Natalie Dechiara of Wild Goods Foraged Food finds a cauliflower mushroom in the Appalachian woods.
Mushrooms and trees tend to go together; like this variety of chicken of the woods, they’re often found on and around tree bases, or on dead logs.
Dechiara holds Leccinum longicurvipes, also known as a blue curve footed bolete. Chanterelles wait in the basket.
Alan Muskat leads tours in the greater Asheville area. Beginners and experts alike can travel with experts like Muskat, Dechiara, and Carter to learn about safe foraging practices. Working with a guide is the best way to ensure safety when foraging.
Author and mycophile Alan Muskat (above) likes to say that he’s been “taking people out to eat” for more than 25 years. His Asheville company, No Taste Like Home, is the largest foraging education company in the world.
A puffball mushroom (above) releases its spores in a puff of what looks like smoke. This cloud contains thousands of tiny seed-like particles that will disperse and sprout into new mushrooms.
Dechiara and her partner Luke Gilbert (right) offer several foraging classes through the end of October.
When hunting for mushrooms, trees often house a variety of fungi.
Depending on the species involved, the tree and mushroom can either be in a symbiotic relationship, or the mushroom could be parasitically preying on the tree’s nutrients.
Greg Carter with a mushroom log, an efficient and safer way to grow and eat fresh mushrooms.
Carter’s logging kit (left) contains mushroom spores, a drill bit, plug wax, as well as a list of directions. Mushroom logs are a great way to ensure that you are consuming mushrooms safely since you’ll know exactly what kind you are ingesting.
After collecting logs and letting them rest for a few weeks, drill your holes.
Hammer the mushroom spawn from your kit into the hole you drilled.
Once the mushrooms are in place, cover the hole with wax to seal them into the log.Wait several months to allow for growth.
Soak your logs in water to encourage the fungi to sprout through the wood to be harvested.
