It’s not just morels you should seek

Mike Snyder has been teaching people about mushrooms for the last five years, and he’ll tell you that if you’re just hunting morels, you’re missing out! Snyder has just penned his first guide book, “Foraging Mushrooms of the Ozarks,” and it will help you find, identify and prepare edible mushrooms.

Snyder moved to property south of Edgar Springs about 15 years ago. He had been foraging for plants for a couple of years before relocating here, but after moving to a wooded area, his interest in finding edible plants in the wild was piqued. His children brought home a pamphlet from George O. White State Forest Nursery about mushrooms, and Snyder identified and sampled a Black Trumpet, the first wild mushroom he’d ever eaten. He was hooked.

For about 10 years, he hunted mushrooms and foraged on his own, earning the nickname Mushroom Mike. He read everything he could find about mushrooms. Then he discovered the Missouri Mycological Society and joined the group. He began leading forays into the woods and became friends with Maxine Stone, the long-time leader of the society and the author of the guide on mushrooms distributed by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Snyder’s hobby grew to include presenting lectures on mushrooms, doing workshops at libraries, teaching cultivation of mushrooms and speaking at events (Baker Creek, Ozarks Homesteading Expo, Missouri Botanical Garden). At his workshops, he even provides participants with a kit to start growing their own mushrooms.

Snyder also developed a friendship with Bo Brown, who has written a couple of guidebooks, including “Foraging the Ozarks,” a guide to foraging plants. Brown helped him get a contract with FalconGuides to write his mushroom guidebook, which has an official release date of September 15. In addition to writing the book, Snyder also doubled as photographer, capturing beautiful photos that show the specific details of each fungus.

Fungi were classified as plants until 1969, Snyder explains, but they are truthfully closer to animals than plants. They are the foundation of every ecosystem, especially forested areas. They decay and break down dead plant matter and form relationships with living plants as well. Fungi are so prevalent that humans inhale an estimated 10 fungal spores in every breath.

The mushrooms that we see protruding from surfaces are the “fruit,” or temporary reproductive structure of a much larger organism networking below. Their purpose is to spread spores, from which more fungi can grow.

Regarding morels, Snyder shared that grey morels are actually “baby” morels, and if left alone they will become a yellow morel. Morels have about a three week growing period above ground, depending on weather conditions. But morels aren’t Snyder’s favorites. He prefers chanterelles and trumpets, but also likes hen of the woods and other polypores, puffballs, lobster mushrooms and shrimp of the woods, coral fungi, toothed fungi, boletes and gilled mushrooms, and has written a chapter devoted to each. A chapter on toxic mushrooms is also included in his guide.

The guide also has basic guidelines including the Top Three Mushroom Foraging Rules:

• Never eat a mushroom unless you have 100 percent verified its identification as a safe, edible mushroom.

• Find and successfully identify what you think is the same mushroom multiple times before consuming it.

• Try only a small amount of any new-to-you mushroom the first time to make sure it agrees with you.

Always cook your mushrooms thoroughly before eating, and beware of AI-generated information about mushrooms. Several poisonings have occurred when people relied on an app to identify mushrooms.

To see all the tips for hunting, identifying, and preparing mushrooms of the Ozarks, you can order “Foraging Mushrooms of the Ozarks” at Snyder’s website, wildwisebotanicals.com, or pick up a copy at The Licking News office. On his website, you can also sign up for his mailing list and get the latest information on upcoming workshops and events.