Mushiculture: Mushroom Hunting

A good mushroom hunt can be a very exciting endeavor. However, there's a lot of planning and knowledge that goes into such an event. Here is a brief insight into the basics of mushroom hunting, but remember, no amount of online research can beat a hands-on class where good mushroom collecting technique can be demonstrated and observed.

Before you leave for a mushroom hunt, there are some items you'll want to remember. Bring along a field guide for mushroom identification, a basket for carrying your collection, paper bags or waxed paper to separate each species that you find, a knife to help dig out the whole mushroom, a hand lens to closely examine the specimen, a compass so you don't get lost, a companion for the same reason, a notebook so you can write down any details such as topography of the area and where you found it, and you'll probably want to wear a bright scarf so your companion can easily spot you.

Once you've collected your specimens, you'll need to identify them. First and foremost, learn the poisonous mushrooms first! The truly poisonous ones are not too common, so make the effort to identify and memorize them. The basic identification characteristics are gill attachments, color, cap shape, volva, texture, odor, and substrate. If you don't know the basic structure of a mushroom, it will be helpful to take a class. Many field guides are organized by physical characteristics such as attached gills or free gills, which makes identification easier.

After identification has taken place and you've determined which mushrooms are edible, you'll want to adhere to some rules about eating them. Most importantly, ingest a small amount the first time, so you can see if you're going to have a reaction. In the situation where you've wrongly identified a mushroom and eaten a bad one, it's far better to have ingested a small amount than an entire plate full of them. Another general rule is not to eat your collected mushrooms with alcohol. Alcohol can make you less aware of the effect the mushrooms are having on your body and it may be harder to distinguish which effects are being caused by the alcohol and which are being caused by the mushroom. You should also eat only one type at a time, that way you'll know which mushroom made you sick in the event that you eat a bad one. And finally, save a few specimens just in case you get sick. This way, you'll be prepared to show someone what made you've made a wrong choice.

Caution is key when mushroom hunting. Even the most experienced mushroom hunters can make mistakes and misidentify a mushroom. But overall, a good mushroom hunt can be a fun, rewarding, and tasty learning experience!