Well friends and fellow mushroom people, the summer seems to be moving fast as we enter the last month of it. However that doesn’t mean the end of mushroom abundance! As the seasons change so do the different types of mushrooms that are growing. As every year is different in the mushroom world, this year has seen a blast of Reishi come on, a strange Chanterelle showing and lots of Milky and Bolete mushrooms as usual. Part of the fun of the hunt is never knowing what you’ll find, I’ve visited spots that were abundant every year that have been slightly barren this year and I have also found new spots that were flourishing. It’s always interesting to observe and record, to be caught off guard and to find just what your looking for at the exact time your looking for it. For example I had a memory pop up on my photo stream from a year ago of Lobster mushrooms, I went to the spot and sure enough there they were! This is a general, great rule, that when you find mushrooms like Chicken of the Wood or Chanterelles in a spot, remember that because the next year they will return to that very spot. I’ve been selling quite a bit of fresh picked wild mushrooms, especially Chanterelles, if you’d like some contact me by phone or email, I have a list of people to notify when I have fresh ones, if you’d like to be on that list let me know, plenty of time in the season still to add some wild mushrooms to your dinner!
***I deliver if local to Asheville area, also willing to meet in between if not too far***
I’ve had a great time leading walks this year so far and plan to continue through the fall as mushrooms like Honeys, Hen of the Wood and Lions Mane begin to grow. It’s worked out for those interested in doing a walk to contact me directly via email or by phone, that way I have been able to work with peoples schedules. I will be doing the tailgates as usual, however this month I will be at East Asheville on the 31st of July and then again the 14th and 28th of this month. I’m only doing one Weaverville market on the 19th. I hope to have some fresh Chanterelles and other kinds of wild mushrooms at those markets, as well as my usual medicinal tinctures and dried mushrooms for teas.
Smooth Canterelle 
Chanterelles and Blue Indigo Milkys 
Black trumpets 
Leatherback milk caps 
Milk of the Leatherback 
Crown Tipped Coral 
Lilac Bolete 
Golden Bolete 
Lobsters 
Beef Steak 
Cinnabar Chanterelles 
Shaggy Stalked Bolete
Here’s some gems you might find out there right now. All these are edible and tasty in my opinion. I have found the Leather backs are super good on the grill! I cut off the caps and grill those and saute the stems. The Bolete family of mushrooms is a generally safe family, with very few being toxic, however many are bitter tasting. Boletes have no gills instead they have a spongy under bottom and can sometimes change colors when bruised. Although there is edible Boletes that turn blue, I play it safe and stay away from those. Also red bottomed Boletes I stay away from. The Beef Steak is one of the only mushrooms you can eat raw in our woods and tastes great when marinated. The Lobster mushroom is a unique one and actually considered a parasitic mold. It often attaches itself to Russula mushrooms and completely devours it! Often found in piney areas. If you see a mound of pine needles, take a look underneath and you may find a surprise.
The Corals are also a generally safe family with some exceptions of coarse. Always stay away from yellow corals for one, Corals over all are very hard to digest and the most sought after one is the Crown Tipped Coral, pictured above with tiny crowns on the tips.
Indian Pipe 
Pipsissewa
Two very wonderful plants/flowers out there right now are these two. Ghost or Indian Pipe is a beautiful wild flower, often likened to the fungi family. It is a special one and should be treated as such both in harvesting practices and dose intake. Here’s a good article on it: https://wisdomoftheplantdevas.com/2019/10/04/ghost-pipe-a-hauntingly-rare-plant-for-physical-and-emotional-pain/
It has been used traditionally for pain relief, help getting to sleep and anxiety issues. The other plant here is one of my favorites to say and hear people repeat, Pipsissewa. This is an obvious Cherokee named plant. Pipsissewa is used in whole plant form, making a tea or tincture from it. It is used for Urinary issues, especially UTIs and bladder stones. It is also useful for anxiety and as an anticancer plant. It gets a pretty little flower as well.
Being such an awesome year for Reishi mushroom I wanted to display this beauty! Found this recently growing solo, it’s a rare thing to find one like this with the distinct stem. It’s said the most medicinal concentration is in that stem. Reishi is said to slow the aging process among a long list of benefits, making it the mushroom of immortality. We’ve had some lovely rain storms this summer so far and recently, making it a wonderland of mushroom love in the forest, get out there, learn and find some wild foraged dinner! Contact me anytime for questions or orders: (828) 423-3875, I respond quicker to texts, or via email at blueridgechaga@gmail.com
Best experience EVER searching the forest with blue ridge chaga connection; learned so much about mushrooms and other plants and collected over 60 edible mushrooms !! Can’t wait to go again!