Trent of Modern Forager posted about whether it is safe to eat morels foraged in burn zones where fire retardant may have been used. You can find the original post here. Here are my key takeaways from the article. Firefighters have much greater exposure to these chemicals than a typical forager. The Forest Service assessment…
Introduction Mushroom edibility is not a simple yes or no. Even widely eaten species cause reactions in some people. Some foragers in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe eat Gyromitra esculenta after repeated boiling, but that does not reliably remove its toxin, and we do not recommend eating it. Reactions vary from person to person and with…
April 2023 was a month of the false morel known as Verpa. These are among the first of the mushrooms to show up in the spring. They begin fruiting with cottonwoods at low elevations and then move into the foothills as the season progresses. — Learn more about Verpa bohemica here — Apr 1-2 My…
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…
I just finished the first version of a PNW Boletes illustration. It sorts our boletes into general groups by genus, which should help simplify things. Beginners interested in edible boletes should start with Boletus, the king boletes, which are common, tasty, and among the easier boletes to identify. The admirable bolete (Aureoboletus mirabilis) is another…
Learning to forage and identify mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest takes time. I would like to share some of my favorite sites and apps to help speed up your learning. Even experienced mushroom foragers would likely find a few surprises in here. The best time to pick mushrooms Chanterelles, boletes, morels, and other edible mushrooms…
A group of us met up in the Lake Wenatchee area on Saturday to look for spring kings (Boletus rex-veris). Both morels and spring kings are found predominently in the eastern Cascades. Morels are the first to show up in early May and boletes later in the month and into June or even July at…
Are Morels Toxic When Consumed with Alcohol? What the evidence says about morels, wine, and adverse reactions This is one of the most common questions we hear during morel season. You’ve got a bag of fresh morels and a bottle of wine — should you be worried? The short answer: most people can safely eat…
June 19, 1806 – Lewis, Meriwether “Cruzatte (Cruzatte, Pierre) brought me several large morells which I roasted and eat without salt pepper or grease in this way I had for the first time the true taist of the morell which is truly an insippid taistless food. our stock of salt is now exhausted except two quarts which…
The Olympic Peninsula is a wonderful place to look for mushrooms due to the expansive forests and ease at finding mature forests in some breathtaking river valleys. It can be difficult to find the specific boundaries and rules for different types of public land. I hope this map helps. Here is a link to another…
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