wild edible mushrooms Archives * The Hunter Gatherer Society

Oyster mushrooms growing in overlapping clusters on a mossy fallen log in a Pacific Northwest forest

Oyster Mushroom Identification Guide: Edibility, Lookalikes, Harvesting, and Complete Field Guide

Introduction Oyster mushrooms are some of the most useful wild edible mushrooms to learn because they are common, flavorful, and easier to recognize than many gilled mushrooms once you understand the full identification pattern. They grow from wood, often in overlapping shelf-like clusters, with pale gills that run down a short side stem or attach near the base of the cap. This oyster mushroom identification guide covers how to identify oyster mushrooms, where they grow, when to look for them, how to separate them from important lookalikes, and how to harvest and cook them safely. Oyster mushrooms usually refer to mushrooms in the genus Pleurotus. The classic oyster mushroom is Pleurotus ostreatus, but several related oyster species occur across North[…]

Lobster mushrooms partially buried in forest duff with bright orange tops showing

Lobster Mushroom Identification Guide: How to Identify, Harvest, and Cook Lobster Mushrooms

July 27, 2026 rpolipnick Foraging, Foraging Wild Edible Plants and Mushrooms, Wild Edible Mushrooms Foraging Guides

Lobster mushrooms are one of the easiest wild edible mushrooms to recognize once you know what you are looking at. Their bright orange-red color, firm white interior, and strange twisted shape make them stand out on the forest floor. They are also one of the more unusual wild edibles because the “lobster mushroom” is not a normal mushroom species by itself. It is a parasitic fungus, Hypomyces lactifluorum, growing over and transforming another mushroom, usually a Russula or Lactarius species. When fresh, lobster mushrooms are dense, meaty, and mildly seafood-like. They are excellent in soups, chowders, sautés, pasta, tacos, and anywhere you want a firm mushroom that holds its shape. Quick Answer: Are Lobster Mushrooms Edible? Yes. Lobster mushrooms are[…]

Golden chanterelle mushrooms growing on a mossy forest floor for a chanterelle mushroom identification guide

Chanterelle Mushroom Identification Guide: Edibility, Lookalikes, Harvesting, and Complete Field Guide

July 20, 2026 rpolipnick Foraging, Foraging Wild Edible Plants and Mushrooms

Chanterelle mushrooms are some of the most loved wild edible mushrooms in the world. They are beautiful, fragrant, flavorful, and exciting to find. Their colors can range from golden yellow and orange to white, red, pink, gray, brown, or even black, depending on the species. Some look like classic golden chanterelles, while others appear as white chanterelles, cinnabar chanterelles, smooth chanterelles, yellowfoot chanterelles, or black trumpets. That variety is part of what makes chanterelles fascinating. It is also why beginners need to slow down. The word “chanterelle” does not refer to one single mushroom. It is a common name used for several edible mushrooms in the genera Cantharellus and Craterellus. These mushrooms grow from soil near trees because they form[…]

Cluster of common puffball mushrooms growing on the forest floor for a puffball mushroom identification guide

Puffball Mushroom Identification Guide: Edibility, Uses, Harvesting, and Complete Field Guide

June 29, 2026 rpolipnick Foraging, Foraging Wild Edible Plants and Mushrooms

Puffballs are some of the most approachable wild mushrooms for beginners, but they also come with one rule that cannot be skipped: Cut every puffball open before eating it. That one step is what separates a safe puffball harvest from a dangerous mistake. The common puffball, also known as the gem-studded puffball or warted puffball, is a small white mushroom that often appears on the forest floor, along trails, in open woods, and sometimes in disturbed grassy areas. Its scientific name is Lycoperdon perlatum, and it is one of the most widely recognized small puffballs in North America. MushroomExpert describes it as probably the most commonly seen woodland puffball in North America, while the Missouri Department of Conservation describes it[…]

Chicken of the woods mushroom growing in bright orange shelves on a tree trunk in a forest for a wild mushroom identification guide

Chicken of the Woods Identification Guide: Edibility, Uses, Harvesting, and Complete Field Guide

June 27, 2026 rpolipnick Foraging, Foraging Wild Edible Plants and Mushrooms, Wild Edible Plants Foraging and Identification Guides

Chicken of the woods is one of those wild mushrooms that can stop you in your tracks. Bright orange shelves glow from tree trunks, fallen logs, and old stumps like something placed there on purpose. For many beginner mushroom hunters, chicken of the woods is one of the first edible wild mushrooms that feels truly approachable. It is bold, colorful, easy to spot, and very different from many gilled mushrooms. But easy to spot does not mean careless to harvest. Chicken of the woods is the common name for several mushrooms in the Laetiporus group. These mushrooms grow from wood, usually form shelves or rosettes, and have tiny pores underneath instead of gills. Some species grow on hardwoods, while others[…]