Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest

Mushroom Hunting in the Pacific Northwest

10 Great Mushrooms.

Identification clues, Harvesting techniques, And much more.

Great North Publishing

Black Morel Morchella elata

Where to look: Black Morels can be found across the United States but in the west they are abundantly found in areas that have been victim to forest fire. Other forest like areas likely to have morels will have oak and poplar trees.

1 How to harvest:

Never try to just pull a morel out of the ground. You don’t want to be losing any of that stem. The best way to do it is to cut it off with a small knife or pair of shears. You could also try to pinch. Black Morels are probably the easiest to pinch out of all morels.

After you’ve picked your morel we reccomend that you use either a mesh bag, paper bag, or woven basket to take them home in. Morels have an incredibly high moisture content and they really need to breathe, even after being picked. Putting them in plastic would only suffocate these mushrooms. The best of these to use is mesh. While you walk spores will fall out of the morels and to the ground and these

spores will allow new morels to grow, leaving you more picking to do next year. Baskets and paper bags don’t allow this to happen.

Storing and Cooking: Obviously the best thing to do is to use the morels while they are nice and fresh. But that is not always practicle. The best thing to do is to dry them out but make sure its never at a temperature of more than 100 degrees. Then you can simply put them in an air-tight jar.

Some can keep up to four years at a time.

Morels are loved by many. They are very common in cooking. You can even pick up whole cook books for morels alone. But most importantly before you cook any mushrooms you hunt, make sure they are healthy. If you are new to hunting have someone who is more experienced check them out for you.

Black morel in its natural, forest environment.

Chanterelle

than that and you will be hurting the habitat.

Cantharellus cibarius

Storing and Cooking:

Where to look: The forest is where these mushrooms dwell. You will find Chanterelles sharing roots with trees and bushes that have been there for a long time. So some of the oldest trees in the woods are probably a good place to start for these shrooms.

How to Harvest: Remember those mesh bags we talked about with Morels? Well you should definitely take one with you while looking for Chanterelles for the same reasons.

When picking, the first thing to try is to just grab the bottom of the stem, and twist while pulling. Try not to break the mushroom in half.

Make sure they are a mature mushroom before you pick it. Chanterelles are very slow to grow.

After picking, pat soil or leaf litter down in the hole were the mushroom was. This part is very important.

Only go hunting for Chanterelles in the same area once every three weeks or so. Any more

Cleaning Chanterelles can be a bit tricky.

Sometimes the way their tops grow catches debris down under and clamps it down there and makes it almost impossible to clean out. In some cases it may be necessary to section some of the mushroom to make it a little easier on you. Then just drain them on paper towels until dry. After they’ve been cleaned, they keep well in a paper bag in the fridge.

Chanterelles are a meaty and chewy mushroom. One of the best ways to enjoy them is to cut them in large chunks and saute them in butter. Cream, half and half, or chicken broth are good additions. And they keep their flavor even after cooking for long periods of time with other dominating flavors.

Chanterelle clinging to roots in the forest.

2

Crimini Agricus bisporus

Where to look: Commonly found in fields or grassy areas in late spring after the rainfall has assisted in growth.

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How to Harvest: Even though you always see them with their perfectly trimmed stem, you need to pull them out at the very bottom so you are not damaging anything. They usually grow in bundles so be careful not to disturb so much while you’re picking. Also, put any soil back that you moved out of place in the process. It is always good to try to ensure that mushrooms or anything for that matter will grow again in the same place after you have disturbed the environment. While gathering, use that mesh bag we’ve talked about.

Once you get them home, trim the stems so they’re nice and user friendly just like you’d expect to see in the stores. Then make sure you wash them thoroughly. After washing, just let them air dry on some paper towels.

Storing and Cooking: After allowing them time to dry (but not too much, you don’t want them drying out completely) you can store them in the fridge in a paper bag. They enjoy the cold and having a little bit of moisture in them from the washing keeps them nice and fresh.

These mushrooms are closely related to the common White mushroom but the Crimini is a bit more flavorful. It is very commonly used in Italian style cooking.

We recommend slicing them up and mixing them into some alfredo sauce to give it that extra something. They’re also great fresh on salads.

You can even saute them with herbs on their own and they taste wonderful. Crimini are a favorite amongst American households.

Crimini mushrooms how you most commonly see them.

Enoki Flammulina velutipes

Where to look: These mushrooms grow out of the sides of trees. Mulberry and Persimmon trees are the most likely.

And they do grown in bunches so they aren’t too difficult to spot.

How to Harvest: When harvesting these mushrooms you want to be sure you do not harm the tree they are coming from. So while gently, but firmly pulling on the stems of the Enoki try and cut away at their roots. Some will come off much easier than others depending on how much grip they have on the tree. But whatever you do, try not to harm the tree. Everyone wants mushrooms to keep growing and the tree to be free of damages.

While packing these mushrooms around you can still be using that mesh bag if you’d like. Or you could use a plastic bag. Enoki are very good at being sealed up. They hold a lot of moisture and you will find that they are in fact very slimey. Some more than others.

Storing and Cooking: Wash the Enoki as thoroughly as possible. Try

and get between all the stems since they’re so tight together. After you let them air dry, Enoki will keep in the fridge for about a week.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, they have a bit of an Asian name. These shrooms are originally from Japan and are great in Japanese cooking. In Japan they even use them as noodles and make a soup for them. How delicious would that be?

Even though Enoki can be a little slimey at times they have a mild and delightful flavor and a bit of a crunch which makes them fun to eat in more than just soup. When cooking with the Enoki make sure you cut off the bottom roots, they’re not good for you and they probably don’t taste so good either. One mistake you may make is cooking them too long. With Enoki you want to only halfway cook them so they keep their fresh taste in whatever you’re making, soup, stirfry, etc. Who said you had to cook a mushroom to enjoy it though? Enoki can be left raw and added to salads and sandwiches for that extra something you may be looking for.

Beautiful, white Enoki bundle.

4

King Bolete Boletus edulis

Where to look: This mushroom loves to hang out under pine treees and hardwoods. So to the forest you will go.

How to Harvest:

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The stems of the King Bolete are quite strong but don’t just go tugging on it like crazy. If the mushroom doesn’t want to just come right up you might want to have a pocket knife with you just for help. Stick the knife blade down under the roots and gently work the mushroom out of the ground. Try not to hurt it since it will be such a large specimine that you will more than likely be proud of.

Make sure to carry that mesh bag with you for these for the regrowth reasons.

These shrooms have a somewhat crunch flesh with an almost nutty flavor. They are very well liked by people all over the world.

A simple way to enjoy them is to saute them in butter or to fry them, their rich flavor will come out in the cooking process. They may have a slightly bitter edge to them though which is why a lot of people opt to drying them. As far as mushrooms go, King Bolete are one of the best when dried. It removes any bitterness there may have been and they are still just as tasty.

Something you may have never thought you use a mushroom for, King Bolete works great for dying textiles and paper if you use ammonia as a mordant. A chrom yellow color is what you will come up with.

Storing and Cooking: These mushrooms are pretty easy to clean because of their shape so just genly clean them with water and let them air dry. After they have been dried, these shrooms keep just fine in a paper bag in the fridge for about a week.

King Bolete hanging out under a pine tree.

Matsutake Tricholoma magnivelare

Where to look: Although I’m sure you could have guessed, these mushrooms are most commonly found in Asia.

Luckily though, they do grown in the Pacific Northwest. You are most likely to find them in a pine forest on the mossy ground. It can be found in Washington, Northern California, Oregon, and Idaho.

How to Harvest: Remove soil, leaves, and moss covering cap.

Put you hand around the cap and move it in a circular motion or side to side. NEVER twist the cap, it will only snap off. After a short amount of time the matsutake should come right up.

Sometimes you will come across clusters of Matsutake that may only have one that is fully ready to be harvested. Be very gentle so you do not disturb the rest for further growth in the future. And be sure to put all of the soil back the way it was so its much more natural.

If the soil is too high to use the hand rotation method, you may have to use a tool to avoid

damaging the mushroom. But ONLY use a tool when the hand method fails. When using a tool, uncover the muchroom of soil and put tool down along the mushroom’s stem to the bottom of the roots. Then move the tool in a circular motion until you can pull the mushroom out with ease.

Storing and Cooking: Cold storage is best for these mushrooms. A good idea is to take an ice chest, like the bottom with ice, put a hard surface between the ice and the mushrooms and then cover the mushrooms with a damp cloth.

The Matsutake is treasured by Japanese chefs for its wonderful aromas and its flavor profile.

It is not the most common mushoom to cook with in the United States. Try marinating them in soy sauce and a bland oil for 10 minutes.

Then brown them on a grill. After that, they’re amazing as a side-dish.

Matsutake mushrooms in their forest environment.

6

Oyster Pleurotus ostreatus

Where to look:

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Autumn is the time of year to look for this strange mushroom. After the first rainfalls of the fall you will see the stange silvery white petals of the Oyster mushroom growing on trees. Some can be seen alone and grow incredibly large (up to 18 inches long), other times they grow in thick clumps like the photo above. Either way they make he forest in autumn look very interesting.

Storage and Cooking: When cleaning them, make sure you cut off the lower part of the stems. This removes any pieces of wood that you may have brought home with you. Be sure to very thoroughly clean out the gills of these wild mushrooms.

Insects love this part of a mushroom. Use a minimus amount of water since Oyster shrooms are naturally very moist. Then gently dry with paper towel to remove all excess water. To store them we recommend the freezer because these mushrooms dry out very quickly.

These mushrooms are commonly used in stirfry dishes because of how quickly they cook up but if you want to make something that is a long cooking dish just add them in at the very final stages of cooking. They do have an almost oyster-like taste and smell to them. It is very strange but makes them very delectable.

How to Harvest: The best way to harvest thest mushrooms is to take a pocket knife and to just cut them away from the tree as gently as possible, doing as little to the tree as possible. They are relatively easy to harvest. And it is best to wait for them to be a fairly large size before you harvest them. The meatier they are, the better. So let them mature before you attack.

An oyster mushroom on a tree.

Portabello Agricus bisporus

Where to look:

These mushrooms are commonly found in grassy fields after rainfall.

How to Harvest: These mushrooms are like the big brothers to the Crimini mushroom. And have the same techniques. You want to make sure you get all of it out of the ground. Then make sure you put the soil back like you never even disturbed the earth. Because these mushrooms are a bit bigger than their little siblings though, they may be a bit more difficult to get out of the ground so you may need a tool like a pocket knife to loosen things up just a little. Make sure you take that mesh bag with you so you will assist in reseeding for future generations of mushrooms.

Portobello will keep for about a week in the fridge in a paper bag. They keep for several months in the freezer after they’ve been cooked.

People love cooking with Portobello mushrooms. They are very versatile for a mushroom. You can grill, saute, and oven roast them. A fun vegiburger oprion is to just use the cap of a portobello as the burger and top it with cheese and any other garnish you may like. Its a perfectly delicious, no meat way to eat a cheese burger. You can brush them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper then grill them for 5-6 minutes on each side. There are so many things you can do with Portobellos. A tip for you, the longer you cook a Portobello for, the firmer it gets.

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Storing and Cooking: Make sure you gently clean under the cap to assure that you’re not going to be serving up any bugs for dinner. And trim off the roots to keep everything nice and clean in your home.

Some great looking Portobellos.

Shiitake Lentinula edodes

Where to look:

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Shiitake mushrooms grow out of trunks of oak trees in forests. They originated in Asia and had a slow start in the US because the department of agriculture didn’t want them in the country.

They were confusing the Shiitake with a different type of fungus.

and trim the ends of the stem so you’re not taking any of that tree with you into your cooking.

The best way to store shiitake mushrooms is in a paper bag in the fridge. They will stay fresh for about a week. If you dry them, you should store them in a air tight container in the fridge or the freezer. When dried and stored that way they can keep for six months to a year.

When cooking with Shiitake mushrooms try not to use too much water because they are very pourus and will absorb as much as possible and become very soggy. Shiitake are generally used in traditional miso soup. To give your vegetable stock extra depth, add dried shiitake mushrooms. They are also great sauted with onions and garlic, which is great as a side dish or on top of chicken, beef, lamb or venison.

How to Harvest: Unlike the Oyster that clump together so tightly that you need a knife to pry them from the tree, Shiitake are much easier to seperate from the trunk of a tree. While they like to grow in groups, they are usually no where near anything like the Oyster mushroom. It should be simple enough for you to just pull them off. And to collect them you can use that mesh bag or a basket, even a bucket if you want. Its really your own preference on this one.

Storage and Cooking: Clean these mushrooms under the cap well

Shiitake group on a tree trunk.

White (Button) Agricus bisporus

be careful.

Storing and Cooking:

Where to look: I bet you’ve seen these before and yes you could go to your produce section at your local supermarket to find them. But I’m guessing that’s not why you baught this book. So to hunt for these little guys you’ll want to go to a damp grassy area. Spring is the perfect time to find them. And remember, they’re small, patience is a virtue.

After throroughly rinsing these little guys, pat them dry and you can store them for about a week in the fridge in a brown bag.

As far as cooking goes, you can add them in just about anywhere, the possibilities are endless.

On a cheeseburger, a salad, pasta, etc. They will never over power your food like some other mushrooms but eating these is kind of being on the safe side so take a walk on the wild side and try the others. They won’t disappoint.

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How to Harvest: Since these mushrooms are so small its a bit silly to get a tool out when your fingers are perfectly fine for the job. Make sure you grab the stem at the bottom where it meets the ground and just gently move it around in circles and work the mushroom free. You don’t want to break the cap off but that is something that could happen with such a small mushroom, so

White mushrooms huddled together.

How To...

Identify different mushrooms.

With pictures of each type.

Harvest them without hurting the environment.

Clean and store them.

And enjoy them!