What the rain promises
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Ready to dive into the world of fungi? Let Metro naturalist James Davis get you started in this guide to mushroom appreciation.
Excerpt from “Northwest Nature Guide: Where to Go and What to See Month by Month in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia” by James Luther Davis, Metro naturalist
Mushrooms grow just about everywhere but the wet coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest are some of the best mushroom habitats in the world. The fall rains mark the beginning of a magnificent mushroom season that goes from September to December and spring brings specialties like morels. Millions of dollars worth of wild mushrooms are harvested here and shipped all over the world. There are a dozen mushroom shows or festivals in the Northwest, including the Oregon Mycological Society’s big event in Portland in mid-October.
Visit the Oregon Mycological Society
By far the biggest interest in mushrooms is in finding the choice edibles that the Northwest is famous for: chanterelle, white matsutake, morel, porcini, Oregon truffle, lobster, oyster and others. There are also people who just want to know what all these weird, mysterious, sometimes abundant organisms are and what they do. For years I had been trying to get a handle on identifying mushrooms with continuing frustration until I found “All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms” by David Arora. At last I had the book that made it possible and fun to start learning about the complex world of fungus. That book got me started and I have had many laughs thanks to David’s great sense of humor. He really is a fun guy. (Fungi – Get it?)
The big problem with trying to identify mushrooms is that it is hard. Sorry, but there’s no way around the fact that there are thousands of different kinds of mushrooms and most of them are very hard to tell apart. It’s not hopeless, however. There are some mushrooms that are quite distinctive and easy for most people to identify. These are like identifying a skunk. It’s wonderful when a mushroom is easy to identify and happens to be delicious, like morels and lobsters. It is also very helpful when a poisonous one is obvious like the fly amanita. If your true desire is to just find tasty mushrooms to eat, you can learn to identify some of the world’s choicest edibles growing here in the Northwest and forget about the rest. But once your appetite is satisfied, you may not be able to ignore the thrill of the hunt.
More common than the interest in edible mushrooms is the fear of poisonous mushrooms. Unfortunately, the most poisonous mushrooms in the world grow here and people have died eating them. But many people think if they just touch a poisonous mushroom they’ll drop dead on the spot. The toxins in mushrooms cannot go through your skin, even if you crushed the ‘shroom in your hand. Keep them out of your mouth and no mushroom can hurt you. It’s that simple.
If you are afraid that if you pick wild mushrooms to eat you might eat the wrong kind and poison yourself – good, that’s entirely possible and a healthy fear. Much to everyone’s disappointment, there is no simple or easy way to tell an edible mushroom from a poisonous one. If you have heard any general rules like “if it grows in wood you can eat it” or “if it’s red it’s poisonous,” forget it. There are no such simple rules. None. Period. The only way to know if a mushroom is edible, poisonous or harmless but yucky is to identify exactly what kind of mushroom it is. You’ll often find “mushrooms” and “toadstools” used interchangeably but in fact, there are no fungi named toadstools.
For those that want to dive into the world of fungi, I recommend starting like I did with Arora’s guide. I have talked to many people who were able to get their start with this book. Mushroom walks and classes at parks, nature centers and the like can be very helpful, especially if a program is billed for beginners. Mushroom shows are a good introduction but don’t think you can go and come away knowing how to identify many mushrooms. You will be absolutely astounded at the number and variety of different fungi at your first mushroom show. Just get the big picture and enjoy the diversity.
The culinary reputation of some mushrooms fuels many people’s desire to find “the big strike,” the mushroom gold mine. Finding both gold and edible mushrooms, however, requires some knowledge, work, experience and good luck. But like so many things, it’s easier than you think once you take the plunge. It just requires a lot of patience. But slow down, look carefully, take your time and enjoy the wonderful places where you find mushrooms. The rain will fulfill its promise and the fungi will be there for a lifelong adventure.