Mushroom Foraging for Beginners

These 10 entry-level wild edible mushrooms are quite common. Some are very delicious!
Location: Greater DC Area
List of mushrooms discussed:
Wine Cap mushroom (Stropharia rugosoannulata), good edible
Morel mushroom (Morchella esculenta), choice edible, • 来之不易羊肚菌 Morel Mushroom...
Dryad’s Saddle/Pheasant's Back (Polyporus squamosus), good edible
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), choice edible, • Oyster Mushroom Huntin...
Deer mushroom (Pluteus cervinus), edible but not tasty
Crown-tipped coral fungus (Artomyces pyxidatus), edible taste okay
Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus), good edible
Wood ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), good edible
Gem-studded puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum), edible
Umbrella polypore (Polyporus umbellatus), choice edible
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Video Playlists:
Wild Mushroom Identification: • Mushroom Foraging for ...
Wild Mushroom Hunting & Tips: • Blewit Mushrooms: Find...
Wild Mushroom You Can Eat Series: • Wild Mushrooms You Can...
Wild Mushroom Recipes: • How to Cook Honey Mush...
Wild Fruits and Plants: • 野生蔓越莓蛋糕 Foraging & Mak...
All about Chanterelles: • Chanterelles for Begin...
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About this channel:
I am a wild mushroom lover and this channel is about me and my wife identifying, collecting, cooking and sometimes preserving wild mushrooms. I've tasted nearly fifty different species of wild mushrooms in Northeast America so far, and I would like to extend my list and to share with you my adventures of nature exploring. If you like my videos, please SUBSCRIBE and share with friends to make the channel grow!
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Be cautious & always refer to multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild edibles!
Music:
Water please

[@OldManoftheWoods]

Hello mushroom lovers, check out fungusid.com if you haven't. It's a FREE educational tool created by me to help you automatically identify wild mushrooms. Just upload your image and find out what the mushroom is!

[@pauldaddy2867]

Please make a phone app! There's only a few and they all suck

[@BenDover-ht5nv]

Old Man of the Woods that morel is gold of the forest floor they can go for 20$ a half ounce in some farmers markets

[@zemorph42]

I have heard, years ago, that foraging wild mushrooms is risky because poisonous hybrids are around that are virtually identical to the edible species. How risky is it now?

[@OldManoftheWoods]

@@zemorph42 still very risky unless you know how to distinguish them

[@olivosirola5412]

Ethnic dads home schooling

[@mysteryaction6927]

They're all edible, some of them just once though

[@Geenalee1]

That's what -Ule Gibbens- Found out->> And He was a So Called Expert :((.....

[@samuelsneesby1771]

Hehehehe😆😆🤦

[@joshsmith7812]

You can expect to this comment at least once in any video about mushrooms Lmao

[@amandaallen5038]

Your comment made me laugh. My daughter (6) and I were foraging today as I am handing down the skill taught by my maternal ancestors for hundreds of years. We have tech however and we found a mushroom that popped up not as toxic but fatal. My daughter looked at me and asks, "Do we know who ate it first, so we could know that it's fatal?" Then I read your comment a few hours later... 🤣

[@user-id3qj8ks6g]

@@amandaallen5038 which mushroom was it?

[@somethingsomething4393]

Watches video Me: welp, I’m going to look for some mushrooms in the city

[@wat787]

im in the suburbs and I found lots of mushrooms in my front yard and in other places with gtasd

[@TheCsePower]

Mushrooms absorb mercury so i wouldn’t recommend it

[@billhafford7088]

dryad saddle....if your knife is squeaking when your harvesting or cutting along the edge its too old!!! just a lil old timers wisdom for ya!!! your knife should cut through as smooth as if it were butter!!! I actually cut myself one time on a really fresh young dryad because my knife was really sharp an it cut the mushroom really fast an I wrecked into my finger!! so be careful when using a knife

[@chrisw5150]

nice tip👍🏻👍🏻

[@coleweede1953]

I like to tell everyone that you should make more wild mushroom stock. Save the rough and rubbery chunks for the best soups ever.

[@DaBeastBeats]

thanks ol' bill!

[@bushwhackermo]

@@chrisw5150 He doesn't have a tip... He cut it off....

[@BenDover-ht5nv]

bill hafford if you can get a bunch of babys dyrad saddles that’s the best way to go sometimes in the right conditions they can grow like cap mushrooms and these are perfect for cooking when younge

[@Torytel1230]

I always have been scared of picking wild mushrooms, but I'm hungry after watching this video... I just started to learn how to distinguish edible weeds from lawn, and I guess it wouldn't be hurting if I learn about wild mushroom too; thanks for the video~

[@jamessim1858]

Ham and cheese sandwich is your answer for hunger and safer for your health BUT only if fresh hahaha

[@StephenS-2024]

" There's a party going on here." Lol.

[@OldManoftheWoods]

isn't it?

[@StephenS-2024]

@@OldManoftheWoods i didn't want to type a lot because I didn't have...mushroom. 😁

[@OldManoftheWoods]

😂

[@heatherdavis9525]

Probably said before but get a quality field guide. I really like Peterson's. Talks a lot about spore prints, etc. Ultimately just seeking the information is key

[@amyg1930]

I like how calm these videos are

[@hunter24seven]

I just harvested about 10 pounds of golden oyster mushrooms in Illinois. A delicious mushroom that a lot of people overlook.

[@Aaronaa4]

Amazing video thank you! I just started mushrooming and have only picked chantrelles. I will go foraging this weekend!

[@OldManoftheWoods]

Have fun!

[@winterstorm3578]

There is nothing better than finding a spot with black morels everywhere 😎

[@fillyguan5442]

I’m taking my husband chanterelle hunting for the first time today any tips

[@graphene1487]

So happy I found your videos. Thank you for all that you do ❤️

[@aga5897]

Awesome ! A great thing with mushrooms is that Harvesting does not kill the organism.

[@Forevertrue]

Glad I found you . Thanks for this.

[@maggiem6209]

About three years ago, I took a school break to get into growing and foraging food, mushrooms were on my list! I've read and watched quite a bit, and I don't think I'm quite ready yet, to forage, but every little be helps!

[@DavidHuckins]

Great video. Liked and subscribed. You covered most of the common edibles (in my area) that are not too easily confused with toxic mushrooms.

[@user-xr9fr1tf5u]

Great video, you do a fantastic job of showing what features to look for when IDing these species :)

[@bigmo3342]

Make sure your morels are hollow there’s one with a cotton feeling innard that’s toxic

[@ilytswg]

Thank you so much for including your area!!

[@kirstinstrand6292]

Thank you so much. This was lovely to see.

[@KennyZhao]

This video was so peaceful and educational! Thanks for sharing :D

[@blakefre]

This video found me, thank you thank you thank you for these teachings!

[@lynnaanderson9303]

Thanks. Really enjoy your videos. So much to learn and you made the umbrella polypores look so yummy.

[@OldManoftheWoods]

thanks 😄

[@kimberleecatena]

I've only eaten a couple mushrooms but I love looking at them they are like funky space flowers appearing wherever. I enjoy these.

[@freethepeople2012]

I love your video. I found hen of the woods and black trumpets today. Delicious!!

[@michaelellarby9]

Hurray lol I found a load of mushrooms today I just felt they was edible but needed confirmation, watched about ten videos on here no joy then onto this video and it's pheasants back and edible, also learned that bigger ones tuff in centre so thankyou

[@ohiomorelhunters8326]

Very informative. I began with morels, now looking to forage more.

[@roberthummel2300]

Great video. Looking forward to mushroom season in N.H. Doing it for a few years now and have enjoyed about 8 different wild mushrooms here. Nine if I added Chaga tea.

[@byulkyu7214]

I really love your videos and the recipes of your wife 😍 you guys are real couple goals

[@johnnywebb8696]

This was awesome and peaceful watching

[@xinbaker2423]

Love your videos! Very clear explanation and very helpful for beginners! Thank you for sharing!

[@acspirit6842]

Educational. Thanks for the upload.

[@ExoticBlue22]

Hi! I just came across this video and your channel. I love it! It's so nice to have a video guide! 😍🍄 I became a wild mushroom fanatic since my husband introduced me to their wild mushroom hunting traditions in the Czech Republic! The coral shaped mushroom you mentioned we call "Kotrč" and is delicous in soup! I have only found ONE edible bolete (Penny Bun) mushroom here in Vancouver 🇨🇦 on my hikes! I'm sure there are places I have to find in British Columbia. 😊

[@OldManoftheWoods]

Thank you! The penny bun is just a beginning and I'm sure you'll encounter a lot more once the mushroom elf finds itself a spot in your mindset 😃then you just can't stop seeing..

[@KristyLeeVlogs]

Thank you for the tip about the coral mushroom. I recently found some but it was growing on the ground. Glad I didn't harvest it.

[@kdegraa]

Fungi spores are everywhere. There are probably a million on you right now. Pulling out a mushroom isn’t going to endanger the mighty fungi kingdom

[@Aodhan_Raith]

All hail our fungus overlords!

[@veracinullatenus1999]

it's about respecting the fungi kingdom. If everyone started ripping them out it's just not a good habit to push forward as foraging becomes more popular

[@tincup3683]

Fungi are even invading my house, but i want a shelf fungi

[@The_Diminished]

Veraci nullatenus, nature doesn’t care about respect.

[@trentforent3390]

I’d like to add to this that removing the fruiting bodies does not hurt it as long as you aren’t ripping out patches of mycelium

[@honeybadgervoodoooutdoors7305]

Terrific video. Very imformative.

[@jwnagy]

Nice video. I collect mushrooms in the DC area also.

[@damianwheeler1632]

Loved the video, I have a Beech tree surrounded by Hickory trees in mind after watching this. Thank you!

[@OldManoftheWoods]

cool, good lucking finding some. it's about the time 😃

[@damianwheeler1632]

@@OldManoftheWoods I actually did find a huge one. Too old to eat, but I know I can find them again.

[@conniechuang748]

Excellent video for beginners. Good visuals and narration. I appreciate this as a reliable source and am forwarding this to friends.

[@FlyingBalcony]

Really interesting!

[@smidgeonpigeon8243]

You've inspired me to educate myself and begin foraging the edibles up here in Washington!

[@recepto]

Very informative, thank you

[@jeremyp5210]

Love your channel. I've been trying to find some chicken of the woods but there is a mushroom maniac in my town that goes around foraging before I can get to it.

[@TheCarlitosiskool]

I always wanted to learn how to harvest wild mushrooms

[@carolinesmyth127]

Well I wouldn't learn from this irresponsible buffoon... There were a couple of mushrooms which he said were edible and there are extremely poisonous ones that look just like them and no warning from this channel. I recommend you go to a responsible and knowledgable teacher.

[@elcoyote9410]

@@carolinesmyth127 whichbones were poisonous and what species are they?

[@rboles499]

@@carolinesmyth127 if you cared to help by attaching time stamps in your comment and explanations of the ones you identifies as poisonous than you could help spread knowledge instead of posturing on anonymous youtube threads... your comment is unhelpful at best and potentially harmful without actual follow-through. Just saying if you're going to "correct" someone, actually correct them. Don't just call them a buffoon.

[@carolinesmyth127]

@@rboles499 like I have the time to do that!... I would also be guilty of same buffoonery if I did that... even experts slip up sometimes so actually going to the trouble of seeking the mushrooms, in person, and doing your own research would be far wiser... Don't be such a snowflake. Painful death isn't pleasant so I will say it again. Buffoonery!

[@rboles499]

@@carolinesmyth127 If you have time to watch the video, time to write deprecating comments, and time to respond to snowflakes you have the time to say, "actually at 3:28 that's a mushroomX not a morel! ZOMG! double check your guide!" You're right about the need to be extraordinarily diligent when picking mushrooms, especially when you're a beginner. He covers this at 0:02. If you're intentions were to correct his mistake and you provide the information to show the error then we all win. He wins, we win, you are the hero. Suspiciously you're the only comment i've seen here claiming he is wrong. I think you're wrong; feel free to change my mind with facts and sources.. when you get time that is.

[@jeremiahwise8040]

Thank you for your videos!

[@zachbaker5259]

Great video! Thank you!

[@georgehutcheson9679]

Ahhhhhh Chop suey !!! Your dish made me very hungry. Thank you video was very wise information.

[@mylesaway79]

Wow so yum at the end

[@marylinda]

Thank you so much for your videos. I'm going to share this with my local mushroom group in Facebook

[@OldManoftheWoods]

Thanks for sharing!

[@danielmcardle3476]

Excellent video. I hope there are more from you.

[@OldManoftheWoods]

thanks for watching and there'll be more :)

[@paulgreenwood8046]

Nice video bro, very informative, cheers.

[@SyzTV2020]

Wow nice finds! I have mica cap always sprouting in my backyard, haven't tried them yet.

[@jameselders2228]

Very cool video, thanks a lot !

[@66jaws]

Nice Morel! Ive found many under dead elm trees as a young girl.

[@vanadium789]

Love your content ❤️

[@WonderingGreenMan]

Interesting mushrooms! Thank you for sharing!

[@OldManoftheWoods]

thanks for stopping by :)

[@blaineskinner9189]

Yes it is very edible we love them the morel

[@richardcranium8984]

I love wild mushrooms. Every time I ate them, I could see small people dancing around me. Better than Disney!

[@youcanknowanything8489]

thx for this helpful teaching video

[@aydenhaggarty318]

Psilocybin containing mushrooms saved my life. The drastically reduced my benzodiazepine withdrawal allowing me to quite illicit pill addiction after three years of heavy daily use before it would had became medically dangerous to quit. It has also helped me survive depression.

[@ryancihet555]

The Trips I've been having really helped me a lot,I finally feel in control of my emotions and my future and things that used to be mundane to me now seem incredible and full of nuance on top of that I'm way less driven by my ego and I have alot more empathy as well

[@ellaaysun6181]

@Lillian Victoria I was having this constant, unbearable anxiety because of university stress. Not until I came across *dr.jeromespores* a very intelligent mycologist. He saved my life honestly

[@ellaaysun6181]

*l* *G*

[@ellaaysun6181]

@Lillian Victoria That’s where you’ll find his handle👆🏻

[@ohmakure4716]

@@ryancihet555 I feel the same way too. I put too much on my plate and it definitely affects my stress and anxiety levels. I am also glad to be a part of this community.

[@HeyyOmari]

why is this tha cutest video ever lol

[@avail1.]

please if you cut the stems 1/2 way leaving part stem in ground...it will regrow more quickly,especially with morel

[@wpatrick22744]

Just come across your channel very good information thanks for sharing.subd I'm UK

[@1bude1]

I have 250 acres of woods behind my house and I go for walks everyday. I also find many different types of mushrooms that are edible. I found close tov eight pounds of oyster mushrooms today. I have chicken of the woods growing in my back yard. I find or have found every edible mushroom that is shown in the video...

[@OldManoftheWoods]

lucky man!

[@1bude1]

@@OldManoftheWoods I never thought of finding the mushrooms that I do until we bought land in southern Ohio.

[@KittyKanhoffen]

This is great!

[@LFLvideos]

Great video thank you!

[@derekfrost8991]

Great channel.. keep up the good work.. :)

[@stepone76]

that was awesome thanks

[@christophernyland1256]

this guy is great !!

[@OldManoftheWoods]

😂

[@leivon112]

we eat those coral tye mushroom in our village which usually grow under the pine leafs

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Thank you. I became interested in shrooms this spring and have found most of the ones you identified here. Wondering if umbrella polypore is a maitake variety? Found my fifth cluster of hen-of-the-woods this month . I have eaten so much I now smell like a shroom.

[@OldManoftheWoods]

No though both are polypores. umbrella appears only in spring and to me it's better than maitake. this said, i haven't seen any maitake this year thus far..

[@oliverpavlovic5226]

Good info I'm going mushroom picking soon and I'm a begginer 🍄🍄🍄

[@lukelucy1980]

This guy is an ass. Learn from others. Just because he can memorize doesn't mean that he has a clue. Harvest by cutting at the soil line. Learn from true keepers of the earth

[@TimGalati]

great video, bro--thank you

[@markeemarkm4950]

Nice video! I just had some oysters.

[@p1nesap]

Excellent. Coolest thing is that wood turtle @ 9:30

[@sindollface]

I really enjoyed this video. Thanks for the tease at the end, “wink”. I want to Findlay in my area to do this , don’t want to walk in woods alone.

[@cathrynsison5357]

Wow just, nature is bootiful and rly wanna do this some day ty!

[@OldManoftheWoods]

fall is great for mushroom hunting!

[@dajwhite1]

Great video

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👍

[@Passionformushrooms]

Well explained (thanks for the sub) 👋

[@missjo5ie]

ありがとうございました😊

[@graceuit4]

This is so helpful for me cs i live in a tropical forest with different types of mushroom but dont know what's edible and what's not. Im learning more about mushroom

[@lookuppsych_cepsoninsta4084]

☝️☝️☝️ They’re legit and ships globally

[@user-iw7gb7bq5c]

Check☝️ for great psychedelic products at affordable prices🥂

[@Yeumoinguoi]

Thanks very educational video

[@trailtrashoutdoors8173]

New subscribers here from TTO!

[@PorkRhino]

1st off Thanks for the Video, 2nd My Wife and I are New to Mushroom Hunting and We live in the Wash DC area as well. Any Good Locations and or Seasons that are best to look for them?

[@barney547]

2:40-2:42 as he’s opening that mushroom cap that was the trippiest thing when you’re stoned

[@jordanbeyer7607]

First tree was an oak. One in the red oak classification. Hard to say for certain just by that little piece of bark

[@1911geek]

What a day of harvest

[@peppeenne1978]

Best tip for beginners: always start by hunting only boletus species. If their sponge is white and their meat doesn't turn blue they're good. There are also blue turning good shrooms but if you're a beginner, just start with those

[@jansalomin]

Aren't there some blue staining boletes that are edible (I may be thinking of a different mushroom)

[@sailorpsyched]

@@jansalomin Thats what they said in the comment ..

[@whisper2425]

yeah DC!! did you take this at the northwest branch trail in maryland? it sure looks like it

[@violettracey]

Cool! Thanks!

[@luna_godess7940]

How do you spore print?

[@13c11a]

If it is too old to eat why do you pick it? Won't it drop its spores after a while causing more to grow? I'm very new to mushrooms. Thanks. P.S. When you took the umbrella polypore, will it grow back, or is it gone from that spot for good? They looked great in the frying pan. I add saffron to butter in sautéing mushrooms, then flambé them at the end with cognac or whiskey. They are great that way. I subscribed. Thanks.

[@debbiescott6498]

Well done video

[@lindareese4579]

Thank you so very much!!!

[@OSHIBASMR]

very informative

[@djobokuwali4316]

So what you're saying is that the partial veils of the mushrooms are labias. Nice

[@number1cumber]

I love mushroom.

[@BMazeing]

I think I will try to start doing this next year :)

[@aliyahblidner]

My dad and I like to go foraging together. A couple days ago we found some black trumpets, something called an old man of the woods, and lots of little brown ones

[@nickyannajones7068]

I saw a Dried saddle that was aboutv3 ft by 4 ft in northbcarolina. I stopped to walk my dognby the river and saw it at the footnod of a tree near a river. I have a pjc and i wosh i could attach it hear. Thank you for making these videos