Jeff found this mushroom in December, in the woods outside our door. Luckily, farmer’s market was open and he asked Dustin at The Mushroomery if it was edible. It wasn’t, but we were so glad to have someone to ask and to live in a place where there are so many people with mushroom know-how.
Mushrooms fascinate me. I ate morels on occasion when I was growing up and loved them, but other than that I never gave mushrooms much thought. Then I met Jeff and heard passion in his voice when he spoke of them, he even grew edible mushrooms before we met. It wasn’t long before I shared that passion (probably had something to do with how he prepared them with garlic) and we went out collecting chantrelles in the surrounding forest.
Last summer I made it a goal to start adding more mushrooms (and wild seafoods) to our diet. We started trying different varieties of mushrooms from the farmer’s market and really appreciated living in such a wonderful place for mushroom lovers.
And now I’ve been soaking up information and learning all I can about mushrooms.
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Recently we watched this video with Paul Stamets (expert mycologist, author and owner of Fungi Perfecti) on six ways mushrooms can save the world. It gave me a lot of hope.
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Then I came across this article by Yaakov Levin, in the local Take Root magazine, that said:
The estimated number of mushrooms species ranges from 30,000 to 1.5 million. We have had a close relationship with mushrooms and have enjoyed the benefits they offer for thousands of years.
The mushroom life cycle includes three distinct phases: mycelium, fruiting body, and spore. They spend most of their life as mycelium, extracting nutrients from the environment and protecting themselves from invaders. Humans have evolved with them, and many different cultures have relied on mushrooms as a wholesome food source and medicine. Through trial and error and more recently through science, we have discovered the many benefits of these prolific fungi. Unlike most pharmaceuticals, mushrooms have extraordinarily low toxicity, even at high doses.
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Most mushrooms appear, grow and disappear in a few days. Their sudden appearance is brief as compared to the mycelium web, which makes up the strands of their global network. Picture the net of these filaments stretching the globe, all connected and supporting the planet’s health; in this way all mushrooms are medicinal.
In his book “Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World,” Paul Stamets describes methods for mycoremediation, or how fungi can decompose toxic substances, such as oil spills, and support habitat recovery and planetary health. “
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Followed by an article by Leda Hermecz, which said:
“Many of the mushrooms we eat out of the forest, including chantrelles, are mycorhizal. This is a kind of fungi that forms symbiotic relationships with tree roots. The tree roots feed the fungi and the fungi help the roots take in nutrients from the soil. Chantrelles are a type of mycohrizal fungi. If you know what kinds of trees mycorhizal trees prefer, it’s a lot easier to find them. First you find the trees, then you wait for the right conditions.
Other types of mushrooms are saprophytic, meaning they feed off dead plant material. The morcella genus of mushroom, where morels belong, is a type of saprophytic mushroom. These mushrooms are found here in the Willamette Valley in the spring and summer.
Still other types of mushrooms live parasitically off of living plants, sometimes causing decay. The cauliflower mushroom, named for it’s gorgeous white cloud-like appearance, is a prime example. They are a joy to find in the woods because of their impressive size and general elusiveness, owing to the fact that these mushrooms don’t grow in the same place every year.
While many people are familiar with one main edible mushroom- Agraricus bisporus, the white table mushroom- those of us in the Pacific Northwest are lucky enough to live near some of the world’s most prized wild mushrooms. In Lane County we can find chantrelles, morels, hedgehogs, boletes, mitsutakes, and even the elusive truffle. Each mushroom has its own unique scent, flavor, and texture.
Not only are mushrooms delicious, but some varieties dried have as much protein as meat. And unlike all other types of dried foods, mushrooms lose little to no nutritional value when dried. They are a good source of fiber and B and D vitamins. Our bodies actually have a receptor for antioxidants only found in mushrooms that have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body associated with diseases such as cancer.”
(She also mentioned that most mushrooms need to be cooked thoroughly before eating.)
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Dr. Mercola writes:
“Some of the most potent immunosupportive agents come from mushrooms, and science is just beginning to tap into this vast natural medicine warehouse.
There are mushrooms that kill viruses, mushrooms that kill bacteria, and even mushrooms that kill yeast—which may surprise you, given they’re both fungi.
Some mushrooms destroy cancer cells, and others facilitate nerve regeneration.
Fungi are incredibly resilient, even surviving radioactivity.
They can actually harness radiation to thrive, as was found by a robot sent to map the inside of the entombed Chernobyl nuclear reactor in 1999.
The robot found a hardy fungus chowing down on 200 tons of melted radioactive fuel.
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I read that of the 140,000 species of mushroom-forming fungi, science is familiar with only 10 percent.
What else will we discover?
What else will we discover?
We have yet to see, but from what I’ve learned so far,
truly, mushrooms are amazing!
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Do you like eating mushrooms?
Which are your favorites?
What kind grow in your area?
Thank you all for your comments.
@Sonja- I would love to read that article!
It wasn’t until my adulthood that I realized how blessed I was to have grown up not only in the Pacific Northwest but in Lane County.
I LOVE MUSHROOMS!
I grew up around mushroom lovers and mushroom scouts. I would hear of stories from friends of how there parents would drag them out of bed way too early for their liking to go out mushroom hunting.
On eating:
Once you have gotten down the way you like to cook them and eat them…you are set. They are delicate and I have made some really bad choices in cooking them.
Some are good in soups and some are not. Some are better sauteed in butter and garlic while others are divine with a drop or two of wine.
A personal bonus:
I’ve recently acquired a cook book from my tribe and mushrooms were part of our diet. I was very happy to find this. I feel even closer to my ancestors eating such a wonderful creature of the woods.
Favourites:
Oldest son likes the Shiitake gravy we make.
Youngest son likes the Chanterells sauteed with linguini and my saffron Alfredo.
Hubby likes the Chanterells sauteed in garlic on top of lentils.
Mama is a Truffle lady…all the way!
Ron has started trying to eat mushrooms for every meal after an article a few weeks back indicated that mushrooms, eaten daily, can reduce the risk of prostate and many other types of cancer by phenomenal percentages – well over 60%. I believe it was in the Register Guard about 4 weeks ago. I’m sure the study is available on line somewhere. I will investigate and repost. We grew shitakes for a while on 24″ hardwood logs, but the infused logs were all carried away in the 1997 flood. We found a few around our property, and I hope others found some and knew what they had.
What a great post Taryn, very educational and interesting.
My favorite mushroom is the meadow mushroom we plucked from the fields here. Pluck, dust off and eat. Saute in butter and serve over a good steak.
One year Uncle Lee and I went to the Ochoco Mountains in eastern Oregon to hunt Elk. There we found the Shaggy Mane mushroom and did we enjoy them.
I was once very surprised to find an Unclassified Agaricus growing in the woods out on Duncan Island. The first Agaricus (which is the genus that the button mushroom and crimini and portabella are in) that I’ve seen in these parts. I took a spore print just to make sure, and ate it (cooked). I had thought about planting the spores in some agar ( I was set up for growing mushrooms at the time)… but after tasting it changed my mind. It wasn’t horrible, but not great either. Kind of like the Pink Oyster Mushroom which I grew, looked so beautiful, like a rose… but tasted kind of tart and tart wasn’t what I was looking for in a mushroom. I’ve grown florescent yellow Oysters.(not that great) and Blue ones, (Pretty good). Someday I’d like for us to grow some Griflora Frondosa…. (Maitake)…so amazingly good for you, and soooo tasty.
Taryn – interesting post, I love it! I used to not eat or like mushrooms at all. When I met Brad he was really into morel hunting and I tried some of his – wow, delicious (also something to do with the garlic]. That was in northern Michigan. We found great morel areas in southern Oregon, but alas now we are here and haven’t quite figured it out (despite it probably being the most mushroom filled region we’ve lived in!).
I’ve ventured onto chantrelles, lions mane, shitake (sp?)… most of which we’ve discovered and fell in love with at saturday market! I’ve her chantrelles are especially frequent in the foothills of the cascades here, but we have yet to go out hunting. Maybe this year 🙂
Okay now that I’ve written a novel I’ll let you go! If you have any inside info on mushroom hunting in our area feel free to share with me… hehe 🙂
Mushrooms are so awesome – I am excited to learn more about them. I bought some mushroom field guides this year and we are going to grow some shiitakes on hardwood logs. I don’t have loads of experience with them, but would really love to learn. And I am looking forward to morel hunting this spring… 🙂