Finding Morels in Washington Where, when, and how to hunt the Pacific Northwest’s most prized spring mushroom Morels are the mushroom that gets Pacific Northwest foragers out of winter hibernation. From landscape woodchips in March to high-elevation burn sites in July, morel season in Washington stretches across four months and multiple distinct habitats. This guide…
We are installing a mushroom patch at the Troll’s Knoll Forest located behind the Fremont Troll. The patch will include both commonly cultivated species as well as wild mushrooms. Some of these species are edible. Visitors are encouraged to look and explore, but not pick mushroom from this patch. A group of us gathered on…
I’d like to send a big thanks out to everyone that attended the tours on Saturday and our show on Sunday. It is so fun meeting other mushroom enthusiasts and I love seeing this community grow. We didn’t have a ton of luck in the forest but we did manage to find a couple nice…
Matsutake mushrooms, highly valued for their unique aroma and culinary applications, can be identified by several key features: Together, these characteristics are essential for accurately identifying matsutake mushrooms in the wild. Matsutake is also known by scientific names Tricholoma magnivelare and Tricholoma murrillianum Similar in Appearance: Smith’s AmanitaAmanita smithiana Key features of Amanita smithiana: 1….
Someone recently asked about harvesting mushrooms near a quarry and wondered if I had any specific guidelines surrounding this. I asked a friend and soil scientist for his feelings on this. Here are some of the things he had to say about it What was quarried? Usually quarries are for stone or sand, so there…
I just finished the first version of a PNW Boletes illustration. These are organized into general groups by Genus which should help to simplify things. Beginners intersted in edible boletes should focus on the Boletus genus first since these are more common, tasty, and easier to identify. Aureoboletus mirabilis known commonly as the Admirable Bolete…
One of the things we are learning to accept with dry summers is annual forest fires. This image was taken on Saturday from Mount Erie in Anacortes. The camera filter exaggerated the sepia tones but I think it still captures the apocalyptic feel outside over the past few days. Where is all of this smoke…
Lesson Plans for Mushrooms There has been an increasing level of interest among educators for lesson plans or curricula related to mushrooms and the fungal kingdom. I have started creating lesson plans targeting middle school students and will begin sharing by this fall. In the meantime, I have a list of what I feel are…
I have had some of the best luck finding summer mushrooms in the Olympics and along the Straight of Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island. If I could choose anywhere right now, I would pick coastal Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Still, I managed to find a Bears Head (Hericium) last weekend in the western…
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