Many people are interested in learning about identifying and foraging mushrooms but don’t know where to start and never do. That’s why we made this guide to give you all the tips and resources for mushroom hunting in Pennsylvania!
Getting Started
Most people are too intimidated to start learning about mushrooms. They’re worried they’ll accidentally pick a poisonous one and get very sick. Thankfully, there’s actually only a handful of really toxic mushrooms in the whole world. You’re much more likely to grab an edible, or at least non-toxic, mushroom. However, this doesn’t mean you should go crazy picking and eating any mushroom you find. You should only ever pick a mushroom if you’re very sure of your find. One can also compare with photos online or ask an experienced mushroom hunter to confirm. You also don’t need to be an expert to go looking for mushrooms. Most people never go foraging because they think they need to be able to identify everything they find. That’s totally not the case! The best way to get started is by studying one or two, easy to identify and edible mushrooms and just looking for those. Remember that everyone with plant expertise started off not knowing anything. You have to start somewhere and then build up your knowledge!
Resources for Mushroom Hunting in Pennsylvania
Another important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to (and shouldn’t) go mushroom hunting all alone! There are tons of online resources and groups that you can join to help you get into the world of mushroom hunting. This is also a great way to get more specific knowledge. Learn where to go looking and what specific time frame. Tips like this only come from experienced mushroomers! First off, Mushroom Observer is a great site to check out for all things mushrooms. It’s not specific to Pennsylvania, but it has tons of information you can use. There’s also the Pennsylvania Mushroom Hunters group with lots of state-specific help. Also, there are regional groups of mushroom hunters in Pennsylvania who get together to go foraging and share information. These groups can help you get more local information but also create a community to go hunting with! For Pennsylvania, there are:
Eastern Penn MushroomersCentral PA Mushroom ClubWestern Pennsylvania Mushroom Club
Laws About Mushroom Hunting
Of course, before you can get out there, you need to know where you can go and how to go about hunting. Thankfully, the laws aren’t super strict in Pennsylvania and are easy to follow. You do not need a permit and anybody is allowed to go mushroom hunting. You can collect mushrooms in Pennsylvania state parks as long as they’re for personal consumption and not for commercial sale. If you want to collect mushrooms to sell in a market or to restaurants, there are completely different guidelines to follow. The Pennsylvania Game Commission also allows wild mushrooms to be picked on their lands, again, as long as it’s for personal consumption. Across the country, you can’t collect plants or fungi from national parks but you can collect from national forests. Allegheny National Forest is the only national forest in Pennsylvania and it’s in the northwestern corner of the state. In the national forest, you can collect up to two gallons of wild mushrooms per day and per person (for personal use only). You’ll need special permission to collect more than that, but I can assure you, two gallons of mushrooms is a lot and will be enough! You can go mushroom hunting on someone’s private property as long as you have their permission first. Of course, you can collect mushrooms on your own property as much as you want!
General Rules for Foraging
Along with the laws on mushroom hunting. there are some general rules that we follow to forage in a responsible and respectful manner. The main rule, which goes for foraging of any kind, is to only take as much as you’ll use. It can be really exciting to find something edible, especially as a beginner. You may have a temptation to take as much as you can. But, keep in mind that what you’re collecting is also food for forest animals and it doesn’t help anyone if it’s rotting in your fridge! Specifically for mushrooms, always “tap the cap” to release the spores in the cap, so that more mushrooms can pop up! The spores in mushrooms are like the seeds in fruits- it’s how they reproduce and if you pull the mushroom before they’ve released their spores, they can’t keep going. When you’re ready to pick the mushroom, grab it from the base and gently pull so you don’t tear the mushroom or disrupt the mycelium (its root system). Some foragers even bring a pocket knife to snip mushrooms, although this isn’t necessary. Lastly, be mindful and keep your eyes open! Mushrooms are all connected by an underground mycelial network, so if you spot one mushroom, it’s likely that there are several more around it- be careful not to step on other while you’re going to pick!
Common Edible Mushrooms
While there are hundreds of edible mushrooms you could find in Pennsylvania, there are a few that are especially loved for their taste and coveted as top culinary mushrooms. These kinds of mushrooms are called “choice edibles,” which just means that they’re especially yummy and great for cooking.
Morel Mushrooms (Morchella esculenta)
Ask any semi-experienced mushroom hunter (or chef for that matter) about Morel mushrooms and they’ll likely go on a whole ramble about these fantastic finds and their savory, nutty flavor. Morel mushrooms are a top choice edible with a great taste and meat-like texture. They’re loved by mushroom hunters and cooks alike and are a special find considering how expensive they can be in specialty markets. These mushrooms have a brown cap with deep ridges in a honeycomb pattern. There is a lookalike- called “False Morel”- that isn’t edible. To tell the difference, cut the mushroom down the middle: true Morels are hollow inside and this is your indicator of which is which. Morels are quite small, only two to three inches tall, and will pop up in a day or two- so be sure to circle back to spots you’ve already checked after a few days. When Morels first pop up they have a grayish-brown color, but their stipe (stem) turns yellow as they mature. This is a sign that they’re ready to be picked! In Pennsylvania, there’s a one-month period when Morels can be found, then they’re gone! This is usually mid-April up to mid-May, once the temperatures warm up enough for Morels to come up. These mushrooms need moisture to grow, so you’ll find them in areas with damp soil. They often grow near dead trees and, in Pennsylvania, are known to grow around Elm, Apple, Poplar, Ash, or Sycamore trees. Morels also grow well near burnt trees or on burnt soil. They’re often found on south-facing slopes, where they get lots of warmth from the sun.
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)
The name might sound odd, but it’s pretty spot on. For one, this mushroom is bright yellow and orange but it also tastes like chicken! It’s also sometimes called Sulphur Shelf, but that seems less appetizing. These mushrooms are ideal for beginner foragers because they’re really easy to spot. They grow on dead or living tree trunks and the caps grow out horizontally, like a shelf. They’re typically pretty large, spanning several inches if not one foot wide. The mature caps are bright orange with dark orange-red tips, however, it’s the younger caps you want. You can still eat the older caps, but they become hard over time and the texture isn’t pleasant. The younger Chicken of the Woods caps are more yellow with a greenish tint. They’re shaped more like a glob because the younger caps haven’t flattened out yet. In Pennsylvania, they’re most often found growing on Oak trees, but they can also grow on Poplar, Aspen, Willow, Locust, or Beech trees. They come up in late summer or early fall, as temperatures drop and older trees start to die off. One important thing to note with Chicken of the Woods: you need to cook these mushrooms to eat them. If eaten raw, you’ll have digestion problems.
Common Toxic Mushrooms
Along with knowing the common edible mushrooms, it’s important to know the basics about some toxic mushrooms you could come across. These toxic mushrooms aren’t super common, but it’s good to have an idea of what you should avoid. Two that you should absolutely not pick are the Destroying Angel and Angel of Death, both aptly named. The two are related and they’re both deadly if consumed. They’re both large, foreboding white mushrooms that are several inches tall with large, flat caps. When they’re young, both of these toxic mushrooms go through an “egg phase” where they resemble edible puffball mushrooms. Because of these two, I have a general rule of never picking white mushrooms, just to be safe (even though there are edible white mushrooms). Other toxic mushrooms that can be found in Pennsylvania include the Deadly Galerina, Fool’s Funnel, or the Yellow Stainer. Check out websites like Mushroom Observer to get more detailed info on these mushrooms.
Where to go Mushroom Hunting
Of course, the best foraging spots are the best-kept secrets by experienced mushroom hunters and you can’t get that kind of info on the internet. Thankfully, most foragers are also very kind people and will share their spots if you ask or join a regional group. You need to start by going to the places where it’s legal to forage, as explained earlier in this post, but once you’re in, you need to know where to look. Generally, mushrooms grow on old, wet wood or damp soil. Forests with lots of plant life on the soil provide great nutrients for mushrooms, so look in these areas and a bit off the trails. Also keep an eye out along riverbeds or streams, since the moisture supports mushroom growth. Most people also want to know specifically where to find Morel mushrooms. Along with what I explained earlier in the post, Morels have a weird habit of growing in disturbed or destroyed areas. For example, places where there was a forest fire, flood, or heavy logging.
When to go Mushroom Hunting
Lastly, you’ll need to know what time of year is the ideal “mushroom season.” Broadly, spring through fall is when mushrooms will be popping up and can be harvested. However, this is a range and most mushrooms have a more specific range of when they’ll be out. This range often depends on whether mushrooms are triggered by warming or cooling (which determines Spring or Fall). In general, mushrooms aren’t cold tolerant, so mushroom season goes up to the first frost, which could be mid or late fall. Although, some mushrooms need the cold and will pop up right as temperatures drop. Mushrooms really love moisture and often pop up right after several days of rain, when the soil has been deeply watered. They won’t come up while it’s still raining but in the first day or two after the rain stops, head out to look for mushrooms!
Time to Get Out There!
Surely, you’re not an expert after reading this article- but you don’t have to be! You could spend years researching and learning about fungi before ever going into the forest, and you still wouldn’t be able to identify everything. That’s not to intimidate you with the depth of this knowledge, but instead to explain that you’ll never “be ready.” You just need to start learning and eventually you’ll build up a deep knowledge. Now, that’s not to say that you should simply pick every mushroom you see and eat it! You still need to be careful, and especially as a beginner, before eating anything you find. Don’t think that you need to bring something back every time you go out foraging– it’s better to admit that you’re not sure and leave it be. You can also take lots of pictures and then go home to compare them with pictures online or in field guides. Mushroom hunting isn’t only about coming home with mushrooms. It’s also about learning to identify the fungi that live in your region and the way they grow with the change of seasons. It’s also about connecting with new people as you join foraging groups and discovering new parts of your home state. I hope you found this guide useful and feel encouraged to begin mushroom hunting! DISCLAIMER: Always check with a mycologist to confirm your finds and before ingesting.
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Ask any semi-experienced mushroom hunter (or chef for that matter) about Morel mushrooms and they’ll likely go on a whole ramble about these fantastic finds and their savory, nutty flavor. What are common inedible mushrooms found in Pennsylvania? Two that you should absolutely not pick are the Destroying Angel and Angel of Death, both aptly named. The two are related and they’re both deadly if consumed. They’re both large, foreboding white mushrooms that are several inches tall with large, flat caps.
