Basic introduction to edible mushrooms

[halcyon1234]

 

Hi.  I was looking for a FAQs for this site that might mention some basic mushroom guides, but couldn't seem to find one.

I'm looking for just a basic, general introduction to mushroom foraging.  I don't need a 500-page technical guide or anything like that.     I'd just like to know what the most common edible mushrooms are (maybe not more than a few dozen) in the Eastern U.S., how to identify them, and how to steer clear of poisonous lookalikes. 

Is there a useful book out there like that for beginners that anyone could recommend?  Or even a Web site would work too.  Thanks for any info. 

[GCn15]

On 9/17/2020 at 9:26 PM, halcyon1234 said:

 

Hi.  I was looking for a FAQs for this site that might mention some basic mushroom guides, but couldn't seem to find one.

I'm looking for just a basic, general introduction to mushroom foraging.  I don't need a 500-page technical guide or anything like that.     I'd just like to know what the most common edible mushrooms are (maybe not more than a few dozen) in the Eastern U.S., how to identify them, and how to steer clear of poisonous lookalikes. 

Is there a useful book out there like that for beginners that anyone could recommend?  Or even a Web site would work too.  Thanks for any info. 

There are a ton of excellent resources online. The VERY best is to find a local mycology club and go on a foray or two with them. Nothing beats the knowledge you will get from that. However, if none exist in your near vicinity I recommend a good mushroom field guide, and there are some excellent youtube offerings out there. I would not go crazy in my first couple years. Take about 6-7 of the easiest to identify mushrooms, learn what habitat they grow in and start finding picking areas that match the hatch so to speak. If you have an area that you usually pick that is one type of dominant forest then learn what mushrooms are mycorrhizial to those types of trees.

I would start with boletes, chanterelles, hydnum species, chicken of the woods, hens, puffballs, and stay away from gilled mushrooms until you have enough prowess, as this is where most of the seriously poisonous mushrooms will come into play. Pick mushrooms...post them up here and we can help. Don't bother with LBMs (little brown mushrooms) they are mostly poisonous and are hard to identify as a general rule.

A good youtube resource for beginners imo, is Adam Haritan's -Learn Your Land- videos on youtube. He gives some excellent breakdowns on mushroom foraging for several species and explains things very well and most importantly accurately.

[JOHNY]

Agree about Adam Haritan. He is a very believable on-line resource. Unlike many other you-tube posters that lack credibility.

[halcyon1234]

On 9/22/2020 at 8:23 AM, GCn15 said:

There are a ton of excellent resources online. The VERY best is to find a local mycology club and go on a foray or two with them. Nothing beats the knowledge you will get from that. However, if none exist in your near vicinity I recommend a good mushroom field guide, and there are some excellent youtube offerings out there. I would not go crazy in my first couple years. Take about 6-7 of the easiest to identify mushrooms, learn what habitat they grow in and start finding picking areas that match the hatch so to speak. If you have an area that you usually pick that is one type of dominant forest then learn what mushrooms are mycorrhizial to those types of trees.

I would start with boletes, chanterelles, hydnum species, chicken of the woods, hens, puffballs, and stay away from gilled mushrooms until you have enough prowess, as this is where most of the seriously poisonous mushrooms will come into play. Pick mushrooms...post them up here and we can help. Don't bother with LBMs (little brown mushrooms) they are mostly poisonous and are hard to identify as a general rule.

A good youtube resource for beginners imo, is Adam Haritan's -Learn Your Land- videos on youtube. He gives some excellent breakdowns on mushroom foraging for several species and explains things very well and most importantly accurately.

 

Thanks for the helpful advice, GCn15.  I live in a rural area, so I doubt there would be a mycology club nearby.  Have never heard the expression "match the hatch" before.  Yes, it makes sense to start small.  As for "little brown mushrooms," isn't ringless honey one of those?  If so, I guess that's the exception.  I've also read to always avoid mushrooms with white gills.  

OK, I'll check out Haritan's videos as you suggested—they sound interesting and helpful.  

 

On 9/22/2020 at 11:21 AM, JOHNY said:

Agree about Adam Haritan. He is a very believable on-line resource. Unlike many other you-tube posters that lack credibility.

 

Glad to know this.  Well, if YouTube is so concerned about suppressing so-called false information, why do they allow these other mushroom "experts" to post videos then, I wonder?

[GCn15]

On 9/27/2020 at 12:43 AM, halcyon1234 said:

 

Thanks for the helpful advice, GCn15.  I live in a rural area, so I doubt there would be a mycology club nearby.  Have never heard the expression "match the hatch" before.  Yes, it makes sense to start small.  As for "little brown mushrooms," isn't ringless honey one of those?  If so, I guess that's the exception.  I've also read to always avoid mushrooms with white gills.  

OK, I'll check out Haritan's videos as you suggested—they sound interesting and helpful.  

 

 

Glad to know this.  Well, if YouTube is so concerned about suppressing so-called false information, why do they allow these other mushroom "experts" to post videos then, I wonder?

Youtube simply has no idea whether information on mushrooms is entirely accurate or not unless someone complains about it.

[GCn15]

On 9/27/2020 at 12:43 AM, halcyon1234 said:

 

Thanks for the helpful advice, GCn15.  I live in a rural area, so I doubt there would be a mycology club nearby.  Have never heard the expression "match the hatch" before.  Yes, it makes sense to start small.  As for "little brown mushrooms," isn't ringless honey one of those?  If so, I guess that's the exception.  I've also read to always avoid mushrooms with white gills.  

OK, I'll check out Haritan's videos as you suggested—they sound interesting and helpful.  

 

 

Glad to know this.  Well, if YouTube is so concerned about suppressing so-called false information, why do they allow these other mushroom "experts" to post videos then, I wonder?

No, ringless honeys are not considered a LBM. They can actually get quite large. There are good edibles with white gills and there are poisonous in pretty much all gill colors. Gill color is great as an identification tool to a specific mushroom but really doesn't indicate edibility.

[Dave W]

No shortcuts exist that easily lead one to determine edible or toxic. But, there are a few edible species that are fairly easy to learn to ID. Some mushroom hunters speak of the "Fearless Five" or the "Foolproof Four" small groups of edible types that are not very difficult to learn. But, even a member of such a group can be imitated by some other species, to the point where a novice is fooled. I just googled "Foolproof Four" and on one list I saw Yellow Chanterelle. Members of this species group from genus Cantharellus can be confused with at least two different species, Omphalotus illudens (Jack 'o Lantern, toxic) or Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (suspect). I one attended a pot luch party where someone brought along a large bagful of Jack'o Lantern that she said were Chanterelles. Luckily, I manged to convince her of her error (which took a fair amount of effort on my part). 

Adam Haritan is a good source of information. His videos (the ones I've seen) tend to focus upon a single species (or species cluster) and his research is thorough. 

[Rondayvous]

On 10/2/2020 at 1:16 PM, Dave W said:

Adam Haritan

I second that. Adam makes some of the best Youtube videos on how to ID specific mushrooms. If I am not mistaken, he also offers a class now ...

[Kevin Hoover]

I’m taking his class now