Exploring the Fun World of Fungi – Mushroom Foraging with Kids
Back when I was in college, I had a friend who would travel back to his home state of Indiana every year to go hunting for morel mushrooms with his family. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to know what mysterious pull mushrooms and other edible fungi have on people that keep them coming back year after year to seek them out. However, it wasn’t until my family visited a local Farmer’s Market in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that my curiosity was piqued enough that I decided to seek out some answers (and mushrooms!) of my own.
It started with a bag of beautiful golden chanterelle mushrooms and a smiling vendor. I was looking for some fresh mushrooms to put into a creamy chicken dish, and he suggested these wild-harvested beauties. We bought a bag for a little less than 10 dollars, brought them back to our Airbnb, and cooked them up.
They were delicious!
But my favorite part about them was that they were wild foraged. I loved the idea of eating delicious meals cooked with ingredients taken from the forest. The idea that these beautiful and delicious fungi had been harvested from the woods instead of being grown on a farm was exciting to me.
Before long, I began to wonder, what would it take to get my family harvesting our own?
What is mushroom foraging?
Mushroom foraging is the process of finding and collecting edible mushrooms for the purpose of eating or selling them to others to eat.
As there are an estimated 5.1 million different species of fungus in the world, it tends to be a much more complex activity than you might think, complicated by the fact that if you choose the wrong mushroom it can have dire consequences. Mushrooms, like the death cap mushroom, can be deadly if consumed.
But it’s also not as complicated as you might fear. Many of the mushrooms that are good to eat are very distinctive in their appearance. Even if you do mix them up with one of their look-alikes, the worst that will happen is a terrible taste or passing an unpleasant night in your bathroom. Deadly mushrooms are rarer, although they are around.
Mushroom foraging should only ever be done under the supervision of someone who knows what they are doing!
But! It is absolutely an activity worth trying!
Why should I forage for mushrooms?
There are a ton of great reasons to try mushroom foraging with your family!
Whether your main reason for foraging is getting some great additions to your next family meal or just getting into nature with your kids, mushroom foraging is the perfect activity to make the most of your time in the woods. Here’s why:
- Mushrooms are fascinating
While I knew that fungi were weird, I didn’t actually realize just how interesting they are before I decided to dive into foraging. Part of that is simply due to their vast numbers and variety, but a larger portion was discovering just how interwoven fungi are in our day-to-day life.
Fungi aren’t just the mushrooms that we eat. They’re also the yeast that we use for making bread and modern medicines. They’re the penicillin that saves countless lives every day. And they’re the communications network for the tree in forests.
The largest single living organism on earth is a fungus! (It lives in Oregon and is roughly 2.4 miles across)
I don’t know what interesting fact I’ll find out about fungi next, but I’m definitely eager to learn it!
- Mushrooms are everywhere
Mushrooms are actually the fruiting bodies of larger underground fungi called mycelia. These mycelia are extremely important to the proper functioning of most natural growth-decay cycles. As such, some form of mycelia, and therefore mushrooms, can be found on every continent around the world, including Antarctica.
No matter where you go in the world, there will almost certainly be a fungus or two to discover!
- Foraging gets you out into nature
The one thing all these mushrooms have in common is that you have to get outside to find them. The best places to find mushrooms are typically woods and forests with plenty of shade and fallen plant matter for them to feed on.
That’s awesome because those places make for some amazing outdoor adventures! Whether it’s the trails through public lands, the woods located on your neighbor’s property, or even just in the shady parts of your own backyard, the chance to get into these wild places is almost as rewarding as the finding of the mushrooms themselves.
Note: Different places have their own rules for whether it is ok to gather mushrooms or not. Some State Forests might allow it. Others do not.
- Mushrooms are super tasty! (and really good for you, too)
Probably the most rewarding part of foraging for mushrooms is getting the mushrooms themselves.
Mushrooms are super tasty and work well in a huge variety of dishes whether you’re using them as a side dish, the main course, or a tasty sauce. On top of that, they are absolutely packed with vitamins and minerals, making them a great addition to any meal!
Please, remember to only forage for mushrooms with someone who absolutely knows what they’re doing! Eating the wrong mushroom will make for a bad day, and can be really dangerous!
How do I find great foraging experiences?
The key to finding great foraging experiences is simple: find great foragers!
While you can sometimes find mushroom foraging experiences on websites like Airbnb or Get Your Guide, it can often be a lot simpler to find experienced foragers in Facebook groups. Because of how popular foraging is, doing a quick search for mushroom foraging groups in your area can turn up groups where you can ask for help.
Since we were in Georgia when we began our search, we joined a group called Georgia Mushrooming and happened to see a post where someone was already looking for someone to help them on a foraging experience. Through that thread, we found Isabelle at Sweet Apple Farm.
If you are located in North Georgia, I highly recommend booking a trip with Isabelle. She has lots of experience foraging mushrooms for local restaurants in the area and was very knowledgeable about the mushrooms in our area. Plus, she did a great job connecting with our kids and helping them to make the experience their own! Send her a message to check out her rates.
For those located outside of Georgia, there are tons of great foragers all across the world who are passionate about mushroom foraging as a hobby and might want to share this wonderful way of experiencing nature with those curious enough to ask.
It’s well worth seeking them out.
Interested in taking a foraging field trip of your own?
