2024 September ATC + Amsure Employee Foraging Experience

Armillaria mellea

Honey Mushrooms

Pathogenic and parasitic fungus that grows in tight clusters, usually on hardwoods, but sometimes on conifers. It causes white, pulpy rot in wood, spreading via rhizomorphs from tree to tree
Golden yellow to brownish, bald cap, with few yellow to brownish scales near the center
Fertile surface area is tight, attached gills that are whitish to pinkish to brownish
Sturdy, yellow-edged white ring (or attached veil) on the tapered stem
Whitish to pinkish flesh
White spore print
Cook your honey mushrooms thoroughly! If you are extra-prone to GI distress, blanch them first. This will also help rid the mucilaginous factor; you can also work with it by cooking honeys in soup, which will help thicken it.

Hydnum umbilicatum

Hedgehogs

Fertile surface area is toothed/spined rather than gilled or pored
Cap is dry, yellow to light orange to brown, irregularly shaped
Flesh is white with a pleasant odor
Stains orange
Mycorrhizal/symbiotic with oaks and conifers
Related to both orange and black chanterelles (Cantharellus and Craterellus)
Smooth, white spores
Slightly sweet taste and slightly fruity odor, similar to its chanterelle and trumpet cousins!
Cap has an “umbilicate” form–a little “innie” belly button in the center of the cap

Grifola frondosa

Maitake/Hen of the Woods

Weakly parasitic, soft-fleshed polypore that usually grows at the base of oaks, and causes white butt rot (saprobic on rotting wood)
Smoky brown, wavy caps, with a white margin, organized in large clusters and rosettes, coming from one branching stem structure; velvety or bald
Pores run down the stem, often near the base; lavender-gray to white, with yellow staining
Firm, white flesh
White spore print
A well-loved mushroom, especially in various Asian cuisines

Ganoderma spp

Artist's Conch

A cousin of Reishi! See how they are both part of the Ganoderma family? I just wouldn't eat an Artist's Conch!
Grows right on the wood in shelves and brackets
Has a matte cap
Pored fertile surface area
Great fun to etch into the pored surface of fresher Conchs. The lines quickly darken. Let your Conch dry out, then use as ornamentation in your home or garden!

Lactarius indigo

Blue Milky

Mycorrhizal with oaks and pine, growing in proximity, and not directly on wood
As all in the Lactarius family, the indigo milk cap lactates when cut. True to its name, L. indigo lactates blue latex/exudate
Flat or vase-shaped cap with a margin that is at first inrolled. Deep-to-medium blue when fresh, to grayish-silvery blue with concentric zones of color
Bruises green
Close, attached gills, with color the same or paler than the cap
Hollow stem
Whitish to blue flesh, staining green
Blue, sticky exudate that turns green
Cream spore print

Notes on consumption and more

As they say, all mushrooms are edible once.

Use caution when consuming wild foods. No mushroom will harm you by touching it, smelling it, or even licking it. It is the actual swallowing and consumption we want to be aware of.

That being said, 99% of edible wild mushrooms should be thoroughly cooked before consuming to avoid gastrointestinal distress. If you're unsure how an edible mushroom will affect you, try a small amount and wait several hours before trying more, to see how your body reacts.

Fresh mushrooms should be stored in a cool, dry place, around 38°-42°F. Field cleaning your mushrooms is the best way to keep them tidy and limit your prep work later. Do not rinse mushrooms in water until you're ready to use them; this helps prevent rot and lengthen their freshness.

Should you choose to dehydrate your mushrooms, please note that your finished product is still considered raw, and should be cooked before consuming.