Beginner's Guide to Chanterelle Mushroom Foraging in Washington :: Fun Fall Activities to try in the Pacific Northwest
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This year for Evan’s birthday weekend, he decided he wanted to go mushroom foraging! It’s something a lot of his family has been doing for years but neither of us had tried it so we decided to give it a go! We ended up having such a blast and I thought it was something cool to do that’s a little different so today I’m sharing some tips and things I learned in case you want to try it for yourself!
What to Know
Before you think about going you definitely want to make sure you’re educated and well prepared. We went with family who taught us the basics and knew where to go, but I know that isn’t the case for everyone so here are some helpful resources to guide you. The first one specific to Washington state that I recommend checking out is the Puget Sound Mycological Society which is a full-blown organization specifically focused on mushrooms! Apparently, the one in Washington is also one of the largest chapters in the country too! Although if you aren’t based in Washington there are chapters all over so be sure to find the one nearest you. If you check out their website you’ll find a wealth of resources with everything you need to know from rules and needed permits (depending on where you’re going), mushroom identification, book recommendations and even recipes! They also offer classes on mushroom identification and even do field trips where you can go out together (restricted during COVID). Definitely worth checking it out!
I also found a number of great books on the topic that will walk you through what you need to know. Here are 3 popular and well-reviewed options.
The number one thing you definitely want to be confident of before going is your ability to identify the Chanterelles — I don’t want anyone getting sick here! Having a resource on-hand to double-check the ones you picked when you get home before you eat them is a good idea too.
When to Go
Once you’ve learned some of the basics, let’s chat about when to go. This is going to depend on your region, but for Washington Labor Day to the first frost is generally the prime season. Although some of the group we went with said they can be found as early as July and intro January if we don’t get a bad freeze. It really just depends on where you are and the weather because mushrooms need wet conditions to grow. That being said, we all know Washington gets a lot of rain so it makes sense why our area has one of the most expansive selections of mushrooms in the world!
What to wear
Now that we’ve been, I definitely have some recommendations for what to wear! I didn’t totally nail this our first go-around. I’d compare it to similar clothing you’d wear hiking in the Fall in Washington. Decently warm and most importantly waterproof! I didn’t really know what to expect and didn’t realize we’d be walking through brush so I just wore yoga pants with hiking shoes and my ankles got pretty scratched up. So that being said here’s what I’d recommend.
Raincoat or something waterproof and decently warm
Rainboots, or hiking boots with tall socks — If you go with rainboots I’d pick shorter ones if possible, I know my tall hunter rainboots make it kind of tricky to walk and you’ll be walking over logs and through brush
Hat — again, walking through tree branches and in the forest so this will help protect your face and not get your hair stuck in anything!
Gardening gloves — These are a personal choice but I liked having them to keep my hands a little cleaner. I’d recommend rubberized ones if you do too to keep your hands dry
What to Bring
Beyond what you wear, here are some other things you’ll want to bring:
Something to carry them in — We just used canvas bags but I’ve also seen it recommended that you use baskets
Knife or garden clippers — Any kind of knife will really do, but they even make ones specifically for foraging. You can also use gardening clippers which is what we did
Where to Go
Luckily for us, we went with Evan’s family who already had some go-to spots in our area. If that isn’t the case for you though, there are a ton of places to go! I pulled together a few different guides to lead you in the right direction:
What You’re Looking for
Chanterelles are known for their yellowy-orange color which separates them from some other varieties. They grow on the forest floor and we found quite a few near logs, or by trees, and also in mossy shrub filled areas. Some areas they were easier than others to spot but with a lot of fallen leaves a similar color they can blend in. It’s kind of like an Easter egg hunt in the forest! Here are some of the key things you’re looking for to ID chanterelles (but again, make sure you do your own research because there’s a few lookalikes)
Golden color
Veins go all the way down to the stem
The “veins” are just ridges and not actual gills like you see in grocery store mushrooms
The stems are solid all the way through and not hollow
Don’t usually grow in clusters but if you find one there’s usually another one or a few nearby
The caps aren’t slimy like some other mushrooms — they can be damp but won’t feel like a slug walked over them
Once you find them, you’ll want to slice or clip them at the bottom of the stem, brush off any bigger chunks of dirt and put them in your bag. Then when you’re home, you can lay them out on a cookie sheet for a day or two until the remaining dirt dries and then you can brush off the dirt with a toothbrush and then they’ll be ready to eat if you’re cooking them fresh! You can also dry them out, freeze them or can them. Lots of different options.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful and give it a try! We had such a fun time our first trip and probably found 30+ between the two of us! So we’ll definitely be enjoying those in the meantime and looking forward to our next trip!