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Beginner mushroom forager help


Jared

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Hi everyone! I’m located in Wenatchee, WA and I just recently got into mushroom foraging, however the only ones I went hunting for this year so far were morels, which I had great luck with (I attached those images). It is currently early June and I was wondering if anyone had any tips for me as to where I could find some reasonably easy to identify edible mushrooms. I just got a great mushroom field guide but I am not sure on what locations in Washington are good for finding in season mushrooms. If possible I would like to avoid driving more than a couple hours away from Wenatchee. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

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Hi, I'm on the east coast so I can't be too specific- Mushrooms grow everywhere, it's really more about what you are looking for. I would just make a list of what mushrooms you are interested in finding and then seek out those habitats, most field guides give some sense of where to find species. I would think you are probably in a great state for mushroom hunting.   Nice Morels!

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The usual Boletus and Porcini mushrooms usually appear during summer and fall and are quite dependant on rainfall.  However, you may be able to find Spring King Boletes soon, if not right now; they usually arrive around the end of the morel season and can get enough moisture from melting snow.  I've found the Spring Kings (Boletus rex-veris) just after mid-June in SW BC, and they could be earlier where you are.

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Hey thanks for the tips y’all, I appreciate it. Yeah I’ve seen people posting their finds on Facebook for sale, and I figured they’re out. I read somewhere online that they’re out around ski slopes, specially at the top of Snoqualmie pass, can anyone confirm that? Where’s a good spot for a beginner to start searching?

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There may be a mushroom club in your area that could help with that, however you may find it difficult to get specific locations out of people, personally I'm generally happy to share my spots (just my philosophy) but in my experience many fishermen prefer to keep their best fishing spots to themselves :). And I've heard tell that some mushroom hunters on the west coast have been known to get a bit... protective of their hunting grounds haha, possibly because the hobby is more monetized out west. (Just what I've heard I have yet to actually meet a mushroom hunter who wasn't friendly, this may just be rumor for all I know) Seriously though- a huge part of the hobby is just getting out there and covering lots of ground. It is amazing how much you can learn about everything ELSE when you are focused on mushrooms, and how much that other stuff can tell you about mushrooms as well. 

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To find some locations in Washington state for Spring Kings or any other mushroom, try Google searches.  One very useful Website for WA is  http://www.psms.org/sporeprints.php .  Look through the archived foray reports for late spring and early summer.  They may mention Spring Kings, and they usually give you a rough idea of location.

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You need to check out Langdon Cook's   fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com. Lots of foraging ideas and of course there's mushrooms. You can spend a lot of time looking thru it's archive.

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Hi Jared,

Boletus rex-veris should be growing in your area now.  At least up by Lake Wenatchee. I doubt I'll make it there this year.

Check the Chihuahua Ridge area, and do a little research to get your habitat and trees right!  Conifers for sure.

Young buttons are the best, but older, bug free specimens dry real nice in a dehydrator.

Let us know if you find anything, and be positive of your identification!

Chris

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