Written by: Delaney Hudson, Natural Resource Educator, Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit
Foraging Tips and Tricks
With mushroom season right around the corner, let’s talk foraging tips and tricks. When foraging, the method I recommend is to always cut the mushroom close to the ground, but not pull it out to disturb the root system. Then wrap the mushrooms in wax paper to take it home. Therefore, you should bring a knife, a scissor, wax paper, and a basket out with you.
Some good ground rules for foraging are to:
Only handle mushrooms you have a clear ID on
Avoid heavily sprayed areas
Only harvest a mushroom in the peak of its health
Avoid over harvesting
Check the foraging laws in your area.
The Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit is a state forest and follows state statues. Meaning that foraging for “only for personal consumption by the collector” is allowed, as long as that species is not endangered or threatened. The most important aspect of mushroom hunting is understanding when and where to hunt and mushroom identification.
Mushrooms Seasons & Habitats
Each mushroom has its own season and habitat. Spring and fall are the most opportune times for mushroom hunting. This is mainly due to the decaying wood and organic material at that time; mushrooms are decomposers, and this is their food. Wet weather is an important factor as well since it speeds up the decay process of organic materials. Each mushroom prefers to feed on different organic materials. Some prefer oak trees while others prefer compost! Most popular are deciduous forests, conifers, and grassy areas. When foraging, it is imperative to understand each mushroom’s season and habitat for hunting purposes and to aid identification.
Mushroom Identification
While some mushrooms, like Death Cap or Destroying Angel, are lethal, many will only cause slight nausea or liver damage. In fact, the National Poison Data System reports only 3 deaths per year attributed to mushroom poisoning. However, the latter is mainly due to improper identifications or improperly preparing the mushroom in question.
Mushroom identification can sound tricky, but in practice it can be easy to tell edible mushrooms and their sometimes-dangerous counterparts a part. When identifying mushrooms, it is important to be observant.
Mushroom Caps
Most likely, you will first notice the cap of a mushroom. Caps come in all shapes and sizes, such as shelves, funnels, convex rounds, etc. Over the course of a mushroom’s lifespan their caps may change, becoming flatter over time. This is a great way to tell if a mushroom has aged out of its expiration date.
Mushroom Color
Color as well may fade or darken over time, pay extra attention to the colors and shading on each mushroom.
Mushroom Texture
Texture can also be an important detail to note. Some caps may have spines, feel velvety, or have patches. If you look closer at the cap, one may notice the margin of the cap. These differences should be noted as well.
Mushroom Stem
Next, you should examine the stem of the mushroom, or lack thereof. Some stems are club shaped or bulbous, some have ridges or are velvety. Again, color and textures should be noted. You may also notice a ring on some stems. This is the remanent of the partial veil, a thin tissue that will cover the underside of some mushrooms. The ring can be an incredibly helpful tool since not every mushroom has one, they may be skirt-like or just a band of color left behind.
Mushroom Underside & Spore Print
One incredibly distinct difference on many mushrooms is the underside. Some have gills, pores, teeth, folds, etc. This underside is where spores are held. Notice, for example, if the gills are attached or free; if the pores are very fine or large; check out the color and texture, is there bruising present or does it look like a sponge? Although not every mushroom has this underside, some have their own very specific ways of keeping and dispersing their spores. However, all mushrooms have a spore print. The spore pint can be a clear identifier. In order to obtain this, collect the mushroom, use a scissor to cut the stem off so that it is just a cap, set it on a sheet of paper that is half black and half white, cover it with a bowl or glass, and let it sit out for a day. When you check the next day, you should be able to clearly see the spore print.
Mushroom Cautions
Now it is incredibly important to remember that you are foraging at your own risk. Edible mushrooms are an interesting way to get in touch with nature. They have incredible medicinal values and interesting flavors. However, foraging can be dangerous if you are unsure of the ID.
Never eat something unless you are completely sure it is an edible mushroom. When foraging for mushrooms it is incredibly important to research before eating; for example, only specific mushrooms can be eaten raw others must be thoroughly cooked. When foraging we highly recommend bringing along identification booklets, downloading apps like Naturalist, and using outside resources to help ID.
20 Edible Mushrooms of the Kettle Moraine State Forest
Below we have created a list of 20 edible mushrooms in the area to help get you started! Our list contains a basic ID, warnings, and ways you can utilize each of these mushrooms. We highly recommend utilizing your outside resources in addition to this list. Happy foraging!
1. The Giant Puffball
Photo |  Photo Credit: Kristina Koslosky, Friends of the Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit |
Scientific Name | Calvatia Gigantea |
Common Name | The Giant Puffball |
Height | 10 to 50 cm |
Cap | Huge white ball |
Spore Print | Green brown |
Bruises | Yellow to brown with age |
Habitat | Commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous |
Uses | Puffballs are a known styptic and have long been used as wound dressing, either in powdered form or as slices 3 cm thick |
Warnings | The large white mushrooms are edible when young, as are all true puffballs, but can cause digestive upset if the spores have begun to form—as indicated by the color of the flesh being not pure white (first yellow, then brown) |
2. Meadow Mushroom
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Agaricus campestris |
Common Name | Meadow Mushroom |
Height | 3 to 12 cm |
Cap | White, may have fine scales |
Stalk | White and bears a single thin ring |
Gills | Pink to red brown to dark brown with age |
Spore Print | Pink to red brown to dark brown with age |
Bruises | Reddish brown |
Habitat | Fields and grassy areas, appearing in fairy rings |
Uses | This mushroom can be sauteed or fried, in sauces, or even sliced raw and included in salads. In flavor and texture, this mushroom is similar to the white button mushroom |
Warning | Poisonous lookalike Agaricus xanthodermus and similar species bruise yellow |
3. Golden Chanterelle
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Cantharellus cibarius. |
Common Name | Golden Chanterelle |
Height | 10cm |
Cap | Yellow to orange, vase shaped, wavy edges |
Stalk | Yellow to orange |
Gills | Ridges are forked and descend the stalk |
Spore Print | Yellow to buff |
Bruises | Dark |
Habitat | Oaks and coniferious forests |
Uses | Many popular methods of cooking chanterelles include them in sautés, soufflés, cream sauces, soups, and with wine. They are not typically eaten raw, as their rich and complex flavor is best released when cooked. |
Warning | Care should be taken not to confuse this species with the dangerously poisonous Omphalotus illudens. Chanterelle mushrooms have a faint aroma and flavor of apricots. |
4. Crown-tipped Coral Fungus
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Clavicorona pyxidata |
Common Name | Crown-tipped Coral Fungus |
Height | 2 to 10 cm |
Branches | Whitish or pale yellowish, sometimes darkening to tan or pink |
Spore Print | White |
Habitat | On dead wood of hardwoods |
Uses | These fungi are considered edible when raw, but are better cooked. It is best served when fried with chopped potatoes |
5. The Shaggy Mane
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Coprinus comatus |
Common Name | The Shaggy Mane |
Height | 20cm |
Cap | White with shaggy scales, blackens with age |
Stalk | White, collar, bulbous base |
Gills | White, then pink, then turns black and deliquesce ('melt') into a black liquid filled with spores |
Spore Print | Black |
Habitat | Grassy areas and roadsides |
Uses | Should be prepared soon after being collected as the black areas quickly turn bitter. It can be used in mushroom soup with parasol mushroom. Large quantities of microwaved-then-frozen shaggy manes can be used as the liquid component of risotto, replacing the usual chicken stock |
Warning | This mushroom is unusual because it will turn black and dissolve itself in a matter of hours after being picked or depositing spores. Lookalike, the 'vomiter' mushroom, Chlorophyllum molybdites is responsible for most cases of mushroom poisoning due to its similarity with shaggy mane and other edible mushrooms |
6. Mica Cap
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Coprinellus micaceus |
Common Name | Mica Cap |
Height | 4cm-13cm |
Cap | Oval when young, expanding to bell-shaped; orange brown to tan and becoming paler with age |
Stalk | White |
Gills | Pale to brown to black and deliquescing |
Spore Print | Black |
Habitat | Stumps or logs of broad-leaved trees |
Uses | Cooking inactivates the enzymes that causes deliquescence. It is considered good for omelets, and as a flavor for sauces, although it is "a very delicate species easily spoiled by overcooking" |
Warning | Must be cooked quickly due to deliquescence |
7. The Black Trumpet
Photo | |
Branches | Grayinsh, tubular shape when young becoming funnels with age |
Margin | Black and wavy |
Spore Print | Pink to orange |
Habitat | Beech and oak trees |
Uses | These mushrooms are extremely versatile and can be incorporated into any dish. As they're hollow, trumpets cook very fast-so don't overcook them. |
Warnings | Edible C. cornucopioides has a whitish spore print. The two species cannot otherwise be told apart, either macroscopically or by their culinary value. There are no poisonous look-alikes. |
8. Shrimp of the Woods
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Entoloma abortivum |
Common Name | Shrimp of the Woods |
Height | 4 to 16 cm |
Cap | Gray to grayish brown, convex with an inrolled margin, expanding to flat, with or without a central bump |
Stalk | Occasionally somewhat off-center, typically with an enlarged base |
Gills | Attached to stem, white but turning pinker with maturity. |
Spore Print | Pink |
Habitat | Found fruiting on the ground; near dead or decaying wood. Frequently found where honey mushrooms (Armillaria) are growing or have grown previously |
Uses | Shrimp like texture, must be cleaned. The key to flavor with Entolomas is to caramelize and brown them. If they just get stewed from raw, things are going to be bland, just like with a puffball. |
Warning | There are poisonous species of Entoloma such as Entoloma sinuatum so one must be very cautious when eating these mushrooms. Both aborted and non-aborted forms of Entoloma abortivum can be consumed, or for beginners, it would be best to pick only the aborted fruiting bodies. |
9. Velutipes’ or Enoki
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Flammulina velutipes |
Common Name | Velutipes’ or Enoki |
Height | 3 to 18 cm |
Cap | Convex, expanding to flat, dark orange brown to yellowish brown, fading with maturity. |
Stalk | Pale to yellowish brown or orange brown when young; becoming covered with a rusty brown to blackish velvety coating as it matures. |
Gills | Attached to the stem; whitish to pale yellow and crowded |
Spore Print | White |
Habitat | It grows from the wood of hardwoods |
Uses | Non meat source of conjugated linolic acid, which has many bodily benefits. The taste is mildly sweet, with a crisp texture |
10. The Hen of the Woods
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Grifola frondosa |
Common Name | The Hen of the Woods |
Height | 100 cm |
Cap | Fan-shaped, dark to pale gray-brow and yellowing with old age, with wavy margins |
Stalk | Branched, whitish |
Pore Surface | Running down the stem; lavender gray when young, becoming white and staining yellow with age |
Spore Print | White |
Habitat | Living on oaks and other hardwoods |
Uses | The softer caps must be thoroughly cooked. Other described uses of this mushroom include general treatments for immune stimulation and regulation of homeostasis. |
11. Wood Hedgehog
Photo |  Photo Credit: D J Kelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Scientific Name | Hydnum repandum |
Common Name | Wood Hedgehog |
Height | 9-21cm |
Cap | Broadly convex expanding to flat; the margin inrolled at first, becoming wavy; pale orange to white. |
Stalk | Whitish |
Undersurface | Covered with densely packed, soft spines; pale orange |
Spore Print | White |
Habitat | Hardwoods or conifers, especially spruces and beech |
Uses | Mild to peppery when well-cooked. Rich in several dietary minerals, especially iron and manganese |
Warning | This species, like most mushrooms, should never be eaten raw. |
12. Chicken of the Woods
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Laetiporus sulphureus |
Common Name | Chicken of the Woods |
Height | 50cm |
Cap | Orange to yellow |
Underside | Yellow, sponge like |
Spore Print | White |
Habitat | Deciduous and coniferous forests, mainly oak |
Uses | This mushroom can be prepared in most ways that one can prepare chicken meat. It can also be used as a substitute for chicken in a vegetarian diet. |
Warning | Potent ability to inhibit staph bacteria |
13. Common Puffball
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Lycoperdon perlatum |
Common Name | Common Puffball |
Height | 3-7cm |
Cap | Whitish to vey pale brown, covered with small spines when young |
Interior | White and spongy at first, later olive brown above and yellowish to brown at the base |
Habitat | In woods under hardwoods or conifers, but also common along roadsides and in urban settings |
Uses | The fruit bodies can be eaten after slicing and frying in batter or egg and breadcrumbs, or used in soups as a substitute for dumplings. |
Warning | Should be consumed when young, when the glebe is still homogeneous and white. |
14. The Fairy Ring Mushroom
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Marasmius oreades |
Common Name | The Fairy Ring Mushroom |
Height | 8cm |
Cap | Tan to red brown, central hump |
Stalk | White to brown |
Gills | Free or partially attached, white or pale tan |
Spore Print | White to tan |
Habitat | Grassy areas, growing in rings |
Uses | Its sweet taste lends it to baked goods such as cookies. It is also used in foods such as soups, stews, etc. |
Warning | This mushroom can be mistaken for the toxic Clitocybe dealbata or C. rivulosa, which have closely spaced decurrent gills. The latter lacks an umbo, and is white to grey in color. |
15. The Black Morel
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Morchella augusticep |
Common Name | The Black Morel |
Height | 10cm |
Cap | Black elongated honeycombed |
Stalk | White to pale brown |
Gills | None |
Habitat | Under hardwoods, specifically ashes |
Uses | Cooked in rich buttery or creamy dishes. |
Warning | Must be thoroughly cooked |
16. The Morel
Photo |  Photo Credit: Amanda Kutka, Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit |
Scientific Name | Morchella esculenta |
Common Name | The Morel |
Height | 10cm |
Cap | Tannish elongated honeycomb |
Stalk | White basal bulb |
Gills | None |
Habitat | Deciduous woods, grassy and wet areas |
Uses | Morels have tones of uses! These nutty, meaty mushrooms taste delicious fried, stuffed, sautéed, and roasted. |
Warning | Must be thoroughly cooked |
17. The Oyster Mushroom
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Pleurotus ostreatu |
Common Name | The Oyster Mushroom |
Height | 30cm |
Cap | Shell shaped, pale to dark brown |
Stalk | Whitish; hairy to velvety but often nonexistent |
Gills | White to gray, becoming yellowish in age |
Spore Print | White to faintly yellowish, or lilac. |
Habitat | Growing in shelf-like clusters on dead logs and living hardwoods and conifers |
Uses | |
Warning | Some toxic Lentinellus species are similar in appearance but have gills with jagged edges and finely haired caps. |
18. The Slippery Jack
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Suillus luteu |
Common Name | The Slippery Jack. |
Height | 10cm |
Cap | Red-brown to yellow, slimy |
Stalk | Thick and yellow, brown dots, with white collar that becomes purple-brown with age |
Underside | Sponge-like |
Spore Print | Cinnamon |
Habitat | Coniferous forests, specifically favoring red and white pines |
Uses | They are suited for frying, or cooking in stews and soups, either alone or with other mushroom species. Their water content is too high for drying. |
Warning | The slime must be removed. |
19. Coral Tooth
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Hericium coralloides |
Common Name | Coral Tooth |
Height | 30cm |
Branches | Arising from central core, white when fresh, becoming faintly yellowish to brownish in old age. |
Spore Print | White |
Habitat | Deciduous forests, on fallen hardwood branches and stumps |
Uses | They make for a great fish alternative. Research is currently being done on the cognitive benefits of this mushroom; it is thought to be a potential medicine for Alzheimer’s |
Warning | Not edible when aged, branches and hanging spines become brittle and turn a light shade of yellowish brown. Must be cooked before eating. |
20. Belwit
Photo | |
Scientific Name | Clitocybe nuda |
Common Name | Belwit |
Height | 10cm |
Cap | Violet, fades to tan with age |
Stalk | Bulbous base, violet fading to tan with age |
Gills | Partially attached and notched, violet fading to lilac |
Spore Print | Pinkish |
Habitat | Found in organic material in woodlands or urban settings |
Uses | Blewits can be eaten as a cream sauce or sautéed in butter, or used in dishes. They have a strong flavor, so they combine well with leeks or onions |
Warning | This mushroom must be cooked |
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