Mushroom foragers

[blackchisel97]

So I'm in North Georgia, Rome area, so should I wait till spring to go hunting

Katsdar,

Morels yes but there are more edible and good mushrooms to be found now than in a spring. Also, there is usually less worm-infested ones when weather cools down a bit. I start foraging by July and most of my finds contain too much "proteins"

but usually, by the end of august and september there are more healthy ones, not counting small snail or mice damage.
You have a warmer climate than mine and some species may still grow while we have a first frost or snow on the ground.

Vtech

 

[Lynn-n-JimsVT]

Vermont. Thank you very much! I very much want to take a class or find someone who is "expert" status on my AO (area of operations). I am not a professional in any way and am self taught except for one afternoon we met a fellow down in Redding CT who was incredibly knowledgeable and had a huge basket o boletes. Oh and I forgot to mention I did find ONE Destroying Angel 2 years ago. Kinda spooky to see the elephant up close.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Such great information on these mushrooms.

 

[Lynn-n-JimsVT]

Here are some of the pics I promised:

Amanita Gargantua (seriously I don't know what it is other than an Amanita but it was huge
and I swear it came up in 2 days!)



Combs tooth (sorry for the bad lighting it was much whiter than pic shows)



Sideways chanterelle



Very cool uknown

 

[Birdy Buddy]

This is a Hericeum ericaceous or bears head or Lions Mane. I found it growing on Silver Maple. This is one of my favorite mushrooms for eating. It's sweet and has the texture of crab meat.


This is the same mushroom on the tree.

 

[duluthralphie]

Duluthralphie,

I'm using Latin names as they can be looked up easier. Also, I don't know all of their common names in english language as mushroom foraging isn't popular here as it was back home.
I was once picking nice family of Leccinum which grew overnight on my lawn, around business sign. Next thing I noticed a police car which pulled over with both occupants closely
watching my activity. I thought, they only like truffles

As for poisonous Boletes, I didn't even found them yet in Canada and chances are, they may or may not grow around or not in every province. Calopus was quite rare in Europe but Satan's Boletus was quite common and there was always some poor soul who had to feed not just himself but the the entire family.
I don't consider myself an expert forager and always research before I feast on something unknown. Many non edible or toxic mushrooms give warnings, such as rapidly changing color when pressed - like Calopus or their taste is extremely unpleasant. Some have very strong smell and generally, should be avoided. If I'm not 100% sure, I'm leaving it where is.
I included pic of Satan's Boletus for reference.

Vtech

I think it is a good idea to use the Latin name. It is easy to look up in the books and the common names can be local and your "goose necked duck billed" could be different than mine. ( I made that name up, could you tell?)

Even in the Audubon Book I find mushrooms with two different Latin names and the same common name. Granted they are extremely closely related and equally safe or not safe.


I did not do great today, all I got was 8 old man of the woods.....is that Men of the woods then?

 

[duluthralphie]

This is a Hericeum ericaceous or bears head or Lions Mane. I found it growing on Silver Maple. This is one of my favorite mushrooms for eating. It's sweet and has the texture of crab meat.


This is the same mushroom on the tree.

cool mushroom, I recognized the name but have never seen it. It was huge!

 

[Birdy Buddy]

cool mushroom, I recognized the name but have never seen it. It was huge!

I have picked an even bigger one. It was more than twice the size of the one I posted. It was growing on Box Elder next to a year round creek. I brought it to display at the Mycological Society of San Francisco "Fungus Fair" in the early 80s. It was the biggest mushroom that anyone had ever seen. The great thing is that once you find a tree, it will grow a new fruit every year. Eventually it kills the tree and you have to find new trees.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

This thread is clicking along with great contributions. I just had to put in some kudos out there.

 

[Birdy Buddy]

I think it is a good idea to use the Latin name. It is easy to look up in the books and the common names can be local and your "goose necked duck billed" could be different than mine. ( I made that name up, could you tell?)

Even in the Audubon Book I find mushrooms with two different Latin names and the same common name. Granted they are extremely closely related and equally safe or not safe.


I did not do great today, all I got was 8 old man of the woods.....is that Men of the woods then?

The Audubon book by Gary Lincoff is great for pictures but it's nice to have other books too. Lincoff actually invented some of the "common" names in his book because the editors insisted.
Boletus satanus is common under Oak in California. It's a striking beautiful fungus. I kept one on my table for a few months just to admire it while it mummified. It had a very earthy smell and I would pick it up and snort it once in a while.
Old man of the Wood or Strobilomyces. I like the way Strobilimyces rolls off the tongue.



This is my wife on another good day of morel hunting in the Tahoe National Forest.



This is me about 35 years ago. I was growing Oyster mushrooms and had chickens too. My favorite breakfast is eggs with oyster mushrooms on sourdough toast.



I was on a bike tour in the San Juan Mountains near Telluride CO when I found these Chanterelles. They were small but very dense and meaty. The helmet made a decent basket in a pinch.