Hunting for Lobster Mushrooms, how and where to find them!

Take a walk into the forest with Aaron Hilliard to find some beautiful lobster mushrooms in Washington state. Learn where they grow, how they grow, and how they hide.

[@naturallynorthwest9748]

You found the motherload! I like that you included little blips at the end showing how you cooked and used them. I live in the same area and your videos have helped me dial in my skills. I just found my first lobsters yesterday. Super excited to continue expanding my knowledge.

[@proy2241]

You bet man don’t tell anyone….one time my daughter was commenting on all the morels we found ….she asked where we found them and I paused…..I almost lied lol …..love your channel.👍👌

[@sopheap4177]

All I can say is "wow"!!! That was a really fun video! Felt like I was out foraging with you. Glad KZbin brought this video up to my feed

[@michaelwall2863]

I had a good day yesterday I was lucky enough to find a good amount of lobsters. Although half were buggy but lobster chowder is on the menu tonight and coral’s tomorrow fried up in tempura batter.thanks for all your helpful hints. There were more slippery jacks then I’ve ever in my lifetime seen in a day.

[@Neryc642]

Just found out the scientific name of these.. I'm from an indigenous group in mx purepecha and we have a dish we make these with we call these trompa de puerco but didn't know they had a "lobster taste to it" we live surrounded by mountains

[@codyprice6188]

I can't wait to visit the old growths. You're doing an amazing job sir 👍👍

[@manminusblood]

Gotta admit, I’ve been learning about wild mushrooms for a couple years passively but I’m still nervous to start foraging and eating without someone who knows for sure. Those look and sound delicious.

[@mitchellmtb7202]

You probably won’t die but you might get a chance to meet Jesus or Kurt Cobain.

[@jancarver6917]

Great video Aaron. Thank you!

[@seannelsen3377]

Nice haul man. I'm pretty new to picking and forging always had an interest. After watching your videos and some of the others. And now been identifying for a few months found my first fairy ring of chanterelles here in Maine where I live middle of August. Now I'm addicted can't wait to try other kinds. Thank you for your great videos. They're very informative.

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Thanks for watching! Happy picking to you!

[@honeyvitagliano3227]

We find ours under lodgepole pines here in Colorodo. It’s cool to learn the habitat of common mushies in different areas of the US and across the world. Gracias 🙏🏻

[@geradcoder2918]

Wow, what a Lobster mushroom jackpot!

[@your_eulogy2688]

I was not expecting to find some today in August. No rain in a long time, hot weather everything is super crunchy but ended up finding some. Only one was good enough to keep though the rest were too buggy. I'll be making some risotto tonight!

[@lukecullett9044]

I just found my first lobster in mn! Can't wait till after work to try it.

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Awesome!

[@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786]

Those colors are absolutely stunning. I heard that when cooking the lobster it stains the oil red and orange how exotic #mushroomfantasies

[@JJ-gd7gf]

You should consider a forage, cook, eat series with your videos with recipes.

[@gianaseppanen]

How do you clean them? I just found my first lobsters today!

[@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786]

Can you tell us what the daytime and night time temps are when Lobster begin to flush? I'm in West Michigan I'm thinking our Seasons might be similar but I'm not positive. Thank you #mushroomfantasies

[@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786]

Old boy said if you find a good mushroom patch you better keep it a secret. Everyone will poach it, your kids, parents, ex-lovers, current lovers LOL

[@andreealupu7859]

Did you revisit the hill this year? Was it the same jackpot?

[@dracodracarys2339]

Are they safe for people with crustacean allergies? Or do they have similar compounds to actual lobster?

[@treehuggingbuddhist]

do you also find chanterelles in the same areas as the lobster mushrooms? we have a piece of protected old and 2nd growth forest, about 20 acres next to a creek. it’s mostly Fir and Cedar with some maple and alder on the edges. We usually get quite a few chanterelles and was wondering if the two like the same habitats? thanks for the information.

[@willong1000]

Lucky you owning ground with old growth forest next to a creek. If that is in western Washington, Oregon or the northern counties of coastal California you should have an enduring wealth of a wide variety of mushrooms available, especially given the additional deciduous woods, riparian habitat and the second growth if those trees are around twenty or thirty years or older. Looks like Aaron hasn't seen your inquiry yet, so I'll answer for him. The Lobster and Chanterelle mushrooms can definitely be found growing in the same habitat. Douglas fir and Western hemlock are two of the best indicator trees here in western Washington. A mossy understory with sword fern and a patchwork array of huckleberry, Oregon grape and salal is typical of the locations where I have found both species emerging in fairly close proximity and at similar time of year (typically late August through October where I'm located).

[@leticiaguerrero2993]

I went out looking for these a couple weeks ago in Durango Mexico, but had no luck 😭 Luckily my cousin found some and shared some with me 🤤. I didn’t know about the lobster taste associated with these, but they do have a great taste and texture that I can’t quite put into words. I tried freezing some, but their color and smell s changed after I thawed them out. Does anyone know if you can freeze these? And if yes, how to properly freeze them?

[@kylegiordano4498]

I just recently found out about another parasitic mushroom called shrimp of the woods can you maybe do a video about them?

[@kanelbulle7750]

Hi! Could u show more of the after process, If u prepp them in any way?

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Yeah in future videos I'm going to try to include cooking, hopefully if the channel gets successful enough I will be able to create more time for more in-depth content. Thanks for watching!

[@bowty4811]

“Ooh, a piece of candy”

[@monsemaniaa]

Can you find them in Florida?

[@bushisback112]

Last year I found a patch of short stalk russulas but none of them were lobsters. I’m wondering if they require certain conditions to be parasitized or is it just a random thing that happens

[@mushroomwonderland1]

It just seems to be totally random. Sometimes I will even find Russula Brevipies growing unparasitized right next to Bright Red lobster mushrooms. I've tried to spread the hypomyces lactiflorum over an uninfected patch of russula brevipies, by means of a slurry in water, but nothing. Just seems to be one of those total random things nature does. 🤷

[@PotterPalace509]

you hit the mother load!! do you leave any to let them spore and have new ones next season? or have they already pollinated? I'm new to this, can you tell?

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Oh by then they have released billions of spores, but undoubtedly there are many many more mushrooms that I couldn't see or didn't find. That particular patch grows back every year because the mycelium under the soil surface is intact and stays there all year long, just fruiting in the autumn.

[@PotterPalace509]

Thank you! I’m watching your part one documentary now! Living in Spokane I’m determined to learn these mushrooms 🍄

[@Loralarify]

Are they ever known to be in Michigan?

[@dampafextractionsofficial]

I wasn't a mushroom guy until today. I found one and used an app to identify it. If I'm not cooking it right away, do I refrigerate it?

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Yes, I would put it in a paper bag and put it in the crisper drawer of your fridge, it should last 7 to 10 days!

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Welcome aboard!

[@hydrothemushroom]

how do you clean them?

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Typically when I find morels they are clean, just cut the base off in the forest so dirt and pine needles don't get mixed up in your basket. In Asian countries they readily wash the mushrooms in buckets of water or wash them just like any other piece of produce although in America we tend to frown on that cleaning method. Apparently it really doesn't affect the mushrooms too much.

[@marcyb2194]

My husband and I have a debate. We have a spot for lobster mushrooms. He leaves the small ones 'to get bigger'. I pick them when they look ready because I don't think they get any bigger. I think the size of the lobster depends on the size of the host at the time it was turned into a lobster? Who's right? Lol

[@mushroomwonderland1]

It is funny that you mention that, because I have a theory that once you make eye contact with a mushroom it stops growing. I have seen young porcini, and left and came back a few days later waiting for them to get bigger, they were the exact same size only filled with insects. The only exception to this rule is cultivated mushrooms 🤣 just my theory. But everything I think I have known as fact about mushrooms has seemed to be proven wrong at some point. Personally, I pick them small or big. Often they are quite various in the same patch. It definitely depends on the size of the host, russula brevipies. How's the weather or not the host stops growing when it is parasitized honestly I do not know. If it is convenient enough for you to return to the patch to see if a small one grows larger, try it out and come back to these comments and let me know! I appreciate your input and your subscription to this channel! We're all having a lot of fun out here 🍄

[@michelelovesfreedom]

Do you only take as much as you're able to eat?

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Me and my friends If I can't eat them all. They preserve well, they also can be used as dyeing mushrooms, to die fabric with and they dry and keep for years. Also, a heavily discouraged any pick-shaming of any sort. However many mushrooms people want to pick, and whatever they want to do with them is their business.

[@michelelovesfreedom]

@@mushroomwonderland1 if you wanna mail me some I'd be happy to share my lobster mushroom taco recipe, lol

[@mushroomwonderland1]

@@michelelovesfreedom dang that sounds interesting! And good!

[@michelelovesfreedom]

@@mushroomwonderland1 deal!

[@LawNerdAmber]

ok, how do you tell if they have parasites or worms? Do those cook out? This is the ONLY mushroom I've ever been interested in eating

[@futures003]

Where were you hunting?

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Kitsap county, WA, near sea level. 🍄

[@futures003]

@@mushroomwonderland1 Thank you

[@honeybadgers1996]

Did I see poison oak where you you were picking those lobsters...? Check out timeline 3:57.

[@superIBM1231]

Yup! Looks like poison oak to me. He brushed right against it too. To be fair there could be a 12ft tall bear right in front of me while I’m picking mushrooms and I’d be too excited to see it, I definitely wouldn’t have noticed the poison oak

[@mushroomwonderland1]

I think what you saw was wild BlackBerry. Poison oak is somewhat rare around here, although I do know a couple places where it grows and abundance right near the shoreline of the Puget sound.

[@honeybadgers1996]

@@mushroomwonderland1 As long as you were ok😊 I had horrifying experience with poison oak back in 90’s. Also, it turned out that I was extremely allergic to calamine lotion. Figure that!! Nice video, btw👍

[@cindylou3524]

You're so cute. Were you going to offer us to smell the mushroom? It looked like it

[@daniellacarlos9111]

**In need of Lsd, Dmt, shrooms and other psychedelics¿¿

[@daniellacarlos9111]

=°Visit_chris_wells√

[@daniellacarlos9111]

-He's got the best.- -He's on Instagram-

[@stevendarst9299]

Everytime I see these there always smashed sadly

[@mushroomwonderland1]

That's when you slow way down and take a closer look. Guarantee there are some barely peeking out. You have to look from multiple angles at the same topography to see that hint of red peeking out. Usually the ones that are obvious are damaged.try to remember where you've seen them and go back in early fall, they grow back in the same places!🍄🤙

[@patrykdrozd2637]

can u send me your GPS

[@jstreet514]

I appreciate the video and information. Minor note: why wear bullet hat? Just seems in poor taste given US imperialism, military industrial complex, extreme rates of gun violence in USA. Coming from a USA military veteran. No disrespect meant to you. Thanks for the video.

[@mushroomwonderland1]

Nothing symbolic, just thought the design looked cool.