Wild mushrooms can be nutritious and delicious. With a little bit of legwork and know-how, you can easily pick a container’s worth of delicious fungi to cook for your dinner tonight.
Their health benefits are quite pronounced too, with many mushrooms containing high protein, fiber, vitamin, and mineral contents. Their health benefits become even more pronounced when cooked, and some scientists are even studying their involvement in preventing cancer!
With that said, read on and find out which of nature’s fungi would fit right up your dinner plate. It’ll make for an exciting part of your dishes.
Morel Mushroom
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Morel hunting has begun to rise in popularity, as many more people find themselves interested in finding out more about this tasty mushroom.
Unlike most fungi, morel mushrooms only grow in three to four weeks a year. They also have a short lifespan of only two weeks.
This makes cultivation of the morel mushroom impossible. As a result, commercial harvesting of these morels as grown into a multi-million dollar trade. This is most particular in places like North America, China, the Himalayas, and India.
Location
Their growth patterns are volatile, but they are likely to be found near the roots of certain dead trees, such as aspen, maple, oak, and elm. Occasionally, though, they may prefer the presence of live trees.
Early in the spring, they can be found in south-facing slopes. As the season progresses, they are more likely to be found in north-facing slopes.
How to identify
They can be easily identified by their honeycomb-like cap structure. Their cap colors range from cream to almost black. Watch out for false morels, though! To properly check that the morel you picked is edible, cut it lengthwise. If the inside of the mushroom is hollow, it’s an edible morel.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
A tasty fungus for fall, Lion’s mane is commonly seen in farmer’s stalls in markets. Not only that, many are used for their medicinal properties, as research has found that lion’s mane can reduce dementia and help repair nerve damage.
Their taste is unique to other mushrooms in that they are rather comparable to seafood such as lobster or crab. They have a sweet and savory flavor as a well as a meaty stringy texture.
Location
They can be found high above trees during fall, possibly even reaching 40 feet. Some of the trees are dead and dying too, so unless “tree climbing” is a sport you excel at, you will either need a tall ladder or patience.
If the mushroom is out of reach, try coming back later in the season, some mushrooms might sprout in more accessible locations of the tree.
How to identify
They are easily identified by their white color, as it is quite telling in a sea of brown and green, its long spine, and the fact that it looks like a pompom. Just look up!
Oyster Mushroom
Oyster mushrooms are one of the most cultivated mushrooms in the world. They are extremely popular in different cuisines, most notably Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cooking.
They can be eaten raw, if you don’t mind the slightly metallic flavor. They’re more recommended cooked though, as their velvety flavor is more pronounced, albeit still subtle.
They are a rich source of many nutrients, like protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
You can buy a pack of them in the supermarket, but maybe you’re an all-natural type of person and want to forage for one by yourself.
Location
Supermarkets will always stock them no matter the season, but for wild oyster mushrooms, they can be found growing in the fall.
They usually form clusters (called shelves) on rotting or fallen logs. If you find one, you’re likely to find many more nearby. They usually prefer shaded areas, so searching under these logs might be a good idea.
How to identify
True to their name, oyster mushrooms have an oyster-shaped cap and a very short (if existing) stem.
Their flesh is white, as is their gills. Sometimes, their caps can exhibit different colors like yellow and pink.
Chanterelle
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Chanterelles is the most popular wild mushroom to eat, and for good reason. They have a peppery, peachy, and apricot taste. Some people actually prefer these mushrooms to morels, despite the latter being more known.
Some of its health benefits include vitamin D, protein, and potassium.
Location
Chanterelles can be found in moist areas and are particularly abundant in wet summer days with a lot of rain, but they can also be found in early fall.
They hide in mixed hardwood forests, around poplar, beech, maple, and oak trees. Like oyster mushrooms, they tend to grow in clusters.
They can also be found among fallen leaves in mountainous forests, as well as grasses and mosses.
How to identify
They have saffron to orange colored forked and wrinkly “false” gills, which runs down to their stalk. Their caps, meanwhile, can range from light yellow to bright orange.
The gills also make it a good indicator for lookalikes, such as the toxic jack-o’-lanterns, who have sharper “true” gills.
Finishing up
Mushroom foraging is a fun pastime can help serve as an additional ingredient to your cuisines for a healthier meal.
However, even with informative articles like this, mushrooms can still be extremely dangerous to your health especially when handled carelessly.
The best way to go about is to do your research on what you are planning on hunting and to call in an expert (as a novice mushroom hunter).