Foraging Forecast: Your guide to August mushroom hunting in Oregon (no, really)

One of the most delightful things I learned early in the development of my love for mushroom hunting was how continuous the season really is. As one mushroom fades away into mush, a life cycle completed, another is preparing to reveal itself just below the surface. The trick is knowing what — and where — to look for while hunting.

You may be raising your eyebrows at the thought of mushroom hunting in August, but there is always more fungus hiding in the woods than we think, no matter the time of year. I chatted with myco-educator and fellow mushroom lover Rachel Zoller, also known as Yellow Elanor, to dive into this season of mushrooms and get a better idea of what will be fruiting over the next few weeks.

"Most people think this is the offseason, but that's not really true," Zoller said. "There are so many different bioregions in this area, like even the east and west side of the Cascades have totally different weather patterns. When you know what to look for, you're always going to find somewhere that has mushrooms."

In this article, I’ll break down the types of mushrooms the seasoned forager will be looking for in August, as well as go over some helpful details about foraging respectfully and carefully in your area.

Before you head into the woods on the great mushroom hunt, there are a few good ground rules to establish with your party. Foraging responsibly, respectfully and safely is always the goal. Beyond the basics of watching your step, avoiding private properties and following leave-no-trace etiquette, it’s crucial that all foragers make it out of the woods safely.

“I always have a whistle on me,” Zoller said. “It’s super cheap and will make a world of a difference compared to your voice if you need it.” When focusing so hard on the ground, it’s incredibly easy to get turned around while mushroom hunting, and a quick toot of the whistle can help create a quick fix compared to a disaster.

Another must-do for summer hunting? Tell someone where and when you’ll be going. While the secrecy around foraging spots is a very real and valid rule in the foraging community, it’s more important that someone knows where to find you if something goes wrong or you get turned around. “Find a trusted advisor and at least give them a general area,” Zoller said.

OK, now for the mushrooms. As we head into late Oregon summer and the temperatures start to skyrocket in the lower valleys, there are four main genres of mushrooms we’ll have our eyes peeled for: chicken of the woods, lobster mushrooms, porcinis, and rainbow chanterelles.

Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus conifericola)

This is a popular edible mushroom, both for its vibrant orange-yellow appearance and delicious flavor, similar to – you guessed it – chicken. This polypore, meaning it has pores rather than gills underneath, likes to grow on fir, spruce and hemlock trees, a blend that can often be found in forested coastal areas. An important tip for identification: chicken of the woods will always be found fruiting directly on conifers, such as stumps and logs, rather than out of the ground.

“Chicken of the woods is one of those mushrooms that some people eat and love it, and some people eat it and have an upset stomach,” Zoller said. Her solution for this issue is simple. If it’s your first time collecting chicken of the woods, just take a small amount for cooking and sample before harvesting pounds. “Sometimes I even cook it twice, like a bake and then a pan fry, just to help release some of those irritants.”

Lobster mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum)

A little lower in elevation in the same coastal regions near fir and spruce trees will be the appropriately named lobster mushroom. Lobster mushrooms are the result of a parasitic fungus that infects other types of mushrooms and essentially transforms them into the dense, meaty and seafood-esque mushroom we hunt for. Aromatic and bright red, these gnarled edibles are tough to miss in the forest and incredibly easy to ID, since there aren’t lookalikes in the same areas. If it stinks like rotten fish, it’s too old, and should be left behind.

Fond of old-growth forests and cool ocean air, this mushroom is often hidden beneath moss or other plant litter on the surface of the ground, so keep your eyes peeled for the bright red color and move slowly in order to spot them.

Porcini (Boletus edulis)

Another summer mushroom that gravitates towards spruce trees is the porcini, also known as a king bolete, which can often be found in much higher elevations, anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 feet and climbing. “Porcinis are a special treat, right time right place kind of a mushroom. They’re going to be in areas that tend to stay cooler and moister, near streams or lakes or where those bodies of water come together,” Zoller said. “You’ll find porcinis and also probably mosquitoes.”

Known for their tasty flavor and friendliness to beginners, porcinis can be identified by their spongey underside and the white meat inside, which stays white even after being cut. If the flesh bruises blue or black when bruised, or if the pores are red or orange, it’s not the mushroom you’re looking for.

Tip: When in doubt during identification, take several photos of the mushroom at different angles so you can later cross-reference and identify using trusted field guides and sources. Once confirmed, then return to the area and harvest. Never eat anything you aren’t 100% confident about!

Rainbow chanterelles (Cantharellus roseocanus)

Lastly, but certainly not least, we talked about the potential for finding early chanterelles, which would most likely prove to be a rainbow chanterelle, as they tend to pop up sooner than other species.While not literally rainbow, this chanterelle boasts pinkish to yellow caps in late summer with stunningly orange false gills hidden underneath. Identified by those false gills running in veins down the thick, solid stalk, rainbow chanterelles are an easy ID and just as tasty as they are beautiful.

Also fond of spruce trees and cooler climates, rainbow chanterelles can be found where the forest meets the ocean in the right conditions. “I have picked rainbows literally out of the sand,” Zoller said. “Like, there are trees right on the coastline growing in the sand, and there can be rainbow chanterelles there.” If you’re not into the beach, go further up in elevation: rainbow chanterelles can also be found above 4,000 feet elevation, near sub-alpine lakes.

The forecast: a perfect late summer adventure for the whole family

In wake of the recent heatwave, foragers like myself and Zoller are itching to get back out into the woods and discover what the forest is hiding. “Temperature change and moisture is the perfect combination for mushrooms to fruit,” Zoller said. “If it’s too hot the mushrooms are just going to shrivel up in the heat. But when that temp changes, that’s when you know you can start looking.”

Perfect for families with kids, group outings, or even a date idea, mushroom hunting season is here to stay no matter what the calendar says. The best part about foraging this summer? You’ll have a blast even if you don’t find any edible mushrooms.

“Think about how you define success. You are going to have fun, be curious, notice so many tiny details and patterns and interesting things that you wouldn’t have otherwise,” Zoller said. “It’s going to blow your mind and that enjoyment is a huge part of the experience. It’s really cool.”

Still not confident about your mushroom hunting skills? Check out Yellow Elanor’s “Mushroom 101” playlist on YouTube for in-depth tutorials on identification and mushroom anatomy for all levels.

Skyla Patton is an outdoor reporter and multimedia storyteller. She can be reached at spatton@gannett.com and on Twitter @ganjajournalist.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Guide to Oregon mushroom hunting in August