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MUSHROOMS

You just can’t pick any variety because they could be dangerous

Mushrooms-grilled, in soup, omelets, casserole, salad or on pizza-there are myriad uses for the fungi, and many of the most tasty can be found through foraging.

“I put the mushrooms I find in soups,” said Rhea Bockhorst, of Marietta. “Many people like to dry theirs because they re-hydrate easily and can be cooked for a variety of meals.”

Bockhorst has a secret stump in Marietta where he gathers his mushrooms and always keeps an eye out for other morsels while riding his bicycle.

He said mushroom gatherers don’t reveal the spots they have found the edible fungi so they can return season after season for the treats.

“If you’ve never gone mushroom hunting before, go with someone who knows what they’re doing,” he said. “And I’d be wary of the mushrooms that sprout up in your lawn because many of those can be poisonous.”

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Naturalist Erin Shaw had similar words of wisdom.

“But my advice would be if you don’t know what mushroom you have found is exactly, do not eat it,” she said. “I would suggest going out with an expert and take your time, don’t get anxious and start sampling.”

Shaw said popular mushrooms like morels also have fake counterparts that can be poisonous if ingested.

“True morels are hollow in the middle but the look-a-likes have a cotton-like substance inside that you’d only see if you cut them open,” she said. “Even though I’ve been hunting mushrooms for years I still do my research if it’s a mushroom I don’t know. You can do spore print identification and learn through webinars and attend extension classes to safely gather these foods and not make a deadly mistake.”

Marcus McCartney, Ohio State University Extension agriculture and natural resources educator in Washington County, said research and field guides are key to safe and successful foraging.

“More than 2,000 mushroom types are found in Ohio,” said McCartney. “And some of the poisonous ones look like the edible ones. So really make sure you’re 100 percent sure and only eat foraged mushrooms in small amounts and only one kind at a time.”

McCartney said there’s a saying in the foraging community.

“There are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there’s no such thing as an old bold mushroom hunter,” he said. “Not all mushrooms that grow on wood are edible and other folk tales about mushrooms really aren’t true.”

Shaw added that even if a mushroom has been classified as edible, new foragers should still take consumption slowly.

“People react in different ways to mushrooms just like they do to peanut butter,” she said. “So eat in small amounts and work your way into it.”

For more information on how to find and harvest wild mushrooms see Shaw’s Youtube series on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.

For more

information

Video training on foraging mushrooms:

– How to identify: http://bit.ly/2qWxENh

– Hunting Morels: http://bit.ly/2qWlHqx

– Picking Morels: http://bit.ly/2pXQrU5

– Preparing Morels: http://bit.ly/2rvuDPR

Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

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