By Maureen Fellinger

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed this morning, I saw a post where someone boasted that they had harvested almost 600 morel mushrooms this season. This is somewhat mind blowing as the window for morel season lasts about a month or so. My personal top secret morel spot hasn’t been producing as much as it has in the past few years, which I think is mostly due to the inconsistent temperatures we have been experiencing in Ohio. But part of me also wonders if I’m not seeing as many morels as I normally would because people are possibly over-harvesting.

Here is my short guide for mushroom hunting with morality in mind:

Humans are not the only beings that enjoy mushrooms, so be courteous. Don’t pick every single mushroom that you see. One school of thought believes you can pick half of what you see, some say to harvest a third, and others believe that picking 10% of what you see is best practice. I generally fall somewhere between the last two approaches. Personally, I believe you can take this case by case depending on what type of fungi you are foraging. For morels, I only harvest specimens that are larger than four inches. I’ll occasionally come across a morel that has a slug on it, and I will always leave it in the ground because he was there first! If I had to guess, I pick roughly about a third of the morels that I come across. For a more prolific fungi such as turkey tail, I’m less picky with how much is harvested as that is seen nearly year round.
What does your foraging bag look like? When hunting for mushrooms, I highly recommend using a mesh bag or a basket as that will help disperse the spores. When spores land in a moist place, they germinate. Using a plastic bag will not allow for possible spore spreading, and it can also potentially ruin the mushrooms you collect as plastic can make mushrooms somewhat slimy. Yuck!

Give back to the forest. I often notice a lot of trash in the woods, especially around morel season. The amount of beer cans I come across seems especially bizarre to me. Make it a point to bring a trash bag with you on your mushroom hunting hikes, or if it gets in the way, make plans to return the next day with the specific plan to pick up garbage. Garbage picking can be just as satisfying as mushroom picking! If you are taking from the land, show your respect by giving back to it.
Be mindful in your walking. Oftentimes when searching for mushrooms, you travel deep into the woods, off the trails. Pay close attention to where you are walking as you want to keep your impact as small as possible. Do not trample native plants and other flora as you are mushroom hunting.
How should you harvest a mushroom? This can be a great topic of debate in the mushroom community— do you pluck it out of the ground or should you cut the stem with a knife? Many studies have shown that there is actually no big difference either way, although some believe that plucking a mushroom out of the ground will send a quicker signal in the mycelium that will divert energy to fruit more mushrooms in that spot. Another reason one may prefer to pluck a mushroom rather than cut is to get a proper ID. The very base of the mushroom, under the dirt, can hide some important details to help identify exactly what it is. Although, if a mushroom is growing off a tree, it is best practice to cut away from the tree to avoid damaging the tree.

Mushroom foraging can be a lovely way to explore our forests. It is beneficial for your mind and your body, and it can lead to some very delicious discoveries! But as Peter Parker’s uncle once said, “With great power, comes great responsibility”. As mushroom hunting continues to gain popularity, it is more important now than ever to be respectful by harvesting responsibly.

*The writer is Agraria’s Education Administrator.

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