Recapping the Fall Mushroom Season 2011

 Oregon has a bounty of edible mushrooms, especially in the fall, but this year was late to start.  Not until October did we start finding quantities of anything. 
An important warning:
DON'T EAT ANY WILD MUSHROOM UNLESS YOU
CAN POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE SPECIES!   There are many mushrooms in the wild that can make you sick and some that can kill you.  Better safe than sorry!  Before I started eating wild mushrooms I took a class that included field trips and I spent a lot of time identifying many different kinds of fungus.  In addition, on the way to earning a M.S. degree in Biology I spent a lot of time learning how to use identification keys of many different kinds of organisms. (knowledge is power)

This is Laetiporus sulphureus, or sulfur shelf, also called chicken of the woods.  It grows on the wood of dead trees, helping to recycle the nutrients back into the soil.   Most mushrooms are beneficial organisms, recycling ecosystem nutrients or exchanging nutrients with plants.  Many of the tree species in our forests benefit from mushrooms that grow in association with their roots.   Chicken of the woods doesn't really taste like chicken, but does have a meaty texture. 






Arrow is standing next to a big haul of chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) - one of the most common edible mushrooms in Western Oregon.  They can be scattered on the forest floor like yellow flowers, and sometimes hide among the fallen leaves of a similar color.  Chanterelles make an excellent soup using a chicken stock base and adding some cream at the end - yum!

 Here are more chanterelles, a bolete and a cluster of cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis crispa) which looks like the vegetable, but tastes nothing like it. 

Recommended books:
Mushrooms Demystified and
All That the Rain Promises, and More  - both by David Arora

If you are interested in wild mushrooms on public land, there are regulations that apply - check with the local office of the US Forest Service, BLM, or State Forest to learn more.