With over 15,000 types of wild fungi, the UK is a mushroom forager’s heaven. Why pay top dollar at a fine dining restaurant when you can simply disappear into the forest with a knife and basket and emerge with your next delicious, nutritious meal?
Mushroom foraging is a fun, healthy activity where you can immerse yourself in nature all by your lonesome or with a mushroom picking buddy. You get to spend time outdoors and learn more about your surrounding environment, putting you more in touch with nature.
Not only can you forage for wild edible mushrooms, but you might be lucky enough to find nootropic mushrooms like Chaga, Reishi, and Lion’s Mane. These impressive fungi have been known to potentially boost cognitive function and memory*, which is why millions around the world take nootropic supplements.
But before you go ahead and start your outdoor adventure, there are some things you need to consider. Not all mushrooms are edible and there are several rules to foraging to reduce the risk of you getting sick. In this blog post, we’ll take an extensive look at mushroom foraging and how to do it safely.
Key Takeaways
In this blog post, we’ll cover:
- Different species grow during the different seasons of the year. Knowing what to look for throughout the year will help you determine where you forage.
- How to identify and differentiate between common edible and poisonous mushrooms
- Some tips on how to forage mushrooms in a sustainable manner
Essential Tips for Safe Mushroom Foraging
Before you head off into the woods, here are some crucial tips you might want to observe.
Be Sure
You need to be 100% sure of the mushrooms you are foraging for. If you are new to mushroom picking, try going with an expert or mycologist who can correctly identify numerous species, so you’ll know for the future. It is crucial that you accurately identify the mushrooms you’re about to consume, or the consequences could be very severe.
Identifying Mushrooms
Get familiar with characteristics that you need to observe when foraging mushrooms, such as cap shape, colors, and gill structure.
Bring A Guide
Try to find a UK-specific guide to identifying edible and poisonous mushrooms. It’s also better to rely on more than one source of mushroom identification guide, just to be sure. You can also download a mushroom identification app.
Start Simple
With so many types of mushrooms, narrow your choices to a few common edible species that have no poisonous look-alikes. Many common edible species have look-alikes that are poisonous or inedible, like the false chanterelle and jack-o-lantern mushrooms that looks somewhat similar to the common chanterelle mushrooms.
Be Sustainable
Take only what you need and pay attention to local laws regarding mushroom foraging. For example, in the UK, foraging for personal consumption is legal but there’s a 1.7 kg limit. Fungi are protected under some bylaws and large-scale commercial foraging can damage the environment’s ecology.
Understanding Mushroom Foraging
The Basics of Mushroom Foraging
Mushroom foraging refers to gathering mushrooms in the wild for free, typically for personal consumption. It’s a rewarding activity that lets you immerse yourself in the outdoors and get nutritious food at the end of the day.
Before you start mushroom hunting, there are several things to consider, like considering the types of mushrooms which are in season, preparing your necessary items, and deciding your foraging location. Some basics you should have are a basket or mesh bag, a pocket knife, brush, map, compass, and a permit should your location need one.
Mushrooms have a mycelium which stays underground even when you’ve harvested the fruiting body that’s above ground. Once you’ve found some mushrooms, it is likely that the same area will have mushrooms year after year, so pay attention to where you’ve found them before.
When to Forage for Mushrooms in the UK
Timing is everything when you’re foraging mushrooms. Different mushroom species flush according to the season. For example, spring is time for morels, and St. George, summer is great for giant puffballs and field mushrooms, while late summer to autumn is time for chanterelles, hen of the woods (maitake), hedgehogs, and some boletus like porcini.
Different mushrooms also like different habitats. For example, chanterelles and puffballs like woodlands, horse mushrooms like meadows, and morels like grasslands.
Identifying Edible Mushrooms
One of the easiest ways to start foraging mushrooms without getting overwhelmed by information is to recognize common edible mushrooms in the UK. Here are some of the most common edible mushrooms in the UK.
Morel – Morel mushrooms can be easily identified by their honeycomb caps. You can find them in various habitats, such as hardwood forests and grasslands.
St. Georges – St. Georges mushrooms are stout mushrooms with white caps and white gills. You can find them in grassy locations and woodland edges.
Chicken of the Woods – These distinctive mushrooms have a bright orange color that gets paler towards the edges. They can get as big as 40 cm across and have an irregular semi-circle shape with thick overlapping brackets. You’ll find them on decaying trees as it grows off the wood like a shelf.
Giant Puffball – They’re large white or off-white fungus with smooth caps ranging from 20 to 35 cm in across. Their insides will turn brown as spores mature. You’ll find them in gardens, pastures, woodlands, and along the stream banks. This is one of the easiest mushrooms for novice foragers as you can spot them from a distance – they look like footballs!
Field Mushrooms – They can get up to around 10 cm across and have off-white and smooth caps but can get darker. The gills are initially pink and turn brown when mature, while their stems are delicate and around 5 to 10 cm long. You’ll find them in fields, meadows, and parks.
Recognizing Poisonous Mushrooms
One of the most important aspects when foraging mushrooms is avoiding poisonous ones. Although there are exceptions, poisonous mushrooms often have white gills, a skirt or ring around the stem, or bulbous sacks near the base. Mushrooms with a red cap or stem can also be poisonous.
While some poisonous mushrooms like the amanita muscaria have distinctive patterns, some of others look more nondescript, like the ominously named Death Cab and Destroying Angel.
Death Cap – They have a skirt called a ring on their stem. Their stems are generally white or yellowish and about 4 to 18 cm in length.
Destroying Angel – A white mushroom that’s similar to button mushrooms. It has a slight skirt that can easily be damaged, which is why it’s often mistaken as an edible mushroom.
Some poisonous mushrooms can kill, so you’ll have to be 100% sure of what you picked before consuming it.
Foraging Etiquette and Legal Aspects
When you’re foraging, you’ll want to avoid breaking the law or exhibiting bad etiquette. The rule for foraging is that you’ll use them for personal consumption only.
Make sure you’re only picking what you need, and the rule of thumb is to leave around half of what you found. The legal limit in the UK is 1.7 kg for each foray.
Avoid Sites of Special Scientific Interest, as these are protected environments, and stay out of private property.
Practical Foraging Techniques and Uses
Preparation for Foraging
Ready to go? Here’s what you need to get started.
- Mushroom ID field guide. This can be in the form of a hard copy guidebook, online guide, or app that you can open.
- A basket or a mesh bag to keep your mushrooms. A bucket will do too but it is better to let the air circulate.
- A pocket knife to cut through the stem to harvest.
- A brush to clean the caps and gills after picking them.
- A map and compass to always be able to tell where you are. It’s good to have online maps, but have a topographic map printed to be safe. Loads of mushroom hunters, even experienced ones, get lost every year.
- Water and snacks to replenish yourself.
- A bug spray to help you avoid mosquitos and ticks.
- Bright clothing so that you can stay visible, even in dense forests.
Techniques for Identifying and Collecting Mushrooms
To ensure you’re collecting the right mushrooms, here are some characteristics and highlights that you should consider.
Cap – Their cap is the uppermost part of mushrooms, and can be in different shapes, textures, and colors.
Gills – They’re thin structures found on the underside of their caps. These can also be in different colors and textures.
Stem – Their stem or stalk supports the cap and can be in different shapes, with rings, scales, or skirts.
Ring – A circular structure that goes around the stem.
Volva – A sack-like structure at the base of the mushrooms.
Smell – Mushrooms have distinct odors, so take note of their aromas.
Habitat – Recognizing mushrooms’ habitats can make your job easier when it comes to collecting mushrooms.
Spore print – If you still can’t identify the mushroom, you can take a print of the mushroom’s gills and cap on a piece of paper.
Taking A Spore Print
- Use fresh mushrooms that are fully developed and mature.
- Grab a piece of paper or glass surface to take your print.
- Use a knife to detach the mushroom cap from the stalk.
- Place the mushroom cap down onto your printing surface and press slightly.
- Leave the mushrooms overnight so the spores can fall onto the surface.
- Carefully observe the color, shape, and pattern of the spore print and compare it to online resources.
Cleaning and Preserving Your Find
After all the hard work foraging, you’ll want to clean and preserve your mushrooms for maximum freshness.
First, trim unnecessary parts that may have dirt embedded in them, then rinse the mushrooms with water, brushing off any debris gently. If possible, you can use a salad spinner to make things faster.
While mushrooms taste fantastic fresh, you might also want to preserve them for later use. Some common techniques are drying, cooking and freezing, canning, salting, and pickling. You can lightly saute or steam the mushrooms then freeze them in portion sizes for later use. If you want dried mushrooms, you can air-dry them or use a food dehydrator.
Cooking and Recipes
Got your mushrooms? Here are some easy, quick ways to prepare them.
1. Sauteed wild mushrooms
A very simple recipe that can be used in several different ways. The ingredients are finely chopped garlic, lemon juice, chopped parsley, and wild mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms with all the ingredients, and you can use them in salads or as a side dish.
2. Pasta with wild mushrooms
Prepare your wild mushrooms by sauteing them and mixing them with your favorite pasta and sauce. It works wonderfully with cream-based, pesto, or tomato-based sauce.
3. Crispy wild mushrooms
Cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and spread them evenly in an oven or air fryer. Once they are cooked and crispy, toss them in your favorite seasoning like barbeque sauce, lemon, or garlic. Talk about a healthy snack!
Nootropic Uses of Mushrooms
A special class of mushrooms, nootropics, are not just edible, but they have also been purported to have certain potential benefits, like supporting cognitive function, boosting the immune system, and supporting gut health*.
Here are some popular nootropic mushrooms.
Lion’s Mane – This magnificent looking mushroom has compounds that may fuel nerve growth, which could potentially support your memory, mood, and focus*.
Cordyceps – They’re a popular mushroom among athletes, which some believe boosts recovery after activity. They’re also rich in compounds that could potentially support your respiratory and oxygen absorption, which could support your brain function*.
Reishi – May support your sleep cycle and manage your moods*.
Shiitake – You’re probably familiar with this ubiquitous Japanese mushroom. They’re rich in beta-glucans, which are great for potentially supporting your brain and rest and relaxation.
Any mushroom forager knows that finding a nootropic mushroom in the wild is like winning the lottery. They are rare and exceedingly difficult to find, which is why many turn to supplements to get their daily dose of nootropics. Check some of our nootropics out at Blessed Wellness! You have one body, and we’d love to help you take care of it.
Conclusion
Foraging is a healthy, rewarding activity that you can enjoy on your own or with friends. Always follow the guidelines when it comes to mushroom identification and practice sustainable techniques when foraging.
Mushrooms are an incredibly nutritious food with numerous potential health benefits. While cooking fresh mushrooms are a tasty way to get your nutrients, you can also think about adding mushroom supplements to your diet if your foraging efforts aren’t paying off.
*It is important to note that the benefits of these products have not been conclusively proven. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and the NHS has not made any guarantees about the efficacy of such products.
FAQ Section
What are the best locations in the UK for mushroom foraging?
The best locations to forage mushrooms in the UK are Penn Wood in Buckinghamshire, New Forest in Hampshire, Epping Forest in Essex, Warley Woods in Birmingham, and Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.
How can I tell if a mushroom is edible or poisonous?
Some signs of poisonous mushrooms are white gills, a skirt ring or ring on the stem, a bulbous base, and a red cap or stem. You might miss out on some edible varieties, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
What are the rules around mushroom foraging in the UK?
The rules around foraging mushrooms are: to use them for personal consumption only, never pick more than half of what you find or 1.7 kg of mushrooms on any foray, stay away from Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and don’t trespass on someone else’s land.
How do I preserve mushrooms for later use?
There are several ways that you can use to preserve mushrooms: drying, cooking and freezing, steaming, canning, salting, and pickling.
What are the most common edible mushrooms found in the UK?
Some of the most common edible mushrooms in the UK are chanterelles, boletes, oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods and giant puffballs.
What is the best time of year to go mushroom foraging in the UK?
The best time depends on the type of mushrooms you want. For example, morels turn up in spring, but most other mushrooms like chanterelles and puffballs prefer the cooler temps of autumn.
*It is important to note that the benefits of these products have not been conclusively proven. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and the NHS has not made any guarantees about the efficacy of such products.