fruit which you typically would pick. They then release spores which spread around the forest in hopes of spreading elsewhere. I've always picked my mushrooms and then cut off the soil part.

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my guess is that the cap of the manes is very fragile and if pulled will fall apart.

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Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers

my guess is that the cap of the manes is very fragile and if pulled will fall apart.

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Which is why you should always pick any mushroom from the stem or stipe.

They say not to "pull" mushrooms if you want more in the future. The thought is you will pull out the mycelium (roots) but they are a vast network and chances of that are very slim. There is a much simpler reason to cut mushrooms at the base instead of pulling them: It keeps the dirt out of your mushroom basket. You want to try to avoid washing them if you can so keeping them clean is a great start. At this time of the year you can find: black trumpets (absolute favorite), various boletes like the king and chrome foot and smooth stalk, puff balls, giant puff balls, chicken of the woods, fall oyster mushrooms, hedgehogs, maybe the odd yellow chantarelle and lobster mushroom (although it's getting a bit late for them).

I know my neighbour trapper was picking Chanterelle I think a month ago.
He gets them in a Jack pine forest off the moss covered ground.
I think I have a pic somewhere.

I started a couple years ago and found this book very helpful. Searching online leads many ways. It’s great to have this handy book with you. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3b678c761b.jpg


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I am interested to learn about edible plants if I get lost to can survive ...
I think it is going to be good post , even the forum can start new sub forum .
We all can learn

A foraging sub-forum has been suggested in the past. For what it's worth, I am definitely for it.

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Originally Posted by boddah

I started a couple years ago and found this book very helpful. Searching online leads many ways. It’s great to have this handy book with you.

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I also have the book you recommended. It's a great place to start if you are getting into foraging for mushrooms.

Found a few hen of the woods mushrooms on Sunday...

https://images2.imgbox.com/b6/14/eSuiDPYW_o.jpg



https://images2.imgbox.com/4c/8c/LmGL8Zk3_o.jpg

WOW! Nice! That is a species I only found once and they were too old. What is the second picture? All cut up for drying?

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Originally Posted by Pioneerfreq

WOW! Nice! That is a species I only found once and they were too old. What is the second picture? All cut up for drying?

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Yep all washed. Blanched in boiling water and ready for the freezer. They freeze very well and are excellent on the plate. These were picked on public land in Illinois. We make the trek there annually on our Thanksgiving weekend. We found double this amount last year... :)

I spotted the odd Shaggy Mane before this crappy weather hit but maybe on the weekend when it warms up they may pop up.

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Originally Posted by longpointer

I spotted the odd Shaggy Mane before this crappy weather hit but maybe on the weekend when it warms up they may pop up.

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There's been a lot of them pop up everyday this week. The rain and cooler temps brought them on like gangbusters...

Not sure what these are if anyone can give some feed back. I see a lot of mushrooms right now but hard to find any with out bugs Attachment 44142Attachment 44143Attachment 44144

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Originally Posted by ihunt

Not sure what these are if anyone can give some feed back. I see a lot of mushrooms right now but hard to find any with out bugs Attachment 44142Attachment 44143Attachment 44144

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don't worry about the bugs, a soak in salted water gets rid of them.

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Originally Posted by ihunt

Not sure what these are if anyone can give some feed back. I see a lot of mushrooms right now but hard to find any with out bugs

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The underside of a mushroom is just as important as the top side in terms of identification. From the pics you provided I don't recognize either as being part of the dozen or so wild mushrooms I regularly pick. I would either carefully research or avoid. https://mushroomexpert.com/major_groups.html is very helpful once you learn the terminology. They don't tell you if a mushroom is edible for liability reasons but they will help you positively identify what specific mushroom species you have and then you can look up edibility info for that specific species.

Ditto what Pioneer just said above. If I were you I would get myself a good book on mushrooms with detailed pictures and start by just identifying mushrooms and get familiar with the different families that they all belong too.

Was out for a grouse walk last night and found a patch of about a dozen yellow chantarelles. Unfortunately they were too old.

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Originally Posted by Pioneerfreq

Was out for a grouse walk last night and found a patch of about a dozen yellow chantarelles. Unfortunately they were too old.

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Yeah a little late in the season for them now i would say. Usually run into them in late August and September and just love them sautéed in butter and put on top of a steak.

Turkey tail and chaga today


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Morels have started in select areas and once we get some heat, after all this rain we just had, they should start popping up.