Jean Pierre carefully tucks some chanterelles into his collection basket.
Photo © Petra Esterle
People have been gathering wild mushrooms for centuries for use both as food and for their medicinal properties. Mushroom gathering today ranges from enthusiasts collecting edibles for their own personal use, to large commercial harvesting operations.
- Mushroom Picking Rules and Regulations
- While picking wild mushrooms in northern California is restricted on many public lands, there are several local parks that do allow gathering for personal use.
- Proposed Mushroom Collecting Policies
- Many mycological societies and individuals are concerned about restrictions on collecting mushrooms on public lands. Here's our take on the situation.
- Mushroom Identification
- Identifying wild mushrooms is not only fun, but because some mushrooms are poisonous, accurate identification is really important if you're going to take them home and eat them! This list of field guides and resources is a good place to get started with identifying mushrooms.
