# Survival > Primitive Skills & Technology >  Foraging for Wild Mushrooms

## offgridbrandon

I live in northeast Kansas.  Does anyone know if this is a good place to forage for mushrooms?  I have thought this might be a useful hobby, but I didn't want to invest in books if I don't live in a good reigon for mushroom hunging.  Any advice would be appreciated!

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## crashdive123

Mushrooms in Kansas?  You bet.




> Experts have identified about 1,000 species of mushrooms in Kansas but think many others have yet to be discovered.
> The Kaw Valley Mycological Society, founded in 1986, has a Web site where you can find information about mushrooms. The site is http://www.sunflower.com/~pilott29/.
> "A Guide to Kansas Mushrooms" by Bruce Horn, Richard Kay and Dean Abel has information, pictures, recipes and a guide for mushroom hunting.


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...4/ai_n14903223

While you're out foraging, you'll probably come across the Introduction Section where you can tell us a bit about yourself.  Thanks.

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## grundle

> I live in northeast Kansas.  Does anyone know if this is a good place to forage for mushrooms?  I have thought this might be a useful hobby, but I didn't want to invest in books if I don't live in a good reigon for mushroom hunging.  Any advice would be appreciated!


How convenient -- about this time last year I broke the news that the Morel's were out  and ready to be harvested in the Kansas region.

It is definitely worth investing in a book.  There are plenty of mushrooms around here (Kansas).

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## Rick

Wait a minute. Morels in February? Uh, okay.

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## LowKey

I'd be more apt to hook up with a local mushroom enthusiast to learn the ropes. The one course I had in college on the non-vascular plant 'things' taught me that far too many bad mushrooms look like good ones. Have a seasoned hunter show you if you can.

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## klkak

Foraging for mushrooms gives a whole meaning of its own to "Picking your poison"

I wouldn't eat wild mushrooms if I were starving to death!

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## ClayPick

I do a lot of shrooming. 4 of these a food, 3 will kill you in no time, most of the rest will make you sick  and 2 of them will get you really stoned :Wacko: 
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## Ken

> .... 4 of these are food,  and 2 of them will get you really stoned


Which ones? :Smile:

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## canid

nearly all regions are good regions for mushroom hunting.

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## canid

i ate Gomphus floccosus once, it gave me serious indigestion and gas that didn no end for several hours. i'd rate it as almost indigestible, though i'm such some methods of cooking would render it good. the flavor was much like Cantharellus.

i don't know if i'd consider the effects of the the Muscimol containing Amanitas as being 'stoned', more like profoundly drunk with the hangover comming early.

is that a large entoloma over on the left?

that group of Amanitas on the far right looks like a rough neighborhood.

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## ClayPick

Im not big on the real names but it might even be an old field blewit. I collect them for my wifes friend who makes ceramic reproductions of wild mushrooms. Im not big on catching a buzz on fungi either. :Smile:  Psilocybe Semilanceata grows here in the fall and people tell me that its just plain nasty! Joking aside, when it comes to mushroom youve got to learn from someone who really knows their stuff!

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## grundle

> Wait a minute. Morels in February? Uh, okay.


I did use the key-word "about" which in my mind gives me a 2 month leeway.  They should start showing up towards the end of March so, for me "about this time" is adequate.

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## erunkiswldrnssurvival

> I do a lot of shrooming. 4 of these a food, 3 will kill you in no time, most of the rest will make you sick  and 2 of them will get you really stoned
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That blewit looks awsome... i also like the heliotropicus nice and purple

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## Chris

Ahem ahem...

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forage/

One of you Mushroom-ninjas should go post some pictures/info on all that.

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## laughing beetle

Yes please do so!!  i have no idea what any of those 'shrooms are, but I would assume the brighter the color the more poisonous.  then again, I know that some of the poisonous mushrooms are white...  I am not eating any mushrooms unless i buy them myself at the grocery store!! :Eek2:

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## erunkiswldrnssurvival

> Yes please do so!!  i have no idea what any of those 'shrooms are, but I would assume the brighter the color the more poisonous.  then again, I know that some of the poisonous mushrooms are white...  I am not eating any mushrooms unless i buy them myself at the grocery store!!


some of them are poisonous, the ones with the bulbs on the ends.those are Aminitas, the orange cap and bulb is agricus aminita(fly agaric) however the chantrelle, the king bolete, the blewit, the coral,the hedge hog,and the orange jelly in this picture are all good, just be careful. the only edible Aminita is the cesar Aminita, which was not in the picture.

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## dougz

All I know is even in a nation of VETERAN mushroom pickers, Ukraine (pop. of _only_ 50 million), approx. 100 people die annually from mushroom poisoning, and that's only the confirmed cases..

This is a nation that's had it's share of famines, believe me, and picking mushrooms has often been 
about SURVIVAL, not hobby..

And the skills are passed down from generation to generation - RELIGIOUSLY..

If THESE guys can make fatal mistakes in this regard..  I'll pay the $5 for the ones in the supermarket, thanks..   :Crying:

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## laughing beetle

> All I know is even in a nation of VETERAN mushroom pickers, Ukraine (pop. of _only_ 50 million), 100 people die annually from mushroom poisoning, and that's only the confirmed cases..
> 
> This is a nation that's had it's share of famines, believe me, and picking mushrooms has often been about SURVIVAL, not hobby..
> 
> And the skills are passed down from generation to generation - RELIGIOUSLY..
> 
> If THESE guys can make fatal mistakes in this regard..  I'll pay the $5 for the ones in the supermarket, thanks..


Amen to that!!

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## skunkkiller

you are not going to get good mushrooms for 5 bucks .morels are 20.00 a pound

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## Rick

Grundle - As Crash would, "If it works for you......."  :Cool:

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## Ken

Here's a good site for info and pictures entitled _Morels, Truffles and other Spring Mushrooms_ : 

http://academic.evergreen.edu/projec.../mtsm/mtsm.htm

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## dougz

An extra $15???!!!

Worth risking my life, then... 

 :Wink:

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## Rick

Doug - No one is suggesting you risk your life. Quit the opposite. Every post on mushrooms carries the disclaimer that you should be absolutely certain of ANY wild food before consuming it. You would be hard pressed to mistake a true moral and there is little in this world that tastes any better. Mmmmmmm.

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## dougz

> Doug - No one is suggesting you risk your life.


Nope, I wasn't suggesting anyone WAS trying to convince me to give mushroom-picking a try..

This thread is for mushroom pickers, I get it..   :Smile: 

I was just trying to get across before that there ARE no absolutes..

Even experts make mistakes, to their peril..

Not worth it, to me anyways..  And I just wanted to get my 2 cents in, maybe save a life..   :Smile:

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## laughingbeetle

Thanks for the post, Ken.  I added it to my favorites.

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## Sarge47

Ok, 1st, whatever happened to "offgridbrandon"?  Did he & YouthPastor form an unholy relationship & run off together?

2nd, doug Z, ignore Rick!  You are 100% right!  Morels are a deadly form of Narcotic & can lead to chronic belching during the late evening hours.  They must be picked quickly & disposed of.  During the "Morel season" you must go out and pick any you find & ship them to me as I am a trained professional!  True, a professional Bus Driver but I am trained!   I & I alone know the proper way of disposing of them.  I use my kitchen, a hot, cast-iron skillet with some garlic butter over medium low heat, a flour mixture to dredge the deadly little boogers in... :Lol:  :Lol:  :Lol:  :Lol:  :Lol:  :Lol:

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## dougz

I remember when I went mushroom picking with my cousin in Ukraine..

He showed me exactly which kinds to pick..

In 3 hours he had picked about a duffel bag full..

I had picked about 6..  

1 of which turned out to be full of worms, and another 4 that were actually poisonous, AND full of worms..

Got bitten to **** by mosquitoes in the bargain..

Screw that noise..  >:(

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## canid

P. semilanceata aren't nasty, some people just have no taste  :Wink: 

the appearent blewit is beautiful, but i don't usualy see such persistent purple in the cap or gills in mature specimens. other possibilities are also Cortinarius [unlikely] or Laccaria [also less likely due to size]. spore printing of course sorts that out: cream/light tan for Lepista, white for Laccaria amethistina and rusty brown for Corts.

i get some awesome feild blewits here near my house, and the full sized L. nuda proper over at bidwell park.

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## Sarge47

Sarge's Mushroom edibility test.  Find a bunch of questionable mushrooms.  Bread & fry.  Serve them to someone you know & perhaps don't like very well; tell that person it's "chicken".  Watch said person for 1 week, if no demonstratable medical problems or death occurs, mushrooms are safe to eat.  If victim dies then write sympathy card to family! :Death:  :Sneaky2:  :Whistling:  :munchies:

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## crashdive123

Note to self...if Sarge sends any breaded, fried mushrooms to the Quality Control Department give them to Mikey.  Afterall, he'll eat anything.

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## canid

> some of them are poisonous, the ones with the bulbs on the ends.those are Aminitas, the orange cap and bulb is agricus aminita(fly agaric) however the chantrelle, the king bolete, the blewit, the coral,the hedge hog,and the orange jelly in this picture are all good, just be careful. the only edible Aminita is the cesar Aminita, which was not in the picture.


first of all; A. caesarea is not the only edible Amanita, there are quite a few edible species in the genus, including the above mentioned species, A. calyptrata, A. velosa, A. pachycolea and several others.

second; the fly agarics are not in the 'agaricus family', the are in the family Amanitaceae, Genus Amanita,  and comprise the section Amanita. the members of this section [if properly identified] while having phychoactive effects from a range of related toxins, tend to be tasty, and can be safely rendered edible if prepared properly by parboiling, sliced or chopped in a change of water before cooking, as these toxins are strongly polar soluable. this method is *not* safe or the deadly toxic Amanitas, nor for members of other genera with various other dangerous toxins and is not generally recommended even in the appropriate cases by most.

the word agaric in itself means only a gilled mushroom of the order Agaricales. this order contains many families not greatly related to eachother, and these families each contain a varrying number of Genera somewhat more closely related to eachother.

Agaricus is the name only of a Genus in the order Agaricales, family Agaricaceae. the genus Agaricus is that which contains the white button mushrooms, crimini/portabello, the prince agaric [A. augustus] and dozens of other species, both edible and toxic, and many which are edible to some but are associated with a variety of allergic like reactions and can only be safely eaten by some people.

as a disclaimer; no Amanita should be eaten by those not _well_ versed in the genus, and no person should try to render a toxic mushroom edible except in a few specific cases and here they know the nature of the toxins concerend and there is an established history of such safe treatment. no person who does not know what they are talking about should ever give mushroom identification advice to another person, unless it is advice to be cautious.

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## edr730

Picking morels is a tourist attraction here. There are plenty of brochures and articles in newspapers for those who need it. Here it starts around May 15th and mothers day is often a good weekend to go. The mushrooms come in much better if there is good rain followed by warm weather. There's the black, white and brain morel. There's a little one that does not connect at the bottom and people are cautioned not to eat it, but I have many times and realized what I was eating. I do know of one person that ate a large quantity of the morel that was not connected at the bottom (like an umbrella) and he got sick for a day from it. That was the only kind he ate and they ate panfuls of them. That's about the worst I ever heard of. Morels look totally different from other mushrooms, like a sponge. We always dry them and use them throughout the year. People claim they are the best in the world. I just know I like them much more than any mushroom I've ever ate from the store.

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## canid

yeah, the false morels can be quite dangerous and still they are commonly eaten by a bold few.

the concentrations of hydrazines vary substantially from species to species within the Genera Gyromitra and Helvella, but also from collection to collection of a given species. often they are low enough that the mushrooms can be eaten without ill effect after light cooking, and occasionally, are so high that a person cooking them can drop dead just from the MMH fumes comming off of the pan.

at the Rainbow Family National Gathering several years ago [when it was hosted in northern califronia near Alturas] it is reported that a man was collecting Gyromitra mushrooms, cooking and serving them to people and several where poisoned.

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## edr730

In that case, I will stick to the true morel, or the whites and the blacks. They are the most abundant anyhow. Just in case. The brain mushroom doesn't have as distinct of a flavor anyway and are harder to find here. But some people really like them. ( they are giant ones that don't have a true sponge look, they look like a brain that has been stomped on, they also crumble easy). The umbrella ones don't have as much meat and are mostly stem and I haven't ate them since my friend got sick. But, we always kept them before. Thanks Candid, for the info.

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## canid

i hear you. i brought home some Helvella crispa the other day, but i doubt i'll eat them no matter how well cooked they are.

while still fresh, one specimen i put a flame to crackled and sputtered as the volatiles burned off noticeably. that's got to be a significant amount of hydrazines.

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## edr730

Gyromitra esculenta around here is what we call the brain mushroom. According to the picture I found. I didn't recognize the white one you took home (according to a picture). We only collect mushrooms in the spring since I don't know of other mushrooms that can be so easily harvested and put up like the morel. And few people collect much else. I've been given a couple puff balls, but the flavor was bland in comparison. Some people collect was is called hen and chicks, but we never have. There should be a good morel mushroom crop everywhere if the weather stays moist and it doesn't stay too cold. I usually look at the calendar and feel what the temperature is like. You take your flannel shirt off when walking and looking for mushrooms in the middle of prime season...about that warm, but a bit cooler early season. I know the date changes depending on where someone is from. Around here the blacks come out when the minnows run in the creeks more or less. I've heard some people say when the oak leaves are as big as a mouse's ear.

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## canid

the H. crispa grows somewhat prolifically under oak in the spring here.

the morels, which aren't prolific down here in the valley fruit sporadically whenever it is cold and has been raining, but not freezing at night. at higher elevations they fruit in large numbers, as soon as the freezes are over in spring. there they like mixed woods of oak, Pinus radiata and fir. a good indicator for them there is when the montane irises begin to bloom.

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## canid

hens and chicks sounds like possibly chicken of the woods [Laetiporus sulphureus and satalite species, also called the sulfur shelf] or hen of the woods [Grifola frondosa or some such, i'm not experienced with them]. common names are a pain in the six unless everybody could agree to use the same ones. the *only* reason i prefer the often combersome binomial names.

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## laughing beetle

I think you may be right Canid.  Hens and Chickens as I know them in the NorthEast are perrenial, slow growing, ground covering plants.  They aren't mushrooms or lichen.  Kind of a cold weather cactus, I guess.  They are classed as succulents in the nurseries up here.  They do grow well in the crappiest dead dirt.  But they have no use beyond ornamentation, that I know of.

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## canid

that's allright, the only hens and chicks i know of by that name are a cultivar of Papaver somniferum.

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## laughing beetle

Well, my plants Latin name is Sempervivum Tectorum, and they are completly different from the one you mention.. Papaver Somniferum, which is the opium poppy.  Regional names can make things rather confusing.

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## canid

btw: in binomials, only the generic name [the Genus] is capitalized, not the specific [species].

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## edr730

http://flickr.com/photos/beyondmainst/2142947114/  this is a link to a picture of "hen and chicks" mushroom from MN. As I mentioned, I don't collect it. I also don't recognize it, haven't ate it and I have only been told about it by people who have ate it. This kind of third party verbal information could have errors including the name. I'll ask "some" people who have ate it. This makes the case for scientific names, but in that area, I'm pretty weak. I will watch for the Irises here, both in the ditch and in the yard and see how our irises time out. I mentioned minnows because I've trapped them for many years with an older friend. His wife would write down when the minnows began their run each year. We'd run the river in a boat and watering trough til the boat seemed that it would sink from the weight. We broke down once and I told him I would hold the plug and he could pull the cord a little to check for spark. He smiled and said ok. You know what he did, and he nearly fell out of the boat laughing. He was the same when I was in the water without waders, it was always a little deeper and then he laughed as I got wet and cold. He was a good friend. We helped each other. Those times and dates I remember a little better. 
 It seems to be the same weather in California when the morels arrive as it is here. I've rarely found early morel mushrooms covered with a bit of warm snow. But, I don't try to be the first one out either. The whites usually pop up best when it's t-shirt weather in the afternoon, but still cold at night. Colder weather gives a bad yield. Hardwoods and hills are the best here also. I seem to be lucky around white ash, but I don't know that it is anything more than luck. We don't find them in the swamps and cedars, but there are a few that are close to the swamp in the aspen, black ash, mixed beech and spruce kind of areas. Firs are less common here. The season here is about a month I guess, but only about half of that is in the peak season, something like the length of season strawberries have.

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## laughing beetle

Wow!  Never seen a 'shroom looking like that unless it was on a log.

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## ClayPick

This is a lobster mushroom and quite edible. I have only found it once so I never picked it. Strange damn thing it is! 
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## Rick

You may be surprised to learn that the world's largest organism is actually.......drum roll please........a mushroom.

http://www.extremescience.com/biggestlivingthing.htm

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## Styric

I have recently taken up the mushroom foraging art. My methodology for safe practice is to pick 4 common edibles and learn as much as I can about them and how to identify them. Each time I hike or go foraging it helps to take a notebook and jot down the spots that I find them in and the conditions. If you have one take a camera and take some snapshots. I am starting with Morel, Chanterelle, Chicken of the Woods, and Puffball. As I grow more confident I will add new types of mushrooms. We have a few clubs in the area specific to mushroom foraging and they hold hike meets with guides. If you have one in your area I would recommend it.

Cheers,
Richard Styrsky (Styric)

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## canid

lobsters are a wonderful mushroom. they are one of the species of parasitic mold of the genus Hypomyces, which selectively target a few species of Russula and Lactarius, covering their surface during maturation, deforming them and hijacking their reproductive function by colonizing the hymenium [the surface of gill tussue which contains the spore producing cells (basidia in this case)] and replacing them with their own reproductive cells] the result is a complete change in shape, texture and flavor of mushrooms which otherwise can be extremely bitter and peppery, becomming reminiscent of shrimp, with a pungent odor.

in the northwest [Wa. and Or states] i've found hey very quickly get rotten, soggy and are often targeted by browsing animals. i saw much evidence in Or. of bears eating them

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## swampmouse

Like the picture.

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