Mushrooms have insane health benefits—especially wild mushrooms—and they are considered a superfood because of their nutrient density. Mushrooms have around 15 vitamins and minerals packed in each one, including vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, zinc, potassium, fiber, and vitamin D. They’re also rich in antioxidants, and the phytochemicals in mushrooms have anti-cancer and anti-aging properties.

While identifying the right mushrooms in the wild may be a challenge, preparing them is easy, if you know the right tricks. Here are eight.

Disclaimer: Before cooking and consuming wild mushrooms, make sure you are 100% certain what mushroom they are and always consult an expert. Many wild mushrooms are toxic, some deadly. 

8. Use the Right Tools 

Use a very sharp knife when harvesting the mushrooms and make sure to collect them in a basket or breathable mesh bag to allow them to breathe. Be gentle with the mushrooms when removing them. When chopping, continue to use a really sharp knife to maintain their unique shape and avoid damaging their delicate flesh.

7. Don’t Wash Them in Water

Mushrooms are mostly water, so don’t use water to clean them, because it will change and lessen their flavor. (The mushrooms will just absorb the water and they won’t taste as good.) Instead, use a very gentle brush to get rid of dirt and anything else that might still be on the wild mushrooms. Often, mushroom knives are equipped with a special mushroom brush for cleaning.

6. Check for Bugs

Always trim any damaged or discolored parts of the mushrooms away and avoid slimy mushrooms. Inspect them for insects, because sometimes, small bugs or worms live on mushrooms, especially those foraged from logs. 

5. Most Mushrooms Should Be Cooked

Almost all kinds of foraged mushrooms need to be cooked, and many are toxic if they are not—like morels—so cooking before consuming is usually the best choice. Sautéing mushrooms will also soften them and improve their texture.

Here are a few general ways to prepare cooked mushrooms:

• Sauté: For the best flavor, add butter or oil to the pan only after the water from the mushrooms has dissolved. Cook on medium-to-low heat until golden brown and soft.
• Roast: Add any desired seasonings to clean mushrooms and roast in the oven until they are tender and browned.
• Grill: Grilling mushrooms can be a great way to release different flavors.

4. Cook or Dry Them Right Away 

Foraged foods taste better when they’re fresh, so picking a bunch of mushrooms for your dinner that evening will help you enjoy the mushrooms’ flavor at its peak. Similarly, if you choose to dehydrate or freeze the mushrooms, it’s optimal to do so shortly after foraging. Clean the mushrooms before freezing or dehydrating them so they’re ready to go when you defrost them for use. 

If you plan to eat foraged mushrooms a few days after harvesting, store them in a brown paper bag without closing the top to keep them fresher for longer. Avoid storing them in plastic wrap, because that will make them go bad faster.

3. Try Preserving Them

If you have a lot of foraged mushrooms that you can’t eat right away, you can freeze, dry, or pickle them for long-term storage. Dried mushrooms can be rehydrated later before cooking them to gain back their delightful texture. The water from rehydrated mushrooms has great flavor and can be used for soups and stews. Generally, you only need around one-eighth the amount of dried mushrooms compared to fresh when you’re measuring mushrooms for a recipe.

Some mushrooms like chicken of the woods and chanterelles don’t store well dried, so instead, try to cook, vacuum seal, and freeze them to retain their best flavor. Mushrooms freeze better when cooked since they are mostly water and may become mushy if you free them raw.

You can also try the Italian process for marinating mushrooms, like for porcini, by salting the mushrooms, boiling them in vinegar, drying them, and then preserving them in olive oil. 

2. Don’t Overpower Them 

Seasonings and spices that go well with mushrooms can vary, but typically things like thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic, and shallots pair perfectly with wild mushrooms. Mushrooms also pair well with wine and cheese, if you want to have a fall picnic. Experiment with different mushrooms and pairings to find your favorite flavors. Wild mushrooms often have a unique, earthy flavor; try not to overpower them. Allow that flavor to shine through without overloading your dish with too many seasonings.

1. Go for Hearty Meals

Wild mushrooms pair well with game meats, steak, and some types of seafood. Foraged mushrooms in particular also make great sauces for steak, pasta, or fish, because of their wonderful flavor. Making a wild mushroom stew or soup is also the perfect way to end a day foraging, and you can never go wrong with a creamy mushroom sauce drizzled over a steak. 

Adding mushrooms to pasta or rice is also a match made in heaven. Mushroom risotto is insanely delicious, especially with foraged chanterelles or morels. Try adding sautéed foraged mushrooms to a simple sauce poured over noodles or as the stuffing inside ravioli.

For more mushroom content, browse here.

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Watch this adorable wildlife moment here:

In the video, the squirrel picks off pieces of the top of the mushroom for a brief snack. He or she is enjoying the fungus feast so much that the squirrel eventually knocks down the mushroom to munch on the stem. He even looks into the camera a few times as he continues to enjoy his snack. 

For more information about mushroom foraging (for humans), check out these guides from Outdoors.com:

• The Fatal Five: Avoid These 5 Deadly Mushrooms in the Wild
• Shroom With A View: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Mushrooms Outdoors
• The Foolproof Four: The 4 Easiest Mushrooms to Forage 
• 5 Mushrooms to Forage in Winter

The post WATCH: Foraging Squirrel Eats a Mushroom appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

There are over 20,000 species out there waiting to be discovered. The reproductive product of fungi, mushrooms are comparable to the fruit of a plant.

The mushroom kingdom exists in its own realm, separate from animals and plants, and represents a cycle of regrowth and regeneration as they absorb nutrients from decomposed organisms to begin new growth.

How do mushrooms spread across a forest, and how much can we learn from the incredible fungal network that exists beneath our feet?

Zillions of Spores

The key to spreadability is in the spores. All fungi release zillions of tiny spores into the atmosphere. These spores can attract insects, spreading their genes around and allowing mushrooms to flourish and crop up in all kinds of places.    

As they spread, mushrooms break down many kinds of matter. In fact, anything hydrocarbon based, such as oil, can be absorbed by a fungal network, which can remove toxins and bring contaminated soil back to life.

Fantastic Fungi

Mycophiles are people fascinated by mushrooms. The Netflix documentary, Fantastic Fungi, explores the growing fascination and science behind the most common living species on Earth.

In the documentary, experts explain how mushrooms form in an underground network of threads, called the mycelium network. The mycelium can join with roots from trees and plant life, allowing communication through these pathways. This process is called mycorrhiza and offers benefits to both partners.

Paul Stamets, a mycologist from Ohio, believes in the collaborative power of mushrooms. “What a beautiful inspirational model for how human beings might live. In a shared economy based not on greed but on nurturing relationships and mutual cooperation,” he says in the film.  

Mushrooms Make Their Own Wind

Biologists Emilie Dressaire (Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut) and Marcus Roper (UCLA) say mushrooms may spread by making their own wind. “Funghi are ingenious engineers” Dressaire notes.

Their latest studies explore how mushrooms can spread their genes in still air. They create their own wind by releasing water vapor. Their moisture evaporates, creating a flow of air that carries the spores around. These air movements allow the spores to land in new locations and begin a new growth cycle.

Mushroom Self-Defense

Mushrooms can be nutritious and delicious. They contain low amounts of fat and sodium, and provide high amounts of beneficial vitamin D.

However, some mushrooms are poisonous. These mushrooms intentionally produce poison so they will not be eaten and can reproduce. It is difficult to tell whether a mushroom in the forest is poisonous or not from its appearance, so it’s always safest to leave it alone in the wild, unless you’re an expert in mushroom foraging or are with an expert in mushroom foraging.

Healing Mushrooms

Fungi have been used in Eastern medicine practices for hundreds of years, and fungi were also used in the early production of penicillin. Some experts claim they have many health benefits, and some studies show they can decrease the risk of cancer.

Small doses of psilocybin, the component commonly found in “magic mushrooms,” has also been studied closely in association with helping people who have mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.

So, what can the wonderful world of mushrooms teach us? A lot. The fungal network can help us understand that everything in the natural world is interconnected, and it demonstrates how some of Earth’s oldest organisms have survived the test of time.

The post How Do Mushrooms Spread Across the Forest? appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

If you’re ready to take on some fungi foraging this fall, you may be wondering, is it a good year for mushrooms? An average year? A subpar one? Are these claims even possible to make on a broad scale?

Christian Schwarz, a California-based ecologist, says this fall, some areas are doing well, mushroom-wise, and others are in historic drought. Even within a single U.S. state, conditions vary widely.

“North America is a colossal landmass, and thus resists any simple description of ‘when is best to forage,'” Schwarz told Outdoors.com. “Generally, it can be described as ‘when there is plenty of available soil moisture and temperatures are not freezing.’ In most areas, this coincides with the rainy season(s).”

In other words, the fall mushroom forecast varies hugely by region. However, if you live in a place where Schwarz’s conditions (plenty of available soil moisture and temperatures above freezing) are met during the fall months, it’s likely a great time to go outside and forage.

Examples of Optimal Conditions for Mushrooms

“Within the context of coastal California [. . .] a mild summer with a few scattered rains means that the soil structure is more open, humid, and ready to absorb subsequent fall and winter rains,” Schwarz says. “If those rains come right on the early end [of] the normal season—as opposed to the middle of summer—and are followed by continued steady moisture to maintain humidity, this can lead to bonanza years.”

Typhoon Songda created such conditions on the central California coast in 2016, Schwarz adds.

In a recent interview with her local news station, second-generation forager and author Melany Kahn said, “Mushrooms need two things: they need heat and they need moisture in order to sprout. So, this summer, mushrooms were very happy.”

As a result, in her area (Shelburne, Vermont), it’s a great fall for mushroom foraging. Kahn leads foraging expeditions for all ages into local forests, educating, guiding, and inspiring others to enjoy the hobby as much as her and her family.

Best Places to Forage for Mushrooms

The best mushroom foraging spots will depend on your priorities, explains Schwarz. “Every species is different and wants a particular suite of factors—both living and non-living,” he says. “Many require intact, healthy forest with well-developed duff layers and minimal presence of invasive plants and invertebrates. However, others thrive on disturbance and are more ‘ruderal.’ Others still fruit in great abundance after forest fires. So it really depends what you’re after.”

Most of all, Schwarz stresses that finding excellent mushroom spots requires deep familiarity with your local land and the patterns and flows of energy through its ecology. “There is no substitute for time—lots of it—spent in quiet observation, roaming the area you live in and trying to understand the stories unfolding on the natural stage.”

If spending some quality time outdoors getting to know your local environment is something you’re looking to do this fall, then the forecast for mushroom foraging looks quite good indeed.

NOTE: When foraging for edibles in the wild, it’s critical to educate yourself first about what’s growing in the area—both the safe and the dangerous things, so you know what to watch out for. If you’re not 100% sure, do not consume. And work with an expert if you aren’t experienced.  Mushrooms may be fascinating, but they can also be very deadly.

For more information about mushroom foraging, check out these guides from Outdoors.com:

• The Fatal Five: Avoid These 5 Deadly Mushrooms in the Wild
• Shroom With A View: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Mushrooms Outdoors
• The Foolproof Four: The 4 Easiest Mushrooms to Forage 
• From Mushrooms to Berries, You Can Make Your World More Edible With These Online Foraging Classes

The post 2023 Fall Mushroom Forecast: The Optimal Time to Forage for Fungi appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.