Wild Mushrooms: A Seasonal Delicacy and Pastime for the Region

Wild mushroom season normally starts in early spring, with the emergence of morels, and wraps up in the mid or late fall, with the first hard frost. However, mushrooms such as winter oysters and a few other species can be found even in the dead of winter, making mushroom hunting a year-round pastime. Mushroom events, forays, and festivals tend to be held in the spring with the emergence of morels, or in the fall as the colors change.

While mushrooms are often appreciated on forestlands for their striking beauty and interesting forms, people also have many uses for wild mushrooms. Some species of mushrooms are edible (e.g., morels, chanterelles, chicken-of-the-woods) and bring unusual and tasty flavors to all sorts of foods. Other mushrooms in the region are known for their medicinal properties (e.g., Ganoderma, turkey-tail). These mushrooms can be cooked and prepared in a variety of ways—as familiar as a pasta sauce or side, to being smoked in a smoker or infused in a tincture.

Mushroom hunting is a tradition that is passed through families, between friends, within mushroom clubs, and more recently, over social media. With funding from the Pennsylvania State University Huck Institute Flower grant, our current research seeks to understand which mushrooms people like to hunt in the mid-Atlantic and how they learn about mushroom hunting. We are also interested in how COVID-19 might have changed how people learn about mushrooms. You can learn more about the study and take the survey (or request a paper copy) at mushroom survey.

Whether you simply admire mushrooms on hikes or walks with your dog, enjoy the thrill of the hunt for choice edibles, or like to grow mushrooms yourself, we would appreciate your assistance in this research.

Learning to Hunt for Mushrooms

We are surveying mushroom harvesters in the mid-Atlantic region and want to include forest landowners who take a hobby or commercial interest in mushrooms. If you or someone you know identifies, harvests, grows, or sells wild mushrooms and would like to participate in this study, please contact us or share the survey with them.

Mushroom Events

There are a variety of local mushroom-based events held around Pennsylvania. These can range from hikes and walks to special dinners or workshops. We are looking to connect with these events in the region. If you know of any local events in your region that involve wild mushrooms, please share information about these with us.

If you have any questions or are willing to assist us with any of these research efforts, please email Amy Wrobleski at acw208@psu.edu or call (832) 647-7701.

Also written by Rebecca Bliege Bird, Professor of Anthropology and Amy Wrobleski, Ph.D. Graduate Student in Ecology, Penn State University