Mushroom Hunting: It’s fun, guys

by Sarah Glade

Whether in a gourmet dish, a topping on a greasy pizza, or for sale at the farmers’ market, mushrooms are an intriguing addition to any dish. Elusive and delicious species of fungi can be a chef’s most valued ingredient and serve as an inspiration for this niche hobby.

mushroom hunting:

Mushroom Education Foraging can be as easy as looking through the backyard, but finding specific mushrooms involves research. A successful search requires knowledge of the land and weather conditions in which certain species grow. it’s fun, guys! According to the Iowa Association of Naturalists, mushrooms are decomposers and play an important role in nature. They consume nutrients from dead animals and plants and recycle them into the soil. Plants absorb these nutrients from the soil, animals eat those plants and the cycle continues.

One of the most sought-after edible mushrooms in Iowa is the Morchella mushroom or morels. According to the Iowa State (ISU) Natural Resource Stewardship, Iowa has five types of morels, and they appear for a short time in the spring.

Blake Sanderson, an avid hunter, has fond memories of searching for morels. “It was Easter morning, and I took my wife and siblings out to look for morels in the rain,” Sanderson said. “After a few hours, we stumbled upon a patch near our family estate that has been a reliable producer for years. Every year come Easter, I can go harvest from that patch.”

Though morels receive the most attention from Iowans, there are many other mushrooms to find, which are listed on ISU’s Natural Resource Stewardship website. The website also provides calendars that list the best times to find specific species.

The Experience

Mushroom hunting is an accessible hobby; people of all ages and backgrounds can participate. The process involves walking or hiking around a chosen area and having a sharp eye. The most common remark among mushroom foragers is that the journey is just as rewarding as the mushrooms themselves.

Juliette Verley, a forager from Arizona, said finding food this way is satisfying. “For me, mushroom hunting is thrilling,” she said. “There is nothing like looking and looking and finally finding something.” Verley also likes to forage due to her vegan diet, as she mentioned that mushrooms make great faux meat.

Jay Martin, a father and forager, agrees that the experience is fun for everyone involved. “Mushroom hunting is a family adventure for us,” Martin said. “My kids love walking around the woods and discovering things. It’s like an Easter egg hunt in the forest, but the hidden treasures are delectable.”

Foraging for mushrooms can be fulfilling in multiple ways. It is a great way to exercise, explore nature and make memories with loved ones.

Derrick Jacobson recalled the times hunting with his girlfriend. “It is a great way to spend time with her, travel, find new places and try new recipes,” Jacobson said. “Sometimes, we just get in the car and head out, not even knowing where we will end up.” Cultivation Cooking with Mushrooms

If it’s not the right season to hunt, cultivation is an option. Aaron Johnson cultivates a variety of mushrooms for his business, Joygrow, in Cambridge, Iowa. The business sells its product to restaurants and at the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market. Johnson noted how the mushrooms he grows are unfamiliar to most Iowans.

“I wanted to grow something locally and bring to market that not everybody had,” Johnson said. “It’s still very much a growing industry and not necessarily as mainstream as it is in Asian and Eastern European cultures. With American culture, there’s a lot of fearmongering and hurdles.”

Many misconceptions about mushrooms stem from their interesting appearance and uncommon qualities. Understanding the process of growing mushrooms may help alleviate fears surrounding the fungi. Once the thrill of foraging subsides, it’s time to enjoy the flavor of the mushrooms. They have a unique taste and texture that add interest to many dishes such as pasta, tacos, stir fry and many others.

“They’re complex,” Johnson said. “Not only is there a wide variety of cultivated mushrooms, but they all have their differences in textures and flavors. They provide that savoriness that you get from meat.”

Their special characteristics can either entice or drive away Iowans. Insufficient education perpetuates the stigma surrounding mushrooms. Negative hunting or eating experiences typically occur due to inadequate research. Before taking on the challenge to go foraging, get educated by reading a field guide, such as “Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois & Surrounding States,” or use Iowa State’s “Safe Mushroom Foraging” guide.

It’s possible to grow mushrooms in the comfort of one’s home. Whether using a cultivation kit or starting from scratch, Sanderson said it doesn’t take much to start a personal fungi farm.

“I started growing mushrooms in my apartment because it is cheap and relatively self-contained,” he said. “We don’t have room for a garden, but we can grow a couple of different varieties of oysters, shiitake, and some other stuff in the little bit of extra space we have.” mushroom hunting

by Taylor Bockelman & Jenn Behnke Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Tart Crust: 1 cup flour ½ cup sugar 4 tbsp butter, cold ¼ cup water 1 tsp salt Lemon Curd:

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 2 lemons ⅔ cups sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch 4 Egg yolks 6 tbsp butter, cubed Blackberry compote: 3 oz blackberries ½ cup sugar lemon berry tart

Directions

01 Preheat the oven to 350F. 02 Start by making the crust. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and sugar until well-combined. Cut in the butter until pea-sized pieces form. 03 In a tart pan, press and place the dough until uniform. 04 Blind bake the crust by placing a piece of parchment paper over the shell and adding dried beans to weigh it down.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shell is golden brown. 05 Start the curd while the crust is in the oven. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks to a double boiler. 06 Whisk this mixture until it becomes thick, around 10 minutes. Whisk continuously, so the egg yolks do not curdle. 07 Remove from heat and add in the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and well-incorporated into the mixture. Place the curd into the fridge with plastic wrap touching the curd tightly to prevent foam formation. Chill and continue to make the compote. 08 Over medium heat, add the blackberries and mash with a whisk in a saucepan. Add the sugar and keep mashing the berries until well-broken down. 09 Cook until the sugar is dissolved, then place in the fridge to cool. 10 To assemble the tart, take the crust and add the curd, then swirl the blackberry compote on the top. 25