Mushroom season is here, and before you hit the trails and go searching for your favorite specimens, make sure you refresh your memory and understand the risks associated with hunting and consuming wild-harvested mushrooms.
Always remember there is always a risk associated with consuming wild harvested mushrooms, even those considered edible. Check out these great resources for safe mushroom foraging.
Field Guide
Safe Mushroom Foraging booklet is available as a paper copy or free pdf download in the Extension store. This guide features fungi roles in nature, best foraging practices, mushroom foraging season calendar, 57 mushroom profiles with full-color mushroom photos.
Mobile Optimized Calendars
Use your smartphone to access mushroom that may be available through the season based on historical records:
Videos
Webinar recordings
Participants in this virtual workshop offered in 2020 were introduced to proper identification traits, foraging safety, distinguishing between edible and non-edible mushrooms, and best harvesting practices, including avoiding any potential post-harvest contamination. Recordings are now available:
- Safe Mushroom Foraging Part I: Common Spring Mushrooms in Iowa
- Safe Mushroom Foraging Part II: Common fall mushrooms in Iowa
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Yard and Garden, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on April 9, 2021. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.