In Ontario, There are some strict laws on where you can forage. Foraging wild mushrooms in Ontario is restricted to private land and Crown land where food gathering is permitted.

It is important to check for permission before harvesting wild mushrooms. Foraging wild mushrooms in provincial parks is illegal. Also, to protect local ecosystems, most Ontario nature reserves, conservation areas, public parks and country forests do not allow food collection.

There are lots of different mushrooms that can be found in Northeastern Ontario, and lots of varieties of those mushrooms. Here is a guide to some of the most popular mushrooms across Northeastern Ontario.

Location: Forests, near open meadows and highly disturbed landscapes burned or grazed areas. A post shared by Camper Christina camperchristina.

Harvesting Time: Spring to summer; sometimes they can be found again in the fall. A post shared by Black River Foraging Co. Related Information: Always cut your puffballs open before cooking and consuming.

If they are not white or they are dusty, they are past edibility. Take them outside and stomp on them to release spores. A post shared by christine. Related information: If you find past-ripe puffballs, squeeze or stomp on them to release the spores so that they can reproduce.

A post shared by Myles canadian. Location: Grow in clusters on wood, decaying logs, stumps and debris. Abby was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario. Abby has worked in hospitality and tourism for over 12 years. Abby currently works for tourism social enterprise Experiences, and is a co-founder of the Beer Baroness Society.

Abby is incredibly passionate about developing tourism in Northern Ontario, and showing off our hidden gems to the world! Take the Survey. About Northern Ontario Canadian Canoe Culture Explore Indigenous Culture Group of Seven How to Fish Plan A Road Trip Plan Your Fall Trip Plan Your Summer Trip Plan Your Winter Trip Where to Eat.

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Nipissing Ice Fishing Girls Trip. Grab your besties and connect IRL with Bam Tours on Lake Nipissing. The Vanishing Waterfall.

Visit the "new" New Post Falls in Northeastern Ontario. Ontario's Secret Lagoon. Discover paradise just outside of Sudbury. Northern Lights in Northeastern Ontario. Where to see Northern Lights In Canada: Northeas5 Great Spots in The Seven to Find the Aurora Borealis tern Ontario.

Join the Ice Fishing Village on Lake Nipissing. Lake Nipissing Fishing Hot Spots. Nipissing is one massive lake with plenty of fishing opportunities to keep anglers exploring. And the best way to do that is to get a good mushroom-identification book.

Even mushrooms that are free of toxins can sometimes be contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals used by road crews, landscapers, and farming operations, warns Sister Marie Kopin, C.

Some people may have adverse reactions to these chemicals, or experience environmental allergies or previously unknown mushroom allergies that they mistake for mushroom poisoning. If a day or two passes and you still feel fine, it should be okay for you to incorporate them into your diet.

Thankfully, mushroom-hunting gear is generally pretty basic, inexpensive stuff. Almost all edible mushrooms taste amazing sautéed with butter and either garlic or shallots. But it bears repeating: Cook mushrooms thoroughly before eating, and never eat them raw. Consult your guidebook for cooking tips specific to each species.

You can find a list of local clubs through the NAMA website. These clubs are full of people of all experience levels who are more than happy to help newbies get acquainted with the hobby and avoid bad outcomes. They often host foraging expeditions led by veteran foragers , as well as talks by biologists, medical professionals, chefs, and authors of mushroom books.

There are few better resources out there. Specific species of mushrooms like to grow under specific trees or bushes, and often pop up in proximity to other telltale mushrooms or plants.

After all, half the fun is the thrill of the chase. If you do the necessary research and equip yourself with the right tools, you can become a proficient mushroom forager in just one or two seasons, bringing home enough delicious edibles to feed a whole family plus some lucky neighbors. Lactarius deliciosus.

False Saffron Milkcap. Lactarius deterrimus. Lactarius helvus. Lactarius pubescens. Lactarius torminosus. Lactifluus vellereus. Chicken Of The Woods. Laetiporus sulphureus. Stinking Dapperling.

Lepiota cristata. Lepista nuda. Lepista personata. Leucoagaricus leucothites. Leucocybe connata. Lycoperdon excipuliforme.

Lycoperdon nigrescens. Lycoperdon perlatum. Lycoperdon utriforme. Lyophyllum decastes. Macrocystidia cucumis. Macrolepiota mastoidea. Macrolepiota procera. Fairy Ring Champignons. Marasmius oreades. Megacollybia platyphylla.

Meripilus giganteus. Morchella esculenta. Morchella importuna. Morchella semilibera. Morchella vulgaris. Mucidula mucida. Mutinus caninus. Mycena galericulata. Mycena pura. Mycena rosea. Panaeolina foenisecii.

Egghead Mottlegill. Panaeolus semiovatus. Panus conchatus. Paralepista flaccida. Paxillus involutus. Phaeolepiota aurea. Phaeolus schweinitzii. Phallus impudicus. Pholiota aurivella. Pholiota squarrosa. Pleurotus ostreatus. Pleurotus pulmonarius.

Plicaturopsis crispa. Pluteus cervinus. Polyporus tuberaster. Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis. Pseudohydnum gelatinosum. Psilocybe semilanceata. Yellow False Truffle. Rhizopogon luteolus. Rhodocollybia butyracea. Spotted Toughshank.

Rhodocollybia maculata. Rhodotus palmatus. Yellow Swamp Brittlegill. Russula claroflava. Russula cyanoxantha. Russula emetica. Geranium Brittlegill. Russula fellea. Blackening Brittlegill. Russula nigricans. Beechwood Sickener.

Russula nobilis. Ochre Brittlegill. Russula ochroleuca. Powdery Brittlegill. Russula parazurea. Least Stinking Brittlegill. Russula subfoetens. Purple Brittlegill. Russula undulata. Greencracked Brittlegill. Russula virescens. Sarcoscypha austriaca. Schizophyllum amplum.

Schizophyllum commune.

In this guide, we'll help you identify some common edible mushrooms and highlight which ones are poisonous, how they may resemble edible varieties, and why they should be avoided.

When searching for mushrooms in the wild, inexperienced foragers should search for mushrooms alongside an experienced and trusted mycologist. Chanterelles and Jack-o'-lantern mushrooms look a lot alike; however, Jack-o'-lanterns should not be eaten as they are poisonous.

They will not kill the average adult, but eating them will result in several days of digestive discomfort. The gold-yellowish or brilliant orange color of chanterelles makes them easy to spot during a walk in the woods. Chefs love to cook with chanterelles because of their unique peppery, peachy, apricot flavor and because they are found only in the wild.

Where they grow: Chanterelles are found on the east and west coasts of the U. At maturity, eastern chanterelles tend to be smaller about the size of a fist than those on the west coast, which can weigh up to two pounds.

When to forage: You can forage east coast chanterelles during the summer and early fall, and west coast chanterelles from September to February.

Habitat: Chanterelles tend to grow in small clusters among hardwoods, conifers, shrubs, and bushes, though usually several feet away from the base of trees. They are also often found in leaf litters of mountainous forests and among grasses and mosses. How to identify: You can pull chanterelles apart much like a stick of string cheese.

Their interior is solid and white. They have wavy, funnel-shaped caps and no gills, although they could display gill-like ridges running down the stem.

East of the Rocky Mountains, Omphalotus illudens is bright orange, almost shiny. West of the Rockies, Omphalotus olivascens grows in southern and central California. Omphalotus olivascens is olive in color, mixed with orange. Chanterelles have blunt, gill-like ridges on the cap to the stem.

In chanterelles, the interior of the stem is paler than the exterior. Jack-o'-lanterns also primarily grow in hardwood forests where they feed off decaying wood, so you'll see them on fallen logs or at the base of dead trees. Chanterelles are usually further away from healthy, living wood.

Jack-o'-lanterns grow in large clusters, whereas chanterelles tend to grow in smaller clumps that are more spread out.

The jack-o'-lantern's cap will almost look like it's been waxed, it's so shiny, whereas the chanterelle's has a rougher texture. Two more mushrooms that are difficult to tell apart are morels and their toxic identical twin, but as you'll learn, there are key differences that can clear up any confusion.

They range in color from cream to almost black, and their honeycomb pattern makes them easy to spot. They're hard to find, and thus special—not to mention utterly delicious, converting many a non-mushroom-lover to fandom.

Where they grow: Morels grow in almost every state. Exceptions are Florida and Arizona, which are too hot and arid for these mushrooms to thrive. When to forage: You can forage morels in the early spring before trees leaf out and make them harder to spot.

Habitat: Morels thrive in moist areas and on specific tree types—ash, tulip, oak, hickory, sycamore, cottonwood, maple, beech, conifers, and apples.

How to identify: Look for the iconic honeycomb-looking or corrugated-type cap that grows above a white stem. Inside, it will be hollow all the way from cap through stem when cut open. There are approximately a dozen species of false morels that grow in the United States. False morels fruit in the spring at the same time as morels as well as in the summer and fall.

How to differentiate from an edible morel: Though people sometimes confuse the two, they are actually quite different. The caps of false morels have a wrinkled, brain-like, or saddle-shaped structure rather than a honeycomb look. Also, when sliced down the middle lengthwise from the top, false morels have a cotton-ball-looking substance inside their stems.

They are not hollow, unlike true morels. Their color is more red, purple, and brown, whereas the true morel is yellow, gray, or tan in appearance.

And the former is definitely less attractive. As one source explains , "To put it simply, a false morel looks a true morel that was stepped on and left out in the sun and rain.

Mushrooms in the genus Amanita are among the deadliest in the world. Here are some ways to recognize and avoid two of these.

This highly toxic mushroom Amanita phalloides is blamed for the most mushroom poisonings in the world. While native to Europe, death caps also form on the east and west coasts of the United States and in Canada.

Description: Death caps have a 6-inch-wide cap, often sticky to the touch, that can be yellowish, brownish, whitish or greenish in color. The cap has white gills and grows on a stalk about 5 inches tall with skirting on the stem and a white cup at its base. It can emit a faint, honey-sweet smell that some describe as an unpleasant, cleaning-product smell.

Can be confused with: Young death caps can resemble puffballs, including genera Calvatia, Calbovista, and Lycoperdon, as well as tropical edible paddy-straw mushrooms. When seen: Death caps can appear from September to November.

Habitat: Under pines, oaks, dogwoods, and other trees. Destroying angels get their name from their pure white stalks and caps. Like the death caps, they belong to the genus Amanita , with several species occurring in different regions of the country. All Amanita varieties have a similar white fruiting body.

Ingesting a half-cap can kill a healthy adult. Description: An attractive white cap, stalk, and gills. Can be confused with: In their button stage, destroying angels can be confused with button mushrooms, meadow mushrooms, horse mushrooms, and puffballs.

When seen: Destroying angels appear in the summer and autumn months. Habitat: All Amanita species form relationships with the roots of certain trees. Destroying angels can be found in or near woodlands or near shrubs and trees in suburban lawns or meadows.

How to identify: The cap should have a few loose flecks left over from a veil that covered the mushroom in its early fruiting stage. It will have a bulbous skirt around the stem that contains most of its toxins, as well as a cup at the stem's base, known as the volva, which could be hidden underground.

There are plenty of edible mushrooms that are safe to eat. We've highlighted three you might find on your next search. Also known as the bearded tooth, hedgehog, or pompom mushroom, the distinctive Hericium erinaceus can be found growing on hardwood trees in late summer and fall.

Its distinctive shape, which resembles the mane of a male lion or a pompom, is unlike any other mushroom. Its taste is also unique and often compared to seafood.

How to identify: Beech trees are frequent hosts, as are other types of hardwood. Its yellow to orange cap and fruity odor are reminiscent of its summer-fruiting relative the golden chanterelle, but its tooth-covered underside distinguishes it from potential look-alikes.

Distinguishing between different gill types can be daunting for novices, but it is far easier to tell teeth from gills. The teeth on the underside are one of the easiest ways to spot aptly named hedgehog mushrooms. As a general rule mushrooms with gills are hard to identify, and not for beginning foragers.

There are a number of species, and they spread across a long season. My friend Colleen at Grow Forage Cook Ferment has a guide to foraging oyster mushrooms. Their bright coloration and distinctive shape make lobster mushrooms easy to identify.

These commonly cultivated mushrooms are incredibly easy to grow, and they often escape cultivation into the wild. Once we started growing wine cap mushrooms I saw them everywhere. Winecap mushrooms turn woodchips and garden debris into compost, and you can harvest edible mushrooms as a byproduct.

It grows year-round, even thriving in sub-zero temperatures. It tends to pop up repeatedly in decomposing wood after rain or snowstorms. Several large orange jelly fungus Dacrymyces palmatus growing out of the cut end of a downed hemlock log.

Beyond easy to identify edible mushrooms, there are a number of medicinal mushrooms that are perfect for beginners. While they might not make a good risotto, their potent medicinal properties make them worth foraging to make into tea, tincture, and other remedies.

Hi Ashley, I live in Highgate, VT. I have been picking calvatia Gigantea, giant puffball, for the past month. I welcome you to visit and pick a choice one from our property. I have been having various meals from them.

Thank you, Ashley. I visited the area of the woods today and there is only one large one that has not yet begun to spore. I had read on your website that after many years of foraging you had not seen one in the wild. I was simply offering an opportunity to pick one for yourself.

The offer to forage here is unending. The spore- formers do have their own schedule! Hey Steve, Thanks so much for the offer! Very good article! We have foraged for all but only get half of what you have. The one we have discovered just this year, picking a few pounds every time we went out right up to October 28 is the black trumpet.

Oh so good right up there with chantrells. A very great year all around. Photos I have. Ashley, Please read up on the only Shaggy Mane look alike called… THE VOMITER. Do it ASAP!! Thank you for sharing that. I did do some research on this particular mushroom and I did read that it is commonly confused with the shaggy mane but honestly I am not sure how.

They seem to have a totally different shape. Do you have some additional resources on this? But we have a good variety of exotic mushrooms grown here. Do you have a book on mushrooms, or any other wild edibles that I might purchase. I would love to support all the work you do.

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For more details, visit my disclosures page. Disclaimer : Every year people are poisoned by eating wild mushrooms that closely resemble edible species. Although mushroom poisonings are rare in the grand scheme of things, be aware that you are responsible for proper identification AND consulting multiple sources for your identification.

By all means, pick a few of each type of mushroom you find. When you pick your mushrooms, take notes on where they were growing. Snap a picture or two of the mushroom up close. If you know the species of tree, put that down in your notebook. If all else fails, post your pictures and notes to an online forum and see if people confirm or correction you IDs.

And keep in mind, foraging is more fun with friends. That same NAMA chapter may host foraging trips — why not join in the fun! Nothing whets that appetite for foraging like success, which is why it makes sense to begin with mushrooms that are delicious, easy to identify, and that have few poisonous imposters.

Morels do have an imposter known as the False Morel but distinguishing between the two is as simple as cutting them in half. Morels will be hollow from stem to cap. False Morels have a cottony texture filling their stems.

Chanterelles also have an imposter, the Jack-o-Lantern. Chanterelles are most easily identified by their gills. A true Chanterelles has false gills that look more like ridges than traditional mushroom gills. Jack-o-Lanterns will have gills that look more like those you see on mushrooms in the grocery store.

If you take a dog with you, make sure you have the means to clean up after it. Then, dig one carefully up so that you collect its complete base. And pack them out in mesh bags or baskets so the spores have a chance to stay in the wilderness and create more mushrooms.

Foraging for wild mushrooms is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. As long as you are willing to start slow and hone your mushroom identification skills over time, your patience will be rewarded with many memorable days spent outdoors, the satisfaction of gathering your own food, and tasty meals that most people never get to sample.

Spring weather sends Morel mushroom foragers out to their favorite spots in search of these tasty gems. The full article These mushroom recipes include home-cooked favorites, plus exotic dishes from famous chefs who love to cook with mushrooms.

The recipes One of the most fun things you can do as a mushroom lover is to grow your own with mushroom grow kits. Read the full article Mushroom hunting , mushrooming , mushroom picking , mushroom foraging , and similar terms describe the activity of gathering mushrooms in the wild.

This is typically done for culinary use, although medicinal and psychotropic uses are also known. This practice is popular throughout most of Europe, Australia, Asia, as well as in the temperate regions of Canada and the United States.

Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushrooms are essential for correct visual mushroom identification. Numerous field guides on mushrooms are available and recommended to help distinguish between safe and edible mushrooms, and the many poisonous or inedible species.

A common mushroom identification technique is the spore print , in which a mushroom is placed on a surface and spores are allowed to fall underneath. This technique is often used by mycologists and mushroom hunters distinguish identify the genus of a specimen and differentiate between similar-looking species.

Knowing where and when to search for mushrooms is an important identification skill that takes practice. Most mushroom species require specific conditions. For example, some species only grow at the base of a certain type of tree.

Finding a desired species known to grow in a certain particular region can be challenging. Nuclear fallout from the Chernobyl disaster is an important issue concerning mushroom picking in Europe. Due to the wide spread of their mycelium , mushrooms tend to accumulate more radioactive caesium than surrounding soil and other organisms.

State agencies e. Bellesrad in Belarus monitor and analyze the degree of radionuclide accumulation in various wild species of plants and animals. In particular, Bellesrad claims that Svinushka Paxillus ssp. The safest one is Opyonok Osyenniy Armillaria mellea.

This is an issue not only in Poland , Belarus , Ukraine and Russia : the fallout also reached western Europe, and until recently the German government discouraged people gathering certain mushrooms. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. The stock is quite mild but really suits tomato based curries.

For more details about the dryads saddle in our wild mushroom guide click here. Wood Ears. Identification Safety Rating 10 out of 10 Identifying Wood Ears is easy, as long as you know what an Elder Tree looks like.

These mushrooms grow almost exclusively on dead or broken Elder Trees. The safe part is that nothing else that looks anything like them will grow on an Elder.

So if you see a mushroom like the ones above growing on an Elder, you can be sure you have a Wood Ear. A bonus with the wood ear is that it is the only edible mushroom you can be pretty sure of finding at any time of year.

The picture above was taken around February, but the mushrooms will stay on the tree all through summer, drying out themselves before rehydrating when it rains. We tend to harvest them when dry on the tree, as that saves us the process of drying them ourselves when we get home.

In the Kitchen Culinary Rating 5 out of 10 These mushrooms are used quite extensively in oriental cuisine, and hence can now be bought in most supermarkets. They are reasonably versatile and sometimes used fresh in soups and stir frys. They only take a couple of minutes to rehydrate.

Unfortunately the jelly like texture tends not to agree with western tastes. You can rehydrate them in whatever liquid you want to.

Beef stock, chicken stock or even wine to enhance them with the flavour that best suits your dish. For some fun; because of the jelly like texture, you can re-hydrate them in orange juice, put them on a thin cake base and cover them in chocolate to make a mushroom Jaffa Cake :.

For more details about the wood ear in our wild mushroom guide click here. The other 2 are that this mushroom does have a stem, which tapers down a bit like the stem on a wine glass.

The stem and the back of the scarlet elfcup are also never the same colour as the cup itself. They are always a more orange to off white colour.

You can both see and hear the spores being released from this mushroom by picking one, quickly blowing across the cap and holding it near to your ear. This mushroom also grows in mid winter when not many others do. From December up to March is when you are most likely to find them.

There is one mushroom that you could mistake these for that is very similar. That is the Ruby Elfcup. It has all the same features with a slightly deeper colouring, but that would not be a dangerous mistake to make as it is equally as edible.

In the Kitchen Culinary Rating 8 out of 10 Slightly unexpectedly, these little cups have a lovely mushroomy flavour, and a reasonably firm texture. Lightly cooked they make a lovely colourful addition to any salad, but use them in any dish in a similar way to normal mushrooms, or cook them a bit more to use as a red mushroom garnish on top of a steak.

For more details about scarlet elf cups in our wild mushroom guide click here. I think the cauliflower fungus looks more like a pasta chef has had a very experimental afternoon!

They will grow to a very large size as you can see from the picture above Eric is a size 9 shoe. We have seen larger than this and heard stories of cauliflower fungus reaching over a metre in diameter, though I cannot confirm those.

Like all the other mushrooms in this article we consider this a safe mushroom to pick once mature as at this size and colour with these pasta shell characteristics there is nothing you could mistake it for. When harvesting from a mushroom this size we only tend to take smaller sections rather than the whole thing.

In the Kitchen Culinary Rating 7 out of 10 This is a really tasty mushroom, on a par with the Field Blewit in my opinion, but rated lower in the kitchen due to the preparation and cleaning process.

That goes for any dirt, leaves or any other woodland detritus that the mushroom often grows around too. Once cleaned you have a lovely edible mushroom with an unusual texture. a bit like soft pasta.

For more details about the cauliflower fungus in our wild mushroom guide click here. Identification Safety Rating 9 out of 10 Field Blewits are a gourmet mushroom, much coveted by chefs, and available in most good French markets. As the name suggests, these mushrooms grow in grassy fields, they are also a late fruiting species, normally available from Late October and through November, often into December too.

They are quite hardy and can take a reasonable frost, in fact they wait for the temperature to drop before fruiting, so a warm October is no good for them. Like many other grassland species they grow in rings. We have seen rings of Field Blewits over 25 feet in diameter. From the top they are a relatively non distinct mushroom, and can often be quite hard to spot, but once you have picked them the key identifying feature will become clear.

Nothing else growing in rings in fields from November onwards will have this beautiful downy stem flushed with violet. In the Kitchen Culinary Rating 8 out of 10 Like most wild mushrooms, Field Blewits must be cooked before eating, if consumed raw you are likely to get a bit of a dicky tummy from them.

These really are a lovely mushroomy flavoured mushroom though with a good firm texture if cooked properly. Much coveted by chefs all over Europe you would have to pay roughly 10 times as much for Field Blewits than for your normal button mushrooms if you are lucky enough to find them on sale anywhere in the UK.

Whether they are 10 times as tasty I have my doubts, but you can decide that for yourself when you find them :. They do tend to hold a lot of water so when frying fresh from the forage you may need to keep removing the water from your frying pan for a while in the early stages of cooking unless you want slightly stewed mushrooms, keep the water though as it is lovely mushroomy stock to use later.

For more details about the field blewit in our wild mushroom guide click here. My dilemma is based on the fact that people have been known to poison themselves in the past thinking they were picking Penny Buns. I still believe they are a very safe mushroom to pick though; as long as you follow some simple rules.

The Penny Bun mushroom is in the boletus family of mushrooms. I emphasize this point because the poisonings I have heard of involved people eating gilled mushrooms thinking they were Penny Buns. So you are looking for a mushroom similar to the picture above, with sponge under the cap instead of gills.

There will be no skirt on the stem of the Penny Bun, but as you can see from the photo above there is a webbing effect on the white stem near to where it meets the cap. This web effect is white over a slightly darker background with the Penny Bun and slightly darker on a lighter background for the Bitter Bolete see below.

With the Penny Bun the sponge will be white, the flesh will be white, the stem will be white, and the cap will start whitish when very young, quickly becoming brown as it matures. Apart from that if you follow the rules above you should only ever pick a Penny Bun!

In the Kitchen Culinary Rating 10 out of 10 This and other members of the Boletus family are my personal favourite mushrooms to eat in any way.

The texture and taste are both lovely fresh and can be used in the same way as any normal mushroom. Generally when you buy Penny Buns, or Porcini as they are known in the shops; you buy them dried for soups or stew type dishes.

The process of drying not only means that you can keep them for a very long time but also enhances the flavour. You can rehydrate the mushrooms before cooking if you want to but as long as there is plenty of liquid in whatever you are cooking, there is actually no need as they will re-hydrate through the cooking process.

Therefore to me the most important thing to know about Penny Buns is how to dry them. We favour the air drying method unless you have a dehydrator handy. Simply cut the mushrooms to about half centimeter slices, put them on a wire rack or anything else that will let the air circulate around them and point a fan at them until they are dry.

This preserves all the fresh flavour. For more details about penny buns in our wild mushroom guide click here. Identification Safety Rating 9 out of 10 Oyster Mushrooms get their name because of the wavy oyster shell like edge to the caps of the mature specimens, as you can see in the photo above.

None are deadly though. Most notably the oysterling which looks very similar to a young oyster mushroom. So for the novice forager we recommend only harvesting mature specimens with a cap of over 10cm in diameter.

They grow from almost any type of dead wood, we have even seen them growing from skirting boards. They are a gilled mushroom, not a polypore. Those gills are its last key identifier, they run down the stem very far, often all the way to the wood the mushroom is growing from.