Mushroom and other wild edible foraging

Not that I'm aware of.

There's a mindset out there that plucking mushrooms will prevent them from growing back the next year. That is not true. Some I pluck and some I will cut at the base. The ones I pluck I'll clean the dirt off the base on the spot. It's all about keeping your mushrooms clean when you're collecting more than one.

The mushroom "roots" are only the point of contact with the unseen mycelium which is huge by comparison.
 
Spent a day and a half in the woods on my weekend. Haven’t been able to take many days off for fun stuff this year so it was a treat getting out.

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Timing on the kings is tricky at this spot. Glad they cooperated.

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Found few nice Blue Chanterelle clusters and several babies just getting going. Not actually a true chanterelle but a member of the Polyozellus multiplex. It’s been about 17 years since I’ve found one so I was quite excited to see them.

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The moon was bright on Monday night. We enjoyed a midnight walk on the old FS road with hot cocoa, no headlamps needed.

Ended the trip with a visit to an old spot I haven’t checked in several years. Found a few more kings but they were not going strong at this spot. Rainbow chanterelles were growing in full force however and while many were past their prime, we found about 10 pounds in good condition.
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Looking forward to getting out more while the season is in full swing.

Dave
 
Can anyone ID this Vancouver Island mushroom? It’s growing under cover of a sundeck, in pretty dry soil. The top looks like slightly burnt lemon meringue pie!
 

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Can anyone ID this Vancouver Island mushroom? It’s growing under cover of a sundeck, in pretty dry soil. The top looks like slightly burnt lemon meringue pie!
At first glance I thought shaggy parasol but might possibly be a false parasol. Best way to determine would be to get a spore print.

Shaggy Parasol = white spores = edible
False Parasol = greenish spore = not edible

Someone else might have some input.
 
Did some cursory mushroom hunting when walking the dog with the wife just now. Only possible edible was a pair of large yellow boletes. Did find a few interesting, and possibly toxic fungi.

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No idea...

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Sulfur tuft?
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Earth Star?
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First picture appears to be Honey Mushrooms. ID on these can be tricky but they are edible. Stems can be a bit tough when older so the caps are preferred. I’ve only tried them a few times and they ranged from great to just OK. Be sure to get a real ID before trying though! 🤣

There are some really interesting fun facts about this species.
 
At first glance I thought shaggy parasol but might possibly be a false parasol. Best way to determine would be to get a spore print.

Shaggy Parasol = white spores = edible
False Parasol = greenish spore = not edible

Someone else might have some input.
Thanks very much, Semper_fly. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get a spore print, because it's the only specimen in the garden, so I don't want to kill it without a good reason. It's just so magnificent to me. Also, I don't harvest wild mushrooms any more, since the only expert I know has moved far away, and I wouldn't want to make mushroom eating decisions just using books or pictures. Also, many references list the edibility of some mushrooms with words like "choice, but some reports of intestinal problems, allergic responses". I'm just really curious about this mushroom, because I've never seen anything like it.

I've read that there are several species with the common name of "shaggy parasol": Chlorophyllum rhacodes, C. olivieri and C. brunneum.

C. rhacodes
seems to be the one most called "shaggy parasol". Just guessing that's my mushroom.

I've also read that Chlorophyllum molybdites has quite a few common names: false parasol, green-spored parasol, green-gill parasol, green-spored lepiota, and my favourite, "vomiter"!
 
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ya those growing out of the tree look like honey mushrooms, they are pretty tasty. get a good id first though. the last is an earth star mushroom, they're super cool, I don't think edible though.

Fin
 
Out in the backyard this afternoon I found these. Don’t know why the bluish tint in the photos, iPhone glitch.

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I’m stoked. After years of looking I finally found a Black Walnut tree that puts out quantity. Black Walnut is a pretty common native where I grew up in the Midwest, but not so much in our region.
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I found this tree while scouting for mushrooms. Didn’t have gloves on me so I just went for it. 3 days later and my hands are still stained. Lesson learned.
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On the drying racks after a good pressure washing.
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Used some of the husk to make a dye bath for some fur and feathers. I already had a mixed bag of pre-mordanted (alum) fibers at the ready. Simmered the fibers for about an hour in the dye bath and let them soak overnight.

Before: deer belly, Icelandic sheep wool, saddle hackles, bucktail.
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After:
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The walnuts will be left to cure for at least a few weeks or more before I spend a day processing, which I’m sure will be tedious as the shells are notoriously difficult to crack and the nut meat does not come out easily. For me it’s worth it though. Equal parts nostalgia for a tree I grew up with as well as another variety of food to forage.

Dave
 
Some sights and finds from a short foray into the backyard and a bit beyond.

Fooled by a moss hawk.

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Startled this doe that was bedded down in a salmonberry thicket.

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Thought this was something sort of russula but the fibrous stipe says otherwise.

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And I'm pretty sure this is a shaggy parasol. Maybe not sure enough to break out the cast iron, but just found one.

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Still no Chantrelles :(
 
Some sights and finds from a short foray into the backyard and a bit beyond.

Fooled by a moss hawk.

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Startled this doe that was bedded down in a salmonberry thicket.

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Thought this was something sort of russula but the fibrous stipe says otherwise.

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And I'm pretty sure this is a shaggy parasol. Maybe not sure enough to break out the cast iron, but just found one.

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Still no Chantrelles :(
Looks like a nice time in the woods. That first one looks like possible Clitocybe nebularis.

Second does indeed look like a shaggy parasol, possible Chlorophyllum olivieri.

I remember you saying that your habitat is mixed conifer with some alder and possible cottonwood in the mix. Chanterelles associate with both Doug fir and spruce in WA state. If you have any of those tree on the property I’d look there. Chanterelles are gluttons for monoculture and the biggest yields will generally be on tree farms as there is less competition amongst their fellow fungi. Areas that were previously burned before replanting tend to be the most productive.
 
Looks like a nice time in the woods. That first one looks like possible Clitocybe nebularis.

Second does indeed look like a shaggy parasol, possible Chlorophyllum olivieri.

I remember you saying that your habitat is mixed conifer with some alder and possible cottonwood in the mix. Chanterelles associate with both Doug fir and spruce in WA state. If you have any of those tree on the property I’d look there. Chanterelles are gluttons for monoculture and the biggest yields will generally be on tree farms as there is less competition amongst their fellow fungi. Areas that were previously burned before replanting tend to be the most productive.

Thanks Dave. That's probably the issue. There are mossy patches here and there around the firs that look good. Salal, oregon grape, hazelnut etc... but definitely not a fir monoculture.

It is a 2nd growth mix. Not sure what age, but the larger Doug firs maybe 2.5' diameter. Lots of big leaf maples and western red cedar - I know neither of which are great mycorrhizal hosts. Tons of cottonwood and alder down in the floodplain, but also a few higher up. Oddly I haven't found a single hemlock.

I really need to explore the woods along side our access road. I found a large white Russula last year that I'm pretty sure was the lobster host species. Maybe next week depending on rivers levels. I love mushroom hunting but not nearly as much as chasing coho.
 
Curiosity got the better of me and checked a small area off the access road.

Found a pretty good patch of what could be white Chantrelles? Stipes look kinda long/skinny but these are pretty mature and getting soft. They were around the base of a few Doug firs. Too late if they are but at least I know the spot.

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not chanterelles unfortunately, not sure what they are. don't eat them!
Thanks. Wasn't going to eat these. They're too soft and old even with a positive ID.

I've seen a few white chantrelles years ago and remember them being much "stockier" and wavy looking. Basically just like goldens except for the color. On these, the stipes are very tall/thin, the gills look too thin/papery, and the cap aren't quite wavy enough. And yet the stipes weren't hollow and were fiberous when split. At this point just curious as to what they are.
 
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