The Mushroom Forager was founded in 2010 to share our stories hunting mushrooms in Northeastern fields and forests. Our mission has always been to spread our passion for the art and science of mushroom foraging, and to make foraging safer and more accessible to the average person. Along the way, we have told tales of our foraging feats and feasts and shared some of our favorite mushroom recipes. W
e have helped you identify countless wild mushrooms, and you have in turn shared your colorful foraging experiences with us through your thoughtful comments. The ForageCast is an up-to-date list of distinctive and delicious edible mushrooms in season in the Northeast, informed by our finds as well as field reports from mycophiles like you! The ForageCast will give you a sense of which charismatic species you should be looking out for, as well as where to look. Our ForageCast helps you sort through the legions of nondescript fungi and find our favorite gourmet and medicinal species. It has been exciting to witness the groundswell of enthusiasm generated by our blog as well as our mushroom foraging and cultivation workshops. We are very excited for the 2017 foraging season, and have some exciting projects and products to introduce this year. Please, remember the old adage, “When in doubt, throw it out,” and never use the text or images on our blog as the sole basis for eating a mushroom! As I often say in my lectures, there is a vast gap between 98 and 100% sure, when it comes to mushroom ID. It is good practice to have an experienced mycologist or forager check to positively ID a mushroom in person if it is your first time finding a new species. Soon, you will be able to tell a chanterelle from a jack-o’-lantern as easily as you can tell a mango from an orange! Until then, please exercise the utmost care – keep in mind that the deadly destroying angel is a prolific and dependable fruiter in Northeastern hardwood forests from June through September. We hope to see you at a workshop or foray, whether we are gathering chanterelles and black trumpets in July or maitake, porcini, and lion’s mane in September!
