I'LL TAKE MUSHROOMS WITH THAT

Author: Jonathan Slider

​   This time last year, I stumbled upon an article about foraging for food outdoors. One of the more popular items to find is choice edible mushrooms. Now, this was not my first experience with edible mushrooms. A few years ago, while backpacking in a local state park, my hiking partner located what he claimed was, “Chicken of the Woods”: a mushroom that cooks up and tastes like chicken. I took him at his word, and I proceeded to have one of the tastiest treats to come out of the forest. (For clarification, I highly recommend that you never assume a mushroom is edible unless you are well trained and educated in foraging or mushroom identification.) 

​   Since then I have found several “Chicken of the Woods” mushrooms. They can typically be found from May to October, and even into late November. They are bright orange (see picture) and hard to miss. I have found two different species of the Chicken of the Woods. They are very similar in size and shape, but vary slightly in color. One is orange with yellow margins and underbelly. The other is orange with whitish/pink margins and underbelly. They taste similar but they can be found in different places. The first one usually grows directly on decaying wood, while the other can be found near decaying wood but growing out of the ground. Hunting for mushrooms was more like stumbling on to them. Last year, however, I started to hone my mushroom hunting skills. 

Chicken of the Woods

 If you have never had a morel mushroom I highly recommend them, but it takes a little skill and a lot of luck to locate this elusive fungi. They are not sold in stores, as they are difficult, if not impossible to grow. If you are able to find morels from a vendor it is usually at a farmer’s market, and they are not cheap. Morels typically are found between late March and the middle of May when the spring rains arrive and the temps begin to warm up. I will not bore you with the details, but encourage you to research the specifics. A great resource is Learn Your Land, some YouTube videos I think give great information on morel mushroom hunting, as well as books that will help with identifying morels and other choice edible mushrooms. One that I am reading is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. I look forward to exploring, hunting, gathering, cooking, and eating these delicious fungal treats while also expanding my understanding and knowledge of how I can better interact with nature.

​   Hunting for mushrooms is another layer of my love of the outdoors. It is a reminder that though there is something you may be pursuing, you may be looking in the wrong place or it may not appear until the time is right. The key is that you should never stop searching. Never stop pursing that thing you know that is out there. The reward of discovering it is worth it.