Know Oregon Mushroom Season Rules
We can’t wait for mushroom season this year and are happy to share these great articles about mushrooms and mushroom season in Eastern Oregon. Many restaurants here in La Grande, serve hand picked local mushrooms.
Morel Mushrooms are a local favorite here in Northeastern Oregon.
Elkhorn Media Group: Mushroom Article: Posted on
LA GRANDE: Mushroom season is in full swing- know the rules
It’s about that time again when fungi begin pushing their way up through the soil. Avid mushroom hunters, both recreational and commercial, await their arrival every spring.
A permit is not required to harvest, possess, or transport less than one gallon in Oregon or less than five gallons in Washington. These free-use mushrooms are for personal consumption and cannot be sold, bartered, or given away.
A commercial mushroom permit is required if you are 18 years or older and harvest mushrooms to sell, or if you plan to harvest, possess, or transport more than one gallon in Oregon or more than five gallons in Washington. Commercial mushroom picking is prohibited in wilderness areas; therefore you cannot possess more than one gallon within Oregon wilderness boundaries or five gallons within Washington wilderness boundaries.
An Industrial Camping Permit is required if commercial mushroom harvesters and buyers plan to camp overnight on National Forest System lands. Industrial camping permits can only be obtained at the local Ranger District Office on the forest of which you plan to harvest. Commercial mushroom harvesters and buyers are prohibited from camping in developed campgrounds.
Commercial permit rates
- Consecutive-Day: $2.00 per day, minimum 10 days = $20.00
(Example: 14-day permit =$28.00)- Annual Permit: Jan. 1 – Dec. 31 = $100.00
- Buyer’s permit: $600.00 plus administrative costs
Remember: When in doubt throw that mushroom out.
Filed Under: Edible mushrooms, Union County, La Grande, Oregon, Wallowa County
Edible mushrooms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi (fungi which bear fruiting structures that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye). They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground (epigeous) where they may be picked by hand.[1] Edibility may be defined by criteria that include absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste andaroma.[2][3]Edible mushrooms are consumed for their nutritional value and they are occasionally consumed for their supposed medicinal value. Mushrooms consumed by those practicing folk medicine are known as medicinal mushrooms.[4] While hallucinogenic mushrooms (e.g.psilocybin mushrooms) are occasionally consumed for recreational or religious purposes, they can produce severe nausea and disorientation, and are therefore not commonly considered edible mushrooms.[5]
Edible mushrooms include many fungal species that are either harvested wild or cultivated. Easily cultivatable and common wild mushrooms are often available in markets, and those that are more difficult to obtain (such as the prized truffle and matsutake) may be collected on a smaller scale by private gatherers. Some preparationsmay render certain poisonous mushrooms fit for consumption.
Before assuming that any wild mushroom is edible, it should be identified. Accurate determination and proper identification of a species is the only safe way to ensure edibility, and the only safeguard against possible accident. Some mushrooms that are edible for most people can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, and old or improperly stored specimens can cause food poisoning. Great care should therefore be taken when eating any fungus for the first time, and only small quantities should be consumed in case of individual allergies. Deadly poisonous mushrooms that are frequently confused with edible mushrooms and responsible for many fatal poisonings include several species of the Amanita genus, in particular, Amanita phalloides, the death cap. It is therefore better to eat only a few, easily recognizable, species, than to experiment indiscriminately. Moreover, even species of mushrooms that are normally edible may be dangerous, as mushrooms growing in polluted locations can accumulate pollutants such as heavy metals.
LA GRANDE, OREGON: Know the Rules for Mushroom Season
Morel Hunting: How to Find Edible Wild Mushrooms
With a little guidance, morel hunting can be a rewarding endeavor. Learn where to find and how to identify edible wild mushrooms with these tips.
Mother Earth Living: By Tabitha Alterman
March/April 2012The morel’s shape is often described as being like an acorn, cone or Christmas tree. The texture can be compared with a honeycomb, sponge or brain.
Mushroom hunting is one of those great activities that blends mental and physical exercise, with the bonus of returning incredibly satisfying results. It’s a great way to get outdoors in spring, but the flavor of the catch is the best reward. Morels are the most-coveted specimen among North American mushroom hunters. They’re meaty, nutty and aromatic. Morels are a good target for newbie wild food foragers because they’re easy to identify and safe to eat. Although they’re not necessarily easy to find in the wild, morels are very difficult to grow, so if you don’t want to pay supermarket prices—up to $30 for a single ounce!—hunting them is your best option. Here are a few tips for finding a tasty crop. Believe me, you’ll need ’em; no one who knows where morels abound is going to share their secrets!
Mushroom Hunting Tips
• Morels can be found all over North America in spring. When morel hunting, it’s important to go slow, crouch low and look ahead for little cones popping up from the ground.
• Ideal temperatures for mushrooms to grow range from 60 to 80 degrees. When new wildflowers such as phlox, violets and wild strawberries are appearing, the time is right.
• Morels are spongy and usually between 1 and 5 inches tall—about the size of your thumb. The stems and caps are hollow.
• Morels come in a range of colors, from white and yellow to black and gray. Black morels appear first and are often found in hardwood forests. Blond and tan mushrooms usually follow, and the gray versions (some say the tastiest) don’t show up until summer.
• Look for areas where trees are beginning to bud and unfiltered sunlight is warming the ground. Blond morels sometimes grow around dying trees, especially elm, fir, ash and apple.
• “Burn morels” can be found in the sites of previous fires, as well as dying orchards, logged areas, flooded plains and bulldozed areas. Connie Green and Sarah Scott, authors of The Wild Table, believe “disaster makes them feel like fruiting.”
• Once you find a morel, cut it just beneath the conical top, then look nearby. The spores that created it will likely have blown around the same area. And check there again next spring!
• Collect morels in a mesh bag, which allows the mushroom spores to fall back to the ground and produce more yummy mushrooms in the future.
• For many more mushroom-hunting tips and to see tons of photos to help train your eye, visit Morel Mushroom Hunting Club, The Great Morel and Morel Mania.
Tips for Eating Morels
Never eat raw morels, which contain a dangerous compound that cooking eliminates. Morels can be sautéed, roasted, grilled and added to cooking liquids such as soup stock.
LA GRANDE, OREGON: Know Mushroom Season Rules
More Mushroom Resources
Updated Dec 4 2020