Mushroom Hunting Tips & Tricks

This time of year in Indiana and several surrounding states is a time that anyone who has ever walked in the woods gets excited! It’s wild mushroom season! We start talking about it in early February and don’t stop talking about it until late into the month of May. There seems to be a science that surrounds the finding of mushrooms in the wild. Everyone has their own favorite spots, time of the season, ways of hunting, cleaning and cooking. Everyone has their favorite type of mushroom as well. The sponge mushrooms, such as the morel mushroom, come in many variations of colors ranging from black to yellow. Snake heads are another common mushroom you may encounter during your wild mushroom hunting adventure. The following are some mushroom hunting tips:

1. Safety comes first; always do some research before you collect mushrooms unless you have an authority with you. You do not want to ingest something that will make you sick and there are poisonous varieties out there that appear similar to the real thing!

2. Where clothing that will protect your body. We always wore jeans, socks, a t-shirt and an over shirt. That way most of your body was protected from scratchy thistle bushes, small branches and even insects.

3. Where a good insect repellent with a built in sunscreen. It would also be a good idea to carry a small first aid kit, bottled water, and a snack to eat.

4. The first thing you should do, as quoted from my grandmother’s lips, “go find your hiking stick”. It should be a branch that is strong enough to hold your weight about an inch in diameter. You will be using this stick for pushing aside vegetation, helping you to pull your weight up and down embankments, and also may be helpful if you happen to come across any small animals or snakes that may not be enjoying your invasion of their privacy.

5. Secondly you will need to bring several small grocery bags or a burlap sack. If you find several mushrooms, you will not want them resting upon each other for very long. Dividing them up keeps them from being smashed by the weight of other mushrooms.

6. If you are with a group of people you will want to walk through the woods about 20 feet apart from each other. You will slowly walk through the woods, using your hiking stick to push aside vegetation as you go. It’s a good idea to be still for a few minutes and try to look at the colors in the woods or forest. You will cause your eyes to focus on the colors of the mushrooms that you are looking for. Nature tends to blend with its environment so spotting this delicacy is a challenge but it’s doable. When you finally find your first mushroom, you will see them. It’s almost like that puzzle piece that finally fits that spot you were trying so hard to fill, then when it does the whole picture comes to life!

7. After a few hours of hunting you will either be empty handed or your burlap bag will be full so enjoy the walk through the woods, take in the view. I like to take pictures of wild flowers, fallen trees, and other vegetation or things growing. It makes it an interesting trip when retelling your excursion to friends and family.

8. If you collect mushrooms, the first thing you will want to do is to clean them in cold water that has been salted. The salt will kill any bugs that might be hiding in the sponge and will also kill any bacteria that might be on them. Repeat this process until all debris is gone. Rinse with cold clean water, and then place in a Ziploc bag until time to cook them.

9. I am sure there are several different recipes out there but this is how our family always prepared wild mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms in half. Make an egg wash out of egg and milk or soak them in buttermilk until they are wet on both sides. Dredge in a 50/50 mixture of flour and yellow corm meal. Fry them in vegetable oil or lard, or bacon fat. Fry on medium to medium high heat. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste or you can also use seasoned salt. I love to serve these with fried green tomatoes. Mom always froze some in Ziploc bags the fall before so that we could cook them the evening of the first mushroom harvest. It was a family event that my siblings and I will never forget. It was good clean fun, and it was free!!!!