Finding Fungi: MMRG Hosts Recent Mushroom Walk
On September 4th, a group of 15 beginning fungi enthusiasts joined Moose Mountains Regional Greenways and the Merrymeeting Lake Association for a weekend fungi foray in New Durham, NH. The walk was led by experienced mycologist and ardent conservationist, Dr. Rick Van de Poll.
Dr. Van de Poll began by sharing his favorite mushroom tips and tricks for determining edibility - while pointing out, with tongue-in-cheek, that “all mushrooms are edible...at least once.” He emphasized the importance of being 100% confident in your identification skills for certain mushrooms before attempting to gather and eat wild mushrooms. When in doubt, consult an expert! Some people are even allergic to “safe” mushrooms, which should only be sampled before eating more.
Photo by Lorrie Drake.
Participants were given samples of the easily identifiable, edible mushrooms Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus) and Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) to take home. The phrase “tastes like chicken” might be cliche, but in the case of the Chicken of the Woods mushroom it really is true! It can even be substituted for chicken when cooking vegetarian recipes. Chaga mushrooms are frequently found growing on birch trees, where it looks like an odd lump of coal in sharp contrast to the white bark. Considered a traditional medicine by many and packed with antioxidants, this mushroom is grated into a fine powder and brewed as a tea.
The group continued along the trail, learning that although mushrooms can be a delicious food, they are also a vital part of our natural world. Dr. Van de Poll noted the importance of fungi species as decomposers and their symbiotic relationships with many plant species.
Board member Lorrie Drake joined the walk and said, “The group next split up to forage on our own, then brought our finds back for Rick to identify. My favorites were the "hedgehog mushroom" which has teeth under the cap instead of gills, and “candy cap mushrooms” which have a distinctive brown sugar aroma.”
There are thousands of mushroom species in New Hampshire alone, making identification no easy task. In his years of experience, Dr. Van de Poll has identified over 1,600 mushroom species in our state, including many previously unknown. We are thrilled that Dr. Van de Poll shared his expertise with us, and hope that budding mycologists were inspired to keep learning about fungi! MMRG would also like to extend grateful appreciation to Paul Raslavicus for sharing his beautiful property with us.
Our next workshop will be a free forestry walk on October 3rd, 10am-12pm, in Wakefield, NH with licensed forester Dan Stephanauskas. The group will walk through Branch Hill Farm while learning about the importance of forests and wood products, and their role in carbon sequestration. Stay tuned for more information on our website soon!