Imagine walking through the woods on a clear autumn day. Morning dew glistens on fir boughs as watery sunlight filters through the canopy. The air is crisp but you can just pick out the scent of rich duff — the fallen needles, leaves, and cones now decaying on the forest floor. Turning your gaze downward, you spy a button-shaped mushroom peeking out from the dirt.

You’ve just opened a door into the magical — and immense — world of fungi.

Mushrooms play a big role in PNW culture. Many people enjoy cooking them into their favorite homemade dish, or simply savoring those someone else has prepared. For others, the joy comes from experiencing nature firsthand and doing the dirty work. The hunting and harvesting, that is.

Local restaurants like Takibi often feature seasonal mushrooms like morels on their menus. | Photo by @takibi_pdx

We rounded up some local resources and tips for those interested in learning more about wild edible mushrooms. But first, a quick disclaimer: Never consume anything that you aren’t 100% certain you can identify as safe.

Timing

Fall is the best time to look for edible mushrooms in our region. The season generally starts in late August and lasts through November — and sometimes into December. Other mushrooms, like morels, are among those that you’ll find in the spring. Notice a trend? It all hinges upon rainfall.

Location

The mushroom foraging community is notoriously tight-lipped about sharing hunting ground locations. But all you need to know is that mushrooms grow in wooded areas — so start there. Just be sure you aren’t on private property and double-check permit rules.

Amanita muscaria can sometimes be found in Portland, but they are not edible. | Photo by @fungifinderpdx

Identifying

Correctly identifying fungi starts with knowing how to ID trees; mushrooms often like to grow in the soft, spongy ground under Douglas firs, cedars, and evergreens. Forage with an expert in the beginning and always carry a field guide, such as:

"All the Rain Promises and More" by David Arora
"Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest" by Steve Trudell
"Mushrooms of Cascadia" by Noah Siegel + Christian Schwarz

Two more golden rules are to never pick very young mushrooms and always leave some behind — this ensures they'll drop spores and start the next round of growth.

Get involved

Go on field trips, learn from experienced identifiers, or just grow your mycology knowledge by joining the Portland-based Oregon Mycological Society. Tap the collective wisdom of the 168,000+ members of the Pacific Northwest Mushroom Identification Forum Facebook group, or sign up for a class at WildCraft Studio School.

If your iNaturalist observation gets at least two agreeing IDs, it will be listed as "research grade." | Photo by PDXtoday

Here are some upcoming events to put on your radar:

2024 Oregon Mycological Society Fall Show | Sunday, Oct. 27 | 12-5 p.m. | World Forestry Center's Miller Hall | $15 | Look at carefully curated displays of fungi from around the region, browse books for sale, try mushroom cooking samples + chat with experts.
Tryon MycoBlitz 2024 | Thursday, Oct. 24-Tuesday, Oct. 29 | Tryon Creek State Natural Area | Free | Help document fungi throughout the park by taking + uploading mushroom photos to the iNaturalist app.