Kitty's Private Foraging Bachelorette Experience

The group of you joined us at a quiet forested pocket just outside Saratoga Springs to close out Kitty's outdoorsy bachelorette weekend the way we love best: slowly, eyes on the ground, baskets ready. There's something fitting about marking a marriage with a forage—both ask for patience, attention, and flexibility.

You brought exactly the open, joyful curiosity that makes a morning like this come alive, and the forest answered in kind. Below, you'll find a record of some of the things we found together—what to look for, where it grows, and how to bring it home.

Boletus edulis clade

Porcini

A prized edible mushroom—if you can get to them before the bugs or rain do!
Find in deciduous and coniferous forests
Mild-tasting white flesh does not change color when exposed to air
Smooth to raised netting pattern on stipe, minimally on the uppermost portion of the stem
Yellow-brown or olive-brown spore print
Pores with white tubes that later become yellowish, then greenish
Convex cap when young, which flattens with age
Learn more about preparation and enjoying this delicious mushroom!
Chef Alan Bergo's Fresh Porcini Butter is my personal favorite preparation

Amanita chrysoblema

Fly Agaric

Variety of well-known Amanita muscaria is distinguished by a yellow-to-orange cap, rather than red
Has warts on the cap
Ring on upper stem from universal veil, also found in the shaggy material along the stem
Grows from an egg/volva
Gills narrowly attached or free from the stem; white; close or crowded
White spore print
Toxic: We do not recommend consumption

Trametes versicolor

Turkey Tail

Common polypore meaning "of several colors"
Surface of cap has concentric rings with a white margin
Surface of cap is velvety and smooth
Pore surface is whitish to light brown, with small round pores
Grows in a rosette pattern and tiled in layers in groups or rows on logs and stumps of deciduous trees, resembling the tails of turkey
Polysaccharide-K (PSK or krestin), extracted from T. versicolor, is considered safe for use as a therapy for cancer treatment in Japan where it is approved for clinical use
Another wonderful medicinal, turkey tail tea is easy to make

Suillus spp.

Slippery Jack

Genus associated with conifers/trees in the pine family
Sticky to slimy caps, hence their common nickname, Slippery Jack
Glandular dots on the stipe
Partial veil that may leave a ring of tissue around the end of the cap
Many intra-genus species with many additional identifying features: See Mushroom Expert's identification guide for further information!
Read about edibility with Chef Alan Bergo; we do not recommend consuming Suillus without proper species identification and preparation

Leccinum spp.

Scaber Stalk / Birch Bolete

Found mycorrhizal with birch trees
Bolete mushroom, with spongy, pored fertile surface area
Stems of leccinoids are punctuated with scabers, which typically become brown or black with maturity
Learn more about Leccinum harvesting and edibility with Chef Alan Bergo

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.