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Preparing for the Spring’s Mushroom Harvest

Spring is the season of the mushroom. Depending on where exactly you live, finding mushrooms in March, April, or May is a fun, educational, and practical activity. Going out to find wild mushrooms is an ancient tradition. For thousands of years, people have foraged and searched out tasty fungi, which are also very nutritional. Looking for wild mushrooms makes a great activity to do with your kids as a homeschooling lesson. And, if you know your edible species, you can also eat your lesson.

Collecting wild mushrooms is actually called hunting. Fungi enthusiasts don’t forage or search, they hunt. The term indicates how much people get into this activity and how much fun it can be. It can also be very serious, though. Be very, very careful about what mushrooms you pick and eat. Few substances on earth are as poisonous as certain mushrooms. Be sure to learn very clearly the differences between edible and poisonous mushrooms. For your first try at mushroom hunting, consider tagging along with an expert. And remember, if in doubt, throw it out. It is never worth trying a mushroom whose status is uncertain.

The Biology of the Mushroom

Mushrooms make a fascinating biology lesson because they are unlike all other organisms. For a time, they were considered to be a type of plant and were classified with them. Now, we know that fungi are a world apart. In taxonomy, the classification of organisms, the fungi get an entire kingdom to themselves. One major difference between fungi and plants is that plants make their own food through the process of photosynthesis and fungi do not. They also have different cell structures.

Here are some of the interesting characteristics of fungi:

Goodbye to mundane, expensive, freeze-dried camping food and welcome to tasty, environmentally conscious, inexpensive dishes. [1]

Mushroom Hunting

Once your children have had a lesson in fungal biology, it’s time for the fun part: hunting! The best locations in which to find edible, wild mushrooms are the northeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Appalachia. Do some research about your local area before setting out. You should be able to find a nearby mycology club or mushroom hunting society that can point you in the right direction and educate you about what types of mushrooms you should be able to find in your local environment.

Your local mushroom club may also print a guide to finding edible fungi in your area. This could be a great way to start learning to identify mushrooms. Some groups also host identification days. If you hunt for and collect a basket of mushrooms, you can take them to this event and let someone more experienced identify them for you or confirm that they are edible.

When preparing for the hunt by learning about the types of edible mushrooms you will be looking for, be sure to find out about look-alikes. Several edible mushrooms have poisonous twins. These mushrooms are often mistaken for the edible type. Make sure you know which look-alikes you may run into in your neighborhood, such as false chanterelles and false morels.

Some of the common types of edible mushrooms that people hunt for in the U.S. are oyster, black trumpet, chanterelle, morel, and hen of the woods. If you live in Oregon, you may even be able to find the elusive and very valuable truffle. Most culinary experts would say the best truffles grow in France and Italy, but these fancy mushrooms grow in Oregon too. They don’t go for as much money, but they are very similar in flavor to their European counterparts. Unfortunately, these guys grow underground, making them tough to find. Historically, pigs and dogs have been used to sniff them out.

Fungi Activities

Simply learning about the biology of fungi and going on a mushroom hunt are great educational activities. But, there is so much more you and the kids can do with these fascinating organisms. Once you have learned about them and gone on your mushroom hunt, try some of the following activities.

Mushrooms are not just tasty little fungi. They are fun to hunt for and a great learning opportunity. Take advantage of your local environment to find, identify, eat, and learn about these interesting mushrooms.

©2012 Off the Grid News

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