Where to go mushroom picking in NYC area?

September 2, 2007 3:30 PM

Where to go mushroom picking in the NYC area?

What are some recommended places to go mushroom picking within reasonable driving time from NYC?

And since I'm a first-timer... it IS legal, right? :-) And are there any permissions we have to get?

posted by zavulon to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 comments total)

Talk to these guys.

But seriously. Be careful. They even say it on the front page -- "The most important point is that no one should ever eat unknown wild mushrooms!"
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:30 PM on September 2, 2007

There is one, and only one, mushroom you should ever consider picking on your own - the Morel. Those guys can help, but I am not sure that Morels are too prevalent around NYC, except in bodegas where you really should concentrate your mushroom hunting efforts. Eat the wrong thing and you are dead, but you get to contemplate that fate for a day or two before it actually happens. Perhaps that is the best way to go, who knows?
posted by caddis at 6:39 PM on September 2, 2007

Don't know if they have mushrooms, but this place has all kinds of organic stuff you can pick: www.honeybrookorganicfarm.com
posted by dancinglamb at 7:35 PM on September 2, 2007

are there any permissions we have to get?

If you are on private land, you need to have permission to be there. You need to have permission from the owner or tenant, just like you would need this permission to visit someone's apartment. If it is BLM or national forest, no problem. Some states will have state land, rules on this vary.

Mushroom hunters near less populous areas tend to be very guarded about the locations and best times to visit their hunting grounds. I'm sure this is even more true in your area. You might try a mycology club, doing this with some experienced people will also help you avoid sickness and a horribly painful death.

Of course it is only legal to pick mushrooms if you are picking mushrooms that are legal to posses. If you want mushrooms that are illegal to posses, picking them most difficult and dangerous method.
posted by yohko at 8:50 PM on September 2, 2007

Take one of Steve Brill's tours. Read his page on mushrooms.
posted by miniape at 6:59 AM on September 3, 2007

There is one, and only one, mushroom you should ever consider picking on your own - the Morel.

Wrong. Among others, Chanterelles are readily identifiable and are choice edibles. (Besides, there are toxic false Morels.)

As Cool Papa Bell mentioned, before you go a-hunting, get in touch with a mycology club. Here's a list of North American Mycological Association-affiliated clubs in New York (from the NAMA website, I'm listing them all here because I don't know New York geographically):
Central New York Mycological Society 1948 Conners Rd Baldwinsville, NY 130217-9743
Web: www
Email: [e-mail]

Connecticut-Westchester (COMA) Mycological Association 30 Fox Run Rd. Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520-3707
Web: www.comafungi.org
Web: www.pbase.com/comafungi
Email: [e-mail]

Long Island Mycological Club 11 Ramblewood Rd. Ridge, NY 11961-1709
Web: www.limyco.org/
Email: [e-mail]

Mid Hudson Mycological Association 203 Lily Lake Rd Highland NY 12528-2704
Web: www.mushroomthejournal.com/mhma
Email: [e-mail]

Mid York Mycological Society 7313 Oriskany Rd. Rome, NY 13440-7215
Email: [e-mail]

New York Mycological Society 633 E 11th St # 2 New York, NY 10009-4149
Web: newyorkmyc.org
Email: [e-mail]

Rochester Area Mycological Association 751 Blossom Rd Rochester, N.Y. 14610-1906
Email: [e-mail]
posted by cog_nate at 7:16 PM on September 10, 2007