by Lisa Giroday, Sandra Lopuch and Sam Philips | The rainy season has hit, and if you go for a nature walk in the forest, chances are you’ll see plenty of fungi, both edible and inedible. The diversity and volume can be daunting if you’re a newbie to mushroom foraging, and since it seems like a lot of edible mushrooms have a poisonous doppelganger, it’s best to know what to look for.
Just the faintly citrus, apricot-like aroma of a freshly picked Pacific Golden Chanterelle is enough to get you on the hunt. Yellow Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius), White Chanterelles (C. subalbidus), and White Pines (Tricholoma magnivelare) are among the most popular delights of the Fall mushroom season, which begins in September in Northern areas like Terrace and Pemberton and ends in December in more southern regions, like Vancouver Island.
Mushrooms belong not to the plant kingdom, but to the fungi kingdom, and they can grow in a few different ways: symbiotically, as in off of a living tree or plant (each benefitting the other); parasitically, where the health of the host is jeopardized; and saphropytically, where the fungi feeds on dead organic matter, such as rotting wood and soil.
Understanding a mushroom’s ecology (and host) is the key to finding these treasures. For instance, in the Pacific Northwest, Pine Mushrooms and Chanterelles commonly occur in mature forests of Douglas Fir and Hemlock. The Pine is usually found under a thick layer of moss or leaf litter, and the “understorey” vegetation may contain Prince’s Pine, Evergreen Huckleberry, Salal, and Kinnikinnick. Channel the detective in you and go on a mission. It’s fun, even if you don’t find a single one.
Helpful written guides include Common Mushrooms of the Northwest, by J. Duane Sept, and Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest: Timber Press Field Guide, by Steve Trudell and Joe Ammirati. Both guides are under $20.
HOOK UP WITH A TOUR
There’s no substitute for learning first hand. Swallow Tail Tours will guide you through the forest in search of edible fungi.
JOIN THE CLUB
If you’re super into it, check out the Vancouver Mycological Society. The date of their annual Mushroom Show approaches: October 28th at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens!
EAT OUT
Wildebeest, Harvest, and The Acorn have all recently featured Matsutake (White Pine) Mushrooms on their daily specials.
BE CAREFUL
Some mushrooms can kill you if you don’t know what you’re doing.
BE GOOD
Mushrooms are integral to our ecology, so harvest sustainably. This website is super helpful.
