MUSHROOMS GALORE

2018 Piney Woods Journal Submission


Naturalists and scientists are focusing more and more on mushrooms and other fungi to tackle some of our most significant environmental challenges. As a beekeeper concerned about pests and viruses affecting our bee and pollinator populations, I'm noticing promising research linking bee health to various fungal treatments.

Like many other Americans, I associated mushrooms and fungi in my early years with death, decay, rot, and other negative images. Some mushrooms found in the woods are also mildly or deathly poisonous, and almost all mushrooms appeared to me to be about the last thing that I would want to pick and eat. Even the stereotypes of those who grew mushrooms, usually shown as working in dark and dank cellars, were far from appealing to me. Many Americans tend to be mycophobes or have fears or doubts about consuming wild or even grocery-bought mushrooms. So they would hardly consider growing or hunting mushrooms as an hobby.

Over my adult years, I increasingly discovered that mushrooms added a nice flavor to some dishes, and I began ordering mushrooms as one of two or three topping choices for pizzas. Still, picking or growing mushrooms never struck me as a possible activity -- until fairly recently. A friend showed me a collection of his short logs that had been inoculated with spawn plugs and placed in the shade near his home. He gave me a generous sample of oyster mushrooms that he had grown and told me how these might be sautéed and added to certain pasta- and rice-based dishes. I tried this, really liked it, and decided that I'd investigate growing some of my own mushrooms. There seemed much to learn about this new hobby, so I started with a recommended book, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets (2005).

                                         Oyster mushroom beginning to fruit from a willow log

Reishi mushroom spawn plugs      inoculating a water oak log

Stamets explains the basic science this way. Microscopic cells called "mycelium" recycle carbon, nitrogen and other key elements in breaking down animal and plant debris in the creation of rich new soil. He claims that we can utilize mycelium's digestive power to decompose toxic wastes and pollutants (mycoremediation), catch and reduce silt from streambeds and pathogens from agricultural watersheds (mycofiltration), control insect populations (mycopesticides), and enhance the health of our forests (mycoforestry). Chapters of his book are devoted to each of these topics, as well as many different approaches to grow mycelia and mushrooms. I was more interested in his chapter on cultivating mushrooms on logs and stumps, and have recently inoculated sweet gum logs using several different types of spawn plugs. Another chapter in Stamet's book is devoted to gardening choices for cultivating gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms provide some important nutritional benefits, such as useful amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and without many calories.

Mushroom hunting is a popular past time in many parts of the world, and a much more common outdoor pursuit in Europe and Canada than in the USA. Still, even in the Deep South and Louisiana, there are dedicated "shroomers" who know better places to gather tasty specimens. They often visit local woods or parks, usually after a rainfall, to try to find particular types of mushrooms, like morels, oysters, and turkey tails. The Kisatchie National Forest is known as a destination source for some state shroomers. The web site Kitsatchie Mushrooms (http://home.dejazzd.com/lgw/) provides a listing and many images of mushroom varieties found there. The site suggests that the Evangeline District of the Kasatchie and the area around the Wild Azalea Seep and Trail as areas where mushrooms varieties are often found.

                                               Morel mushroom discovered on a trail hike

The Complete Mushroom Hunter, 2017, by Gary Lincoff, is just one source for information on this outdoor activity. Even more detailed sources such as mushroom field guides can help hunters distinguish between edible and health-providing mushrooms and the ones that are poisonous. Organizations, including the New Orleans Mycological Society and the Gulf States Mycological Society, provide their members with information resources and can offer opportunities for outings with others to find and pick mushrooms. I'm looking forward now to a few outings later this year when mushroom hunting will be another pursuit and payoff for a hike in a state park.