A Wet Year Is A Good Year—

A ‘Mushrooming’ Interest In Wild Food Foraging

By Nancy K. Crevier

Once upon a time, people believed that the sudden appearance of mushroom circles, or “fairy rings,” portended evil at work in the universe. If that is true, then there are surely plenty of dark forces lurking about this fall, when lawns and forests seem to be more abundantly populated than usual with fungi of all kinds.

“There are certainly more this year, because of all the rain,” said “Wildman” Steve Brill, New England’s environmental educator, who has been leading wild food and ecology tours in the region for three decades. “Late summer and early fall are the best time for mushrooming in New England, and lots of rain means lots of mushrooms. So if you have a lot of heavy rains this time of year, as we have had, you will get a lot of mushrooms,” he explained.

The thousands of kinds of mushrooms are all fungi that grow in moist, shady or leafy sections of ground, or on living or dead trees and logs. They may have a symbiotic relationship with the tree, in which both tree and fungi benefit, or may be saprophytic, meaning that they exist by breaking down dead matter and returning it to the soil. Parasitic mushrooms can destroy the host tree over time.

Taking a tour around Sticks & Stones Farm on Huntingtown Road in Newtown earlier this month, where he will return Sunday, October 2, to lead a wild food program, Mr Brill said he was amazed at the number and variety of mushrooms he found. “We found hen of the woods, chicken mushrooms, the quilted green Russula, cinnabar chanterelle, giant puffballs, and even the black trumpet,” Mr Brill said, a mushroom also known as the trumpet of death, that looks deadly but will only cause you “to die of happiness, because it tastes so good,” he joked.

Even the most inexperienced of mushroom foragers can trust that two common mushrooms found in the wild will be safe to harvest, said Mr Brill. The chicken mushroom is easy to identify, he said. Like all polypores, the bright orange, shell-shaped fungi spread out like fans from trees and fallen logs, and tiny holes dot the underside of the mushroom. “All of the polypores are edible,” said Mr Brill, “but not all of them taste very good. People want the brown polypores to be the chicken mushroom, but it just tastes like eating a shoe.”

Just because a mushroom is growing on the side of a stump or tree, though, does not mean it is an edible polypore. Again, knowledge and common sense must be applied.

The other mushroom that is foolproof is the giant puffball. “The only thing you might confuse with it, is a soccer ball,” joked Mr Brill again.

 

Not For

The Uninitiated

Foraging mushrooms is no joking matter, though, for the uninitiated. Many varieties of mushrooms are not only unpalatable, but are poisonous. Mushrooms that may be edible in one part of the country or overseas can be deadly when grown in another area, and poisonous varieties that look nearly identical to edible varieties can only be told apart after years of study, or by an experienced mycologist.

Only a few mushrooms are truly deadly, but the discomfort that can result from eating other poisonous mushrooms is great, and some varieties continue to wreak havoc on kidneys and the liver long after a person believes he or she has recovered.

Novice mushroomers should go with an expert, suggested Mr Brill, or join a club like the Connecticut Valley Mycological Association (CVMA) or the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA), where members are knowledgeable and friendly.

Terry Stoleson of Trumbull has been a member of CVMA for 30 years, and highly recommends a club such as this one for novice mushroomers.

“I’m curious about everything in nature,” Ms Stoleson admitted. “I was first very involved with gardening, then wild flowers, followed by wild foods. [Mushrooming] was just a natural progression,” she said.

There is no such thing as a “foolproof” wild mushroom, said Ms Stoleson. “Fools should not be trying wild mushrooms,” she cautioned. With a little knowledge and attention to detail, though, it is possible to safely eat several well-cooked species, including some of her favorites, the sulphur shelf, morels, black trumpets, hen of the woods, and the sweet tooth mushroom.

Ms Stoleson has found a mix of mushrooms so far this fall, she said, with some species cropping up more abundantly, and others that she would expect to see still in hiding. “Global warming? Who knows?” she asked, “But our weather has not been the norm.”

Learning About Mushrooms

New Pond Farm in Redding is offering a free mushroom foraging and information class, Saturday, October 8, from 9:30 am to noon, according to New Pond Farm program director Kristen Allore. Members of COMA will lead a guided mushroom walk, followed by a potluck lunch.

Reading is another way to learn about wild mushrooms, suggested both Mr Brill and Ms Stoleson. One of Mr Brill’s favorite guides to mushrooming is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. Another valuable book for identifying mushrooms is Mushrooms Demystified, by David Aurora, he said. More advanced foragers can look into specialty books that focus on mushrooms by variety.

The Audubon Society Field Guide is also recommended by Ms Stoleson, as is Roger Phillips’s Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America.

Begin by learning to identify the easy fungi, Mr Brill said. “Just as with any other endeavor, you have to start small. Lots of things we do have their risks. You have to manage your risks and do things intelligently,” he said, advice that aptly applies to foraging for mushrooms and other wild foods.

Many types of mushrooms are available in supermarkets, and can be assumed to be safe for consumption. But there are plenty of reasons to take on the challenge of hunting wild mushrooms, instead, said the mushroom experts.

“They taste 100 times better than any you buy in a store,” Mr Brill declared, “and they are free, and really interesting.”

Store bought mushrooms are very limited, pointed out Ms Stoleson. “If a person wants to, he or she can learn to identify wild mushrooms just like they can learn to identify plants or birds,” she said. And unlike birds, she added, mushrooms do not move when you try to handle or photograph them.

Avoid roadsides or railroads when foraging for mushrooms. Pesticides, herbicides, and pollution are more likely to affect any mushrooms growing there. Instead, untreated lawns, meadows, and forests are a better option for finding unadulterated fungi.

A Healthy Option

Mushrooms are a healthy option at mealtime. A complete protein and containing respectable amounts of vitamins C, D, and B (depending on the species), mushrooms are also a source of substances that provoke the immune system in a positive manner, Mr Brill said. Mushrooms also contain chitin, which takes bile out of the intestinal system. The body then makes new bile for digestive purposes from cholesterol in the bloodstream.

“The ancient Chinese knew that eating mushrooms cleansed the arteries. Now, science has shown the mechanism by which that happens,” said Mr Brill. Early research is also indicating that the turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) may contain agents effective against advanced prostrate cancer.

Mushrooms are a delicate food and should be consumed within a short time of picking them. Clean them gently in as little water as is needed just before cooking, and do not eat wild mushrooms raw. At mushrooms-collecting.com, the best methods for cooking different species of mushrooms are provided. Because different mushrooms contain different moisture contents, not all are suitable for sautéing or broiling. Some mushrooms benefit from slow simmering for best results.

Eat only a small amount of any new species of wild mushroom. Food sensitivities and allergies can appear with any new food. To be on the safe side, keep one raw and intact mushroom, in case further identification is needed.

Do not be afraid, however, said Mr Brill. Knowledgeable mushrooming combined with experience can lead to a hobby that is great for the entire family, he said. “Nature has always been attractive to human beings. This is something children can learn, too,” said Mr Brill. Not only will they learn about fungi, but they will learn about the ecosystem and have fun outdoors, he added.

“Wherever I go this fall, I am finding lots of mushrooms,” Mr Brill said. “It is definitely a good year.”

 Mr Brill will give a 30-minute lecture and lead a 90-minute tour searching for honey mushrooms, chicken mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods, honey mushrooms, puffballs, meadow mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms, at Sticks & Stones Farm, 201 Huntingtown Road, Sunday, October 2, beginning at 2:30 pm. There is a fee of $25/adult, $10/child under the age of 12. Call 203-270-8820, at least 24 hours in advance to sign up.

To find out more about the Connecticut Valley Mycological Association, visit www.namyco.org and select “affiliated clubs”.

Mushroom Foray at New Pond Farm in Redding takes place from 9:30 am to noon, Saturday, October 8, led by members of the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association. Bring a basket for collecting specimens, wear sturdy shoes, bring a 10x magnifier (if you have one) for examining minute details, your lunch, and something to share for the potluck. A mushroom identification session will follow the communal meal. Free, but reservations are required, and can be made by calling New Pond Farm at 203-938-2117 or e-mailing kristen@newpondfarm.org.