Tips for Hunting Mushrooms

Magic Mushrooms is one of my favorite Soul Flower prints ever. The softest raglan, too! This weekend I took photos with my daughter and husband, and if you've ever tried getting a good picture with a child, you know it takes treats, silly faces, and about a million different locations and angles. You definitely need to wear something you can move in, and that's exactly why I loved this relaxed, comfy top. The same goes for mushroom hunting!

My brother is passionate about living off the land. He milks his own goats, raises chickens, grows a vegetable garden, and even makes homemade yogurt and cheese. His family is pretty amazing. I asked him to share some advice for anyone interested in mushroom hunting, and here are a few of his favorite tips.

Rule #1: "When in doubt, throw it out." Your life is worth far more than even the tastiest mushroom.

Additional tips:

• Read a good field guide before you head out, and spend time talking with experienced mushroom hunters.
• In the Rocky Mountains, spring and fall are excellent seasons. In other parts of the country, summer can also be productive after rainfall.
• Carry a basket or container for your mushrooms and bring a camera. Photos of mushrooms in their natural habitat can make identification much easier.
• Don't plan on eating your mushrooms the same day you collect them. Proper identification often requires making a spore print.
• For a good spore print, place the mushroom cap on a pane of glass so you can easily examine the spores against both light and dark backgrounds.
• Avoid harvesting mushrooms from people's yards or along busy roads. Pesticides and vehicle exhaust can contaminate otherwise edible mushrooms.

A fun day outdoors in our favorite mushroom-inspired styles.

Along Utah's Wasatch Front we've found several edible mushrooms, including field mushrooms, Scotch bonnets, puffballs, oyster mushrooms, angel wings (which some experts consider questionable), and shaggy manes.

Puffballs are often considered one of the easier mushrooms for beginners to identify, though you should never eat any wild mushroom without proper identification. Remember Rule #1!

Our favorite mushrooms to eat were shaggy manes. They're absolutely delicious when sautéed. I usually cut mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and cook them in butter with a little salt. They're wonderful in eggs, quiche, pizza, pasta, burgers, steak—or simply served as a side dish.

Books worth checking out:
North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi
Mushrooms Demystified
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms

Here are a few photos of mushrooms my brother has found over the years.

Whether you're out hiking, exploring the woods, or simply love woodland-inspired style, you'll find plenty to love in Soul Flower's mushroom clothing and accessories collection.

Best of luck!
Heather & Bro