Mushroom foraging

[rivahmom]

Who here does it and how can you tell the difference between the poisonous and the edible ones? I have a Falcon Guide to North American mushrooms but so many look almost identical. What is the best time of year to start?

[MHinFox]

There are some pretty good books out there with good pictures...but you are right so many look so much like each other. most forest/park areas have mushroom hunting clubs that will work with folks often you can ask park rangers or look at online areas. There are clubs in many cities as well. *It is always good to go with experienced people for a while when starting. What i have noticed is many times many of them are not sure as well ,sometimes when in doubt be careful is rule, better safe than sorry. Sometimes it really makes you nervous.....so said all that and didnt give a good answer i feel like...best to start with other experienced folks is best start I think and buy some good books to study and take...

[rivahmom]

Thanks for the advice. I will contact my local park and see if they can help.

[kaijafon]

definitely find someone who knows mushrooms. There are usually some kind of fungus society in each state.

I took a mycology class this past semester and even out in the wild looking at the mushrooms, it's hard to figure out.

One decent "rule" that seems to be true is about morels: if they are HALLOW then you can eat them. DO NOT eat a solid 'moral' because it's not a morel.

the guy who wrote "the horse whisperer" recently ate some poisonous mushrooms and had to be hospitalized.

My mycology teacher is an expert and he still goes through the ID books to make sure he has an edible one or not. And he highly recommends that no one just go out and grab some shrooms even if they have a book.

Here in AR they have a fungus society (can't think of the name right now) and they do mushroom walks and the guide is very good with IDing mushrooms.

But "forays" (mushroom walks) are fun and you get to see a lot of interesting fungi.

[rivahmom]

I'm having difficulty finding a local mycylogy class. Are they normally held in the warmer seasons? Do any grow in the winter?

[kaijafon]

I'm having difficulty finding a local mycylogy class. *Are they normally held in the warmer seasons? *Do any grow in the winter?
At the college I go to, we have classes usually in the spring and fall. But google your state and "fungi society" or "club" (or variations) and you should find something. Also check any 'local' colleges. hope that helps!

[EddH]

Best time to find mushrooms is after the rains start which is in the fall. Secondary season in the spring for some mushrooms. Usually classes are in the fall also. Best beginning book is David Arora's "All that the Rain Promises, and more."
There are a few mushrooms that are very easy to identify.... chanterelles, morels, oysters and some others. My wife & I have been mushrooming a couple of years now. We are on coast of Oregon. Nearest mycological group to us in Eugene, about 100 miles from us so we just don't make it there.
There are lots of mushrooms that will make you very sick but only a very few that will actually kiil you. Our policy, as that of many other mushroomers, is "When in doubt, throw it out."
Would be happy to reply to any other questions.
Edd Hedrick.

[rivahmom]

Thank you for the book recommendation. I have a guidebook with photographic pictures of the different stages and I have never seen any of the mushrooms you just listed here but of course up until recently I never had an interest in them either. The nearest club to me is in NO.VA, which isn’t too far, but traffic is a beast and I would prefer to mushroom forage in the country instead of a city. I may be bombarding you with all sorts of questions as I explore mushrooming.

[EddH]

When clubs do forays(that's what they call it when they go out as a group), the forays are usually in some rural area, often quite a ways from where they meet. If you can contact them before next season, they may be doing a foray or two in someplace that would work for you. Good luck.