How to Identify Wild Mushrooms in Illinois
Being able to identify wild mushrooms can allow you to go hunting for mushrooms with confidence, and add them to your regular diet. Since mushrooms grow all over the place, it doesn’t really matter where in Illinois you live. Properly identifying mushrooms is very important before eating them since there are poisonous mushrooms. You never want to eat one without being absolutely sure you know what you are eating. The majority of mushrooms, however, are edible. Mushroom hunting has a long history, and in many areas of the world families hunt mushrooms for survival. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Buy at least two mushroom field guides. Field guides provide color pictures of each mushroom, as well as a description and background information. You want to purchase at least two so you can cross reference each mushroom you find. Many mushrooms appear very similar so you want to be sure what you’ve found.
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Go on a guided mushroom hunt. There are expert mushroom hunters throughout the state of Illinois who host guided hunts and show people where mushrooms typically grow, how to harvest them and which ones are edible. They can also give you some of the history on mushroom hunting.
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Join a group. The Illinois Mycological Association is a group of people who regularly go mushroom hunting. They have taken the time to educate themselves and enjoy learning and knowing about mushrooms. They host regular meetings and events
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Learn about the many varieties of wild mushrooms to be found in Illinois. Among them are oyster mushrooms, which get their name because they look like oysters. They are usually white or gray, sometimes tan. They are smooth and firm. Their gills are white. They have no stalk and grow attached to wood. They are 2-8 inches wide, and they grow in layers.
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Look for Morel mushrooms. Morels are very popular. They grow at th base of dead trees, and they come in a variety of colors. They have short thick stalks. They caps look like a porous sponge or a brain.
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Start out looking for puffball mushrooms. They are good for beginners because they have very distinguished differences from similar poisonous mushrooms. Puffballs are round and white. When you cut them open they are soft like cream cheese. They have no stem and no gills.
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Look carefully to find hen-of the-woods mushrooms. They are well camouflaged and easy to miss. These mushrooms are brownish gray and they grow on tree trunks. They grow in clusters of fan-shaped caps, which overlap each other. They are very wavy looking and can be quite heavy.
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Tips & Warnings
When you go mushroom hunting, you should have with you: your guides, a collection bag, a hiking stick and a jackknife.
Do NOT eat a mushroom unless you know for certain what it is. This article is in no way meant to be used in place of a field guide.
