Foraging For Mushrooms: Identifying Obviously Edible Varieties

Oyster Mushrooms have a thin flat cap. Photo by Shizhao

So you are on the hunt for edible mushrooms… before you get started, make sure that you know what you’re doing – hunting for mushrooms is actually a complicated process that can take years of experience to master. Luckily, there are many tips and tricks that can help you find mushrooms that are safe to eat.

We’ve already discussed some of the most deadly and poisonous mushrooms that you should avoid. Now, brace yourself – we’re going to outline some of the most obviously safe mushrooms that you can eat.

If you plan to go foraging for mushrooms, familiarize yourself with the mushrooms that grow in your region. Amazon has some great books about regional mushrooms, including:

Finding Your First Mushrooms

On your foraging trip, you will need several tools:

A flat-bottomed box or basket
Waxed paper
Small shovel or trowel
Pencil
Notebook
Camera
Mushroom field guide (Do Not Forget your mushroom guide!)

Inspect the appearance and growing area of each mushroom, and look in your field guide to determine if the description of edible mushrooms in your book lines up with the mushroom you see in front of you. If the descriptions and pictures match, take a picture of the mushroom. Note any differences between the field guide and what you see in real life in your notebook.

After recording the information about the mushrooms, dig the mushroom out carefully by the stem with your shovel. If the mushrooms seem old, or have insect damage, choose a different mushroom. After you’ve removed the mushroom, place it in your basket – use pieces of waxed paper to separate the layers of mushrooms, and keep them fresh while you forage.

While you’re learning, take any mushrooms you find to a local agricultural office for identification, and check with the office to ensure that your mushrooms are safe to eat. Once you’re really good at identifying the ‘good’ mushrooms, then you won’t have to visit the agricultural office so often. In the beginning, however, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Use the following list of obviously safe mushrooms as a basis for your mushroom exploration (click each image for identification tips):

: Bearded tooth: Looks clumpy and “furry” like an animal’s paw. Is white or yellow in color. Stays low to the ground with a width between 4 and 12 inches. Easiest to find in the summer and fall, on trees, logs, or stumps. Photo by Jim Champion

: Bolete: Looks like a hamburger bun stacked on top of a mushroom stem. Usually brown in color. Thick, sturdy stem with spongy pores under the cap. Found in summer and spring near pine trees. Photo by Noah Siegel

: Chanterelles: 1 to 6 inches tall with a trumpet-like shape. Cap edges are usually wavy. Can be smooth or ridged under the cap. Comes in a variety of colors, including brown and yellow. Easily found in summer and fall, on forest floors. Photo by Miika Silfverberg

: Coral Fungi: Whitish in color, grows up to 8 inches high. Looks like a coral reef on land with multiple fingers reaching toward the sky. Find in summer and fall, near wooded areas and rotting wood. Photo by Kaldari

: Hen-of-the-Woods: Mushroom clusters grow together with wide, flat caps. Can look like a hen fluffing her feathers from a distance. Usually white, gray, or brown in color. Pores under the cap are white. Find in the summer and fall, near trees or fallen logs. Hen-of-the-woods will grow back year after year in the same location. Photo by Gargoyle888

: Oyster: Thin, flat cap with tapering gills. Can be white, or grey in color. Has a lilac spore print. Usually grows in large clusters. Find it easily in the fall and winter, on trees and fallen logs. Photo by Shizhao

: Shaggy mane: White or light brown in color. Grows 4 to 6 inches tall. Has a shaggy “mane” on the cap. Grows in spring and summer near grass, soil, yards, pasture, and wood chips. Photo by J.M. Garge