Thursday, March 28, 2024

A quick guide to Mushroom Foraging tips; Plus etiquette 101!

It’s Art!

If you haven’t heard, foraging is a productive and entertaning hobby to keep you busy while the lifts are closed. It can also be a side-gig while you’re hiking, splitboarding, skating, etc (any activity that brings you outside.) Eventually I will assemble the ultimate guide to survival foraging for snowboarders, but since it’s prime ‘shroomin’ season in Vermont (and other moist, wooded places such as ski resorts, too) here are some tips to get you going. For even more info, be sure to check out the former installment on the Mountain Times. 

Black staining Polypores are a “survival mushroom” — you could eat them, but you probably dont want to.

1. Know what you’re looking for — The most important reason to do your research before hitting the trails is so you don’t accidentally poison yourself. Never, I repeat, never eat anything you can’t 100% positively identify.

“Yes, there are only a few deadly mushrooms but there are many that will make you wish you were dead. I know of a couple people who have been left with organ damage that they will have to deal with for the rest of their life,” expert forager Roger “The Birdman” Boutard explained. “One of the best ways for people to be sure they have the correct knowledge is to join a mycology group. There’s usually a mycology society with somebody who has a degree in it.”

A giant artist conk somewhere in East Wallingford.

2. Respect the terrain — Mud season is the worst season to trek around in the woods, but also one of the best to find desirable edible mushrooms and plants. As much as possible, stay on the marked trails in the spring, as not to disturb the burgeoning plant life that is fighting for survival in the forest. Also, know that the largest mushrooms have been there for many years, and while it’s always tempting (at least for me personally) to snag a huge bracket fungi for display purposes, I try to leave anything that’s clearly still living and working on decomposing its host alone for others to enjoy, too.

Perfect Turkey tail. Pure white on the bottom tells you you’ve found the right one!

3. Leave things as you found them — This doesn’t mean don’t take anything, but rather don’t leave anything behind. Beer cans, paper masks, cigarette butts, granola bar wrappers, etc. The woods are no place to store them, so if you choose to bring a picnic or stay covid-safe as you hike, make sure you pack everything out with you, too. If you see someone else’s trash don’t be afraid to pick it up. That good deed might be just what it takes to find your next mushroom score.

Hoof fungi are everywhere you look – as long as you’re looking at Black Birch.

4. Check for ticks — Vermont has more ticks than New Jersey has traffic, so check yourself carefully when you get home. In the Green Mountains, contracting Lyme disease should truly be a bigger concern than “that other virus,” but it’s very preventable if caught early.

Dryad’s Saddle aka Berkely’s Polypore aka Pheasants back. Edibile, but not very delicious.

5.  Take only what you need and can use — Once you learn to spot mushrooms, ramps, fiddleheads and more, you will see them everywhere. For the novice forager it can be tempting to fill a bag to the brim with everything you see, but please don’t!

Not only is it good policy to leave some for others, but over picking things can decimate the population for years to come. That said, certain mushrooms, such as Oysters, grow fast and often, so you can feel better about taking most of them. However, be sure to leave some to “spore out” and create the next bumper crop when conditions are right. As for Morels, be sure to use a knife as not to remove the underground mitochondria (doing so also makes them easier to clean—It’s best to brush off the mushrooms in the forest otherwise you bring the dirt into the basket or bag. If possible mushrooms should not be washed.) And also on the recommendation of Boutard,  “Don’t go with one of those little pretty baskets; hide the bag in your pocket or the Morels will run and hide!”

Fiddleheads!