Mushroom foraging in PNW

November 3, 2023 10:54 AM

I'd like to go on a basic mushroom foraging trip in the PNW (within 1-3 hrs driving range of Seattle or Portland) that is lead by a mycologist who can identify what is edible/inedible/poisonous. I'd like to be in a group (I'd be +1). I'd like to bring a small camp cook setup to cook mushrooms out in the woods or enjoy them directly with food I bring, also within a group context. What group foraging trip have you been on in the PNW that you would recommend to others?
posted by They sucked his brains out! to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

I don't have any specific recommendations, but the window for this occurring this year is shrinking rapidly by the week; Early frosts have already set into many of the regions where abundant mushroom hunting happens. Last weekend just about everywhere over 300+ MASL in the region had a pretty damn hard frost (28F even at the lower end of that altitude range). Most of the prime culinary mushrooms are drawing to a close for the season.

"Lead by a mycologist" may also require some further clarification on your part. This is not a title, or certification that one can obtain in many states, but a colloquially used designation. For example, Alan Rockefeller is probably what most folks would consider a mycologist, in that he publishes research on the topic regularly. He has no official schooling or certification in the subject. This is very common in the field.

Most mushroom hunting clubs in the region do regularly scheduled forays (again, drawing to a close this late in the season) that may tick your boxes. Kitsap Penninsula mycological society, and Oregon mycological society both hold events similar to what you're seeking earlier in the season.
posted by furnace.heart at 12:35 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Join the Puget Sound Mycological Society and get in on some field trips! I’ve been on a couple, and they’re good for people at all levels. It might be too late for this fall, but they do spring morel hunting trips too.

Also, join the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Identification group on Facebook if you use Facebook - reading there has done wonders for my identification and foraging timing skills.
posted by centrifugal at 12:41 PM on November 3, 2023 [4 favorites]

They may be over for the year, but WildCraft Studio School does foraging workshops including mushrooms. They are in Portland and White Salmon, OR.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 1:48 PM on November 3, 2023

"Lead by a mycologist" may also require some further clarification on your part. This is not a title, or certification that one can obtain in many states, but a colloquially used designation.

To me as a biologist, a mycologist is someone with a graduate degree in biology with a research focus in mycology. And, as a biologist, I personally would never go foraging with anyone who is not that highly trained. You can eat any mushroom once...
posted by hydropsyche at 2:02 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: As a scientist, I am using the term mycologist as a term describing someone with scientific and technical training and expertise in identifying and distinguishing safe and unsafe mushrooms before consumption.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:23 PM on November 3, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wildcraft was my first thought for this as well. Registration is open for their spring foraging classes, with the first ones starting in April. I don’t know the credentials of the teacher, but I’m sure you could contact them to find out more. It’s one of their core classes, so it’s definitely something they have a lot of experience leading groups through, and I’ve had a great experience with other classes through them.
posted by duien at 2:49 PM on November 3, 2023

It’s not exactly what you’re looking for, but Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria has ranger guided mushroom hikes in the fall. It might be a good place to start, anyway, and you can’t beat the price.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:43 PM on November 3, 2023

Best answer: I did the Whidbey Island Mushroom Tour and fully endorse it.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:11 PM on November 4, 2023

I haven’t participated in this group’s stuff and don’t know the people, but I just got a social media ad for a workshop that sounds just like what you want!
posted by centrifugal at 12:20 PM on November 7, 2023