Tag Archives: Foraging

Afternoon drive to Green Ridge

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Well I found myself with a rare afternoon with no plans, so I decided to take a drive to Green Ridge to see if the Morel mushrooms were out yet. I know it’s mid may but we have had a cold and snowy spring here in Madras, so I was not sure if I would find them or not.

The drive out of town was spectacular as always. I took the route around lake Billy Chinook and up through Grandview and 3 Rivers into the mountains.

There are some great views of the Cascade range along this route and it was a perfect day to see them.

The road winded through the mountains mile after mile as I looked for likely spots for the mushrooms to grow. I checked disturbed areas and burns as these are spots the morels seem to be found in.

I continued deeper into the mountains checking here and there and driving slowly while checking the roadside until eventually I started finding a few Morels.

Did I mention that the views of the valley and lake Billy Chinook from Green Ridge are truly awesome? well they are and it is well worth the drive just to see them.

If you find yourself with a few hours to kill, I suggest taking a drive out toward Green Ridge. The roads are unmaintained for the most part, but not too rough for most vehicles. and it is always a great and scenic drive especially in the spring.

Finally Fall, now comes the rain.

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I have been looking forward to fall since last winter, Don’t get me wrong I love summer as much as the next person, but the majority of my foraging is done when the rains start. I have already collected my Huckleberries and choke cherries, I have made fireweed jelly and elderberry syrup and now it is time to find mushrooms.

I have a few spots that I frequent to search for mushrooms and the rains have finally come so off I go. The drive to Mt. Hood was quiet as the rain was sprinkling on the windshield, just quiet conversation with my wife Pam and anticipation of what we hoped to find when we got there.

We cheked a few spots that we had found while hunting last year and came up with a few good finds. Even though it is only September, there are already Chanterelles and Corals coming up. We even found some Chicken of the woods and even a few fried chicken mushrooms, not bad for late september.

Now to get out the dehydrator and preserve these for winter. I have a few recipes I am wanting to try and I will let you know how they turn out. It seems we are off to a good start so if the weather continues to cooperate we should have a good stock for winter.

As always be safe in the woods and when foraging wild mushrooms make double sure what you have before consuming them.

Foraging Wild Mushrooms

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As promised I am writing about my recent trip foraging for mushrooms. In a previous article I mention that I had found a good mushroom spot along the salmon river in Oregon. I returned to this spot after the hunting season to see if there were any mushrooms left.

The weather had turned cold at the end of the Archery season and we even had a bit of snow. As is usually the case the snow didn’t last long and the temps warmed up, so I ventured back to my hunting spot to see what mushrooms had survived.

On the drive in I saw many mushrooms along the roadside, most of which are inedible but nonetheless a good indicator that the bloom was still on.

I did manage to spot a small patch of White Chanterelles along the road emerging under a rhododendron bush. This was a great find and we were off to a good start. I didn’t leave my house until almost noon, so I knew time was limited. So not as much hiking as I would have liked.

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The meadow I was going to is surrounded by old growth forest and is really more of a rhododendron bog, very difficult to hike through. I finally got there about 3:30pm after checking a couple places on the way in. I was pleased to see many Matsutake mushrooms growing on the roadside as I approached my destination, and I quickly had a gallon or so of these. As always I examined them much more closely once I got home and found that about half of what I had, looked like Death Caps a Matsutake look alike and a very common mistake. Know your mushrooms!!  These a very similar and VERY easy to get mixed up when they are covered in dirt and grow in the same areas.

Matsutake Mushroom
Death Cap (Amenita genus)

Anyway, once at the meadow I encountered the abundance of mushrooms I had remembered from hunting season. There were mushrooms everywhere, so I grabbed my pack and my rifle (hiking alone in this area is not wise even with a gun) and off I went.

At first all I saw was a beautiful but inedible collection of mushrooms. Mushrooms of every color, reds, oranges, brown, purple, pink, white and even black. once I got down the hill and closer to the river though I started seeing what I had come for, Golden Chanterelles. A sea of them.

I quickly filled a one gallon Ziploc bag, and then another. With the weather freezing at night I knew there was no need for restraint as they all would be dead within days, so I continued on. Within about 40 yards I had filled the four gallon sized bags I had with me and run out of places to put them, so I had to return to the truck. Next time I will bring baskets and not bags, and have enough room for more then four gallons.

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Lions Mane

I did collect a bears head (Lions Mane), the Matsutakes mentioned earlier and a gallon of White Chanertelles, so about 7 gallons in all.

I urge you to know your mushrooms before eating them, many have poisonous lookalikes, and can make you very sick or worse. I always examine each one when I get home and start cleaning them, and if you are not sure please don’t risk it. I do not recommend wasting natures precious bounty, but poisoning yourself is not an option.

There are a great many edible and medicinal plants, herbs and mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest and I encourage each of you to learn and enjoy them.