Plan Mushroom Hunt Anywhere!

Summary of our Webinar on 16th April, 2020

Yes!! We are sure that you all must be surprised reading the title - but this is the Mushroom season and so we did not want the mushroom lovers to stay away from mushrooms, and so we decided to talk to them on how they can plan to hunt for mushrooms in safe zones - green patches and their own gardens!

In this article, we will summarize all that we talked about in our Webinar. We welcome your feedback and suggestions, if any!

What tools to carry?

All you need are the following things: 

• A knife or a cutter - to cut the mushrooms 
• A basket - of course to carry your lovely mushrooms back home
• A punched plastic bag
• Cell phone with GPS
• Whistle - to get children back to you (in case you take your children along)
• Torch 
• Magnifying lenses 
• Raincoats and Gumboots - to protect yourself from the rains! 
• Long pants 

Some precautions to take

Always wash the mushrooms before consuming them

Avoid eating raw mushrooms

Remember, when in doubt - throw it out!

Avoid immature mushrooms

DO NOT consume the ones with the milky juice

Avoid species whose flesh changes color when bruised or cut

Familiarize yourself thoroughly with a few species at first and then gradually extend your knowledge to others

Where can you spot mushrooms?

Dead logs

Barks of trees

Soil/Compost Peat

Open grass lawns

Humid ecosystems

Shady areas

Railway tracks

Sides of Footpaths

Deep Forests

Morels (Morchella) the most common foraged mushrooms in Spring

These are yellow or black in color with pitted caps appearing irregularly honey-combed or sponge-like. You can slice it to identify these mushrooms. When sliced into half, the stem is attached to the cap & the mushroom is hollow.

Different varieties of mushrooms that you can spot

Tasting mushrooms safely…

Follow the steps:

Chew ------>Wait -------> Spit --------> Rinse

In case of accidentally eating unidentified mushroom:

• Puke forcefully
• Drink as much water as you can

Sustainable Mushroom Hunting

How to Document your findings?

• Upload your finding on inaturalist app, along with coordinates
• Clear photograph from front and back side

A WORD OF CAUTION!

All fungi are edible, some fungi are edible ONLY ONCE! So, please be careful! 

So what are you waiting for??
Go for Mushroom hunt today in safe zones around you and reach out to us for any queries on +91-8894486066!
Take Care!