A Foraging Wild Mushrooms Class can be a great way to learn more about mycology. I have picked wild mushrooms from a young age with the guidance of my parents. Without my dad by my side nodding if I find something edible or shaking his head if I have a poisonous lookalike in my basket,…
Tag: mycology
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee: Caffeine With Benefits
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee is the perfect way to step up your caffeine routine. Four Sigmatic creates more than just coffee, but today I will be focusing on jitter liquid because it’s Monday morning and I need a cup (or five.) But I’m getting ahead of myself. In this article I will tell you about…
Pick Shaming: Mushroom Hunting Dos & Don’ts
Social media brings out the worst in people and pick shaming is common in mushroom picking or foraging groups. Just like anything that you post today, you may experience backlash. It happens if you post a photo of a dog, baby, recipe, literally anything can set off a keyboard warrior. Two days ago, my blog…
Birch Polypore Mushroom: Disgustingly Healthy Tea
The birch polypore mushroom is an incredibly easy to identify mushroom with some miraculous health properties. Fomitopsis betulina, commonly known as the birch polypore, birch bracket, or razor strop, is a common bracket fungus. As the name suggests, grows almost exclusively on birch trees. The brackets burst out from the bark of the tree, and…
Bolete Mushrooms: Foraging Guide
Bolete mushrooms are by far my favorite mushroom to forage, cook and eat. They are easy to identify because they have a spongy bottom. They are also one of the mushrooms that you should be extra careful with because there are inedible as well as poisonous types of boletes. As always with these guides, I…
Chicken of the Woods: Easy to Identify Mushrooms
Chicken of the Woods is an amazing mushroom that is known for its taste. Somehow, it tastes exactly like chicken! Sure, they say that about everything but it’s not just the flavor, it’s also the looks and texture. If you follow my blog then you may be feeling some déjà vu. Beware, chicken of the…
Why Pick Wild Mushrooms?
Mushroom picking is a popular hobby all over the world. In the Czech Republic, it is a very popular activity and families will often go mushroom picking with young children. I grew up identifying and picking mushrooms from a very young age. It is a hobby that I still enjoy today! Connecting with the Natural…
The New York Mycological Society
There are strict rules about foraging anything in state parks and city parks. The laws aren’t clear at all, so it’s always best to ask someone more experienced. Whenever we go picking mushrooms, we bring a towel/picnic blanket to drape over the basket just in case.
Easy to Identify Mushroom in NYC: Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea)
Puffballs of all sizes grow in the forest, alongside roads, in the middle of a green grassy lawn, they can really grow anywhere! You can stir fry them, cook them in the oven and my absolute favorite, is pretending they are pancakes!
Giant Puffball: Easy to Identify Mushroom in NYC
Puffballs of all sizes grow in the forest, alongside roads, in the middle of a green grassy lawn, they can really grow anywhere! You can stir fry them, cook them in the oven and my absolute favorite, is pretending they are pancakes!
Easy to Identify Mushroom in NYC: Hen-of-the-Woods (Maitake)
I find these mushrooms the most rewarding to pick, because even a small one is enough as a side dish to any meal and the bigger ones can feed an entire family! Every time I’ve looked for hens, I found at least one and usually had 2-4 kilos (4-9 pounds) in just 30 minutes of searching. Of course, you can also find a single mushroom that weighs 13+ kilos (30+ pounds).
Hen of the Woods (Maitake): Easy to Identify Mushroom in NYC
I find these mushrooms the most rewarding to pick, because even a small one is enough as a side dish to any meal and the bigger ones can feed an entire family! Every time I’ve looked for hens, I found at least one and usually had 2-4 kilos (4-9 pounds) in just 30 minutes of searching. Of course, you can also find a single mushroom that weighs 13+ kilos (30+ pounds).
Mushroom Picking in New York City
So many people are curious about picking and cooking mushrooms but fear holds them back. It is never risk-free to eat wild mushrooms, but there are certain kinds that are extremely easy to identify. There are also books, Facebook groups and other recourses that can help you. Never eat anything that you’re not sure about or something that has a poisonous look-a-like.
TheTravelBugBite 