Collecting Wild Mushrooms Safely

Wow! I look outside here in upper Michigan. It is the end of March and it looks like the middle of January. With a temperature of 4 degrees. This is too cold even for us.I just thought I would touch on something that is often overlooked by many mushroom hunters. Pay attention to where you are picking the wild mushrooms. As the old saying goes “Garbage in, Garbage out”.

Stay away from picking on roadsides. Avoid roadside collecting.

There are a couple of main reasons for this. Mushrooms will concentrate metals from car exhaust. A death was actually reported do to lead poisoning from eating mushrooms picked from the roadside. Also many herbicide sprays are used by the road controlling agency’s.

Many edible mushrooms grow in areas of rotted wood. If you notice any off coloring of the wood (blue, green, red ect.) it may be an indication the area had been sprayed. Use good judgment and some common sense. If in doubt look for a new location.

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8 Comments »

Comment by Erp
2008-03-29 04:56:33

Wow! 4 degrees!! Salute to you admin! Just because i from hot country. However, your post were great and i would like to experience it as you do on future.

 
Comment by erp
2008-03-29 22:56:00

that’s really a cold weather. I’m over the weather is 38 degrees. That’s hot. I do saw a lot of mushroom at the roadside. Besides, i do read a news about people got poisoning after ate a mushroom that they pluck from a roadside..Thanks for sharing all your experience.

 
Comment by erp
2008-03-30 21:20:10

is it poisoned?

 
Comment by Edinmissouri
2008-03-31 14:24:10

Hehe, had a friend who would go into the bowels of the earth for some morels

 
Comment by rafting in chile
2008-03-31 15:49:50

no they are not poisonous, in fact they are really delicious

 
Comment by Tim@Red Deer
2008-04-07 10:01:23

I never thought about spraying and such. Thanks for the tips! Of course, nothing is growing here yet until the frost comes out of the ground late April.

 
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