How can you tell if a mushroom is edible?

Mushroom ID for edibility: there are no shortcuts

Attention

The following content cannot be used as any basis for eating any mushrooms. Mushrooms not mentioned in the article may still be fatal. Some mushrooms may be very poisonous. Please purchase edible mushrooms through regular channels.

Wild edible mushrooms are jewels of the forest, highly prized by chefs for their delicate and savory flavors. Mushroom foraging is a meaningful skill that was once passed down through the generations. Sadly, in the era of supermarkets and fast food, this practical craft has become an underappreciated tradition. Yet mushroom identification for edibility, also known as wild mushrooming, can be an engaging and rewarding activity for all ages.

For the overly cautious, fear of death is understandably the motivating factor in abstaining from the hobby. If you are brand new to mushroom hunting it can be difficult to distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones. One steadfast rule is… if in doubt then throw it out. It is always best to be 100% sure every mushroom is properly identified before being cooked for a meal.

To get started, a guide book is a must-have for anyone interested in collecting wild mushrooms for the dinner table. Search for a book that was written about mushrooms in your region by professional mycologists. A great guide contains high quality photos and dichotomous keys. A dichotomous key is a list of statements addressed by observing the mushrooms attributes. To learn the language of mycology aka ‘mycologese’ it is helpful to review a glossary of terms.

In many cases, edible mushrooms will only grow in association with specific trees (i.e. morels with tulip poplar, chanterelles with hickory, or maitake with oak). This is why the most avid wild mushroom foragers can also identify trees. Oftentimes to find the edible mushrooms you must first locate their specific partner tree.

Maitake grows with oak

Eventually you will find a mushroom, and wonder if it is edible. During the initial phase of discovery your senses will come into play. Visual identifying characteristics include the size, shape, and spore color, as well as colors and textures of the cap, stem, and base. A mushroom could be growing singly or gregariously, or sometimes many will appear together in a cluster or a ring. Check under the cap to see if the mushroom has gills, pores or teeth. This is called the spore-bearing surface.

Hold the mushroom with one hand, and waft air from the mushroom toward your face with the other hand. Use caution because spores are allergens, and they might trigger allergic sinusitis in sensitive noses. Wash your hands to remove any remaining spores after you touch any mushrooms.

The scent of an edible mushroom could be anything from apricots (black trumpets) to fish (milkcaps). There is even an edible mushroom that smells of both cinnamon red hots and gym socks (matsutake). The sensory exposition continues when you notice the texture of the mushroom. It might be slimy, rough, or soft as velvet. As far as breakability, the mushroom could be brittle, pliable, or amorphous like a blob of jelly. Notice any color changes when the mushroom is touched or sliced.

Black trumpets smell like apricots

To maximize your chances of later identifying an unknown mushroom you must log some additional information in the field. Note the habitat (i.e. mossy stump in a hemlock bog), trees nearby, weather conditions, season of the year, and type of ecosystem (i.e. montane forest at 4,000ft). Keeping a knife or scissors in your basket is handy for digging up the mushroom base. Once the mushroom is unearthed try to remove as much dirt as possible. Then take several in-focus photos with the mushroom in the center, ideally capturing multiple shots of the top, bottom, and side.

Once you get home, take a spore print. Simply cut the cap off and place it gill-side-down onto foil. Put a glass jar over top the mushroom and wait up to 24 hours for spores to drop. Continue to dry the specimen with a kitchen dehydrator, in case microscopic examination of the spores is necessary for identification.

To forage wild mushrooms, you must appreciate their cyclical nature. Two days after a heavy late-summer rain in mild temperatures with no wind you might see a large flush and fill many baskets with chicken-of-the-woods in a single hour. Perhaps during dry weather, there may not be an edible mushroom in sight. Use your yearly down time as an opportunity to research mushrooms until the next harvest season. Comb through old photos and try to identify what you found.

Large flush of chicken-of-the-woods

To learn more about mushroom identification in person, you may consider joining a local mushroom club and attempt to connect with those more knowledgeable. Forming relationships with mentors is the fastest way to absorb mycological knowledge.

Overall, learning to identify mushrooms for edibility is an involved process. Prepare to buy books, learn both mycologese and tree species, watch the weather, keep a journal, take spore prints, connect with others, and consider buying a microscope. Wild mushrooming is a life-long journey of discovery, and there are no shortcuts.