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Welcome to
Collecting and Cooking Wild Mushrooms in the Southwest
(New Mexico and Arizona)
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Webmaster in Arizona's White Mountains with a Hawk Wing
Photograph by Kelly Tighe. Used by Permission.
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Amanita vaginata
Photograph by Angelos Papadimitriou from Mushrooms in Greece
Used by permission of Angelos Papadimitriou.
Index
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Other Photographs of Amanita vaginata by Angelos Papadimitriou
Current Gallup, New Mexico Mushroom Weather
Click Here for Southwestern Mushroom Weather Information
This site contains information regarding several species of wild mushrooms that I regularly collect and eat. I have included photographs, recipes and comments on cooking these species together with links to descriptions, illustrations, photographs, recipes and other information on the Internet.
Collecting mushrooms in the southwestern United States is usually most productive in mountain areas where the highest levels of precipitation occur. Lower elevations are often too arid to produce many mushrooms, though watered lawns in cities and irrigated farm lands can be an exception. Despite the generally arid nature of the southwest mountainous areas often become inundated in mushrooms during the summer rainy season, at least in those years when there is a rainy season. In particularly dry years there may be little in the way of a rainy season. The summer of 2000 was one of the driest on record and mushrooms were not abundant anywhere in the southwest. So far 2002 seems to be trying to beat 2000 for lack of precipitation. The lack of rainfall combined with a near total absence of snowfall last winter has resulted in particularly poor conditions for mushroom development and extremely high fire danger. Currently (July 2, 2002) much of the National Forest land in the southwest is closed to entry. It seems unlikely this year will be any more productive for mushrooms that 2000 was.
When compared with other areas with somewhat longer mushroom seasons one might wonder why anyone interested in wild mushrooms would live in the southwestern United States. My sister certainly wonders. There are certain areas where one can pick mushrooms almost any time of the year. I recall with amazement picking some delicious Agaricus on Washington's Olympic Peninsula in January (eaten with an equally delicious sea-run cutthroat trout I was fortunate enough to catch). My favorite mushroom patches in the mountains of the southwest are usually under several feet of snow in January. In April and May when hordes of people are tromping through the Midwest scarfing up morels, we in the southwest look at the cloudless blue sky and parched earth below and wonder if it will ever rain again. It usually does, but often not until July or so. On the other hand, having a mushroom season that is limited to only a few months a year does keep me from perpetually disappearing into the woods and never coming back. Another factor to consider is that I have rarely met any other people collecting mushrooms in the southwest (who didn't come with me). Once I found several piles of knife-cut trimmings at one of my favorite Boletus barrowsii patches that was right beside a paved highway. There were very few barrowsii in an edible state left in the area. I set out down a less traveled gravel road a few miles and immediately came to a place where I found many more than I had ever found at the original location. That is the one of the few times I ever saw any sign of other human mushroom hunters in the southwest. Animals such as squirrels can often provide stiff competition for certain varieties and last summer the cows seem to take quite a liking to Coprinus comatus. But other human mushroom hunters in the southwest are quite rare. This is not necessarily true in other parts of the country. Possibly they are getting more common because in 2001 I found several B. edulis chopped up by knife and discarded as wormy along with several stumps of B. edulis in the only place I have found that species in western New Mexico. Obviously someone else got there first. But such competition is very rare. That is one reason why I like to hunt mushrooms in the southwest. On the other hand when I hear tales of endless fungus from the northwest coast in the midst of a mushroomless drought in the southwest I start thinking there might be an advantage to being where it rains from time to time.
-The Mandatory Mycophagy Warning and Stimulus for Fungophobia-
If you talk about eating wild mushrooms it seems you are required to include a warning that people doing so should be very careful. So if you eat wild mushrooms, you should be very careful. Here's why:
There is a saying in German: "Alle pilze sind eßbar! Manche sorten kann man allerdings nur einmal im leben essen." This translates roughly as "All mushrooms are edible. But some kinds can only be eaten once."
Actually very few mushroom species are dangerously poisonous, though in many areas those species are very common. Some of these species can be extremely toxic and consumption of even relatively small amounts can be fatal. Depending on the toxins present, some species do not produce any symptoms of poisoning for 12 hours or more after ingestion. With a few species it can take weeks or even months for the poisoning to manifest itself in the form of damage to kidneys, liver or other organs. Some species build up a cumulative toxic effect such that the first few times you eat them there is no apparent problem, but, say, the tenth time you become quite seriously ill. Some species are unsafe to eat raw and must be cooked to destroy toxins.
A few species can cause digestive distress but are unlikely to be fatal. Many people have individualized reactions to certain species others can eat with no problem. Such individualized reactions usually take the form of gastric distress. Some species (e.g., Coprinus atramentarius) should not be consumed with alcohol or unpleasant reactions can result (usually not fatal).
Many more species are considered unpalatable due to having an unpleasant flavor or a texture inconsistent with gustatory pleasure. Others are simply too small or rare to be worth eating.
There is no simple test to determine whether a particular mushroom is good to eat or not, short of eating it. Luckily, people have been eating mushrooms for thousands of years. As a result, a large body of knowledge already exists regarding which ones are good to eat and which ones will cause you harm. Therefore we do not have to resort to pure trial and error. However, in order to apply that body of knowledge it is necessary to identify the mushroom in question. This site does not purport to provide any definitive help in identifying mushrooms. There are many books available that can help with the identification process. It would be wise to check your identifications with someone who is more experienced before stuffing them down your throat. Many mushroom clubs exist where one can find people with experience in mushroom identification. Many universities and other institutions also have faculty specializing in mycology. When they first start out many people make mistakes in mushroom identification. Verifying your identifications may save you from making an unfortunate mistake. When you eat a wild mushroom you are betting your life on your identification. If you have any doubts at all it is better to throw the mushroom in question out. Even the most complete guidebooks only describe a fraction of the mushrooms found in a particular area. There are at least hundreds and probably thousands of mushroom species out there that have never been described by anyone. If you aren't sure of your identification and you eat a mushroom you are, indeed, engaging in true trial and error not unlike Russian roulette. Hence, when in doubt, throw it out.
"There are bold mushroom hunters and there are old mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters." ----A wise person
One day last summer when I was picking Coprinus comatus along a mountain roadside a suburban utility vehicle of the type favored by those who want to go out in the woods without getting out in the woods pulled up. The electric window rolled down and a woman inside asked, "Are you intending to eat those?" After I responded in the affirmative she stated that I must be very brave. She was quite wrong. Bravery was not a factor. Certainty of my identification was rather more important, though a great appreciation for the often under-appreciated gastronomic qualities of C. comatus no doubt played a substantial role as well. I have eaten C. comatus all over the country hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of times over the last thirty years. Were I a brave mushroom hunter I would eat the Amanita caesarea that spring up among the ponderosa pines in August here. As the name suggests, they were a favorite of the elite of Rome. They are widely reported to be the most delicious of mushrooms. They are also in the same genus as species responsible for the majority of mushroom poisoning deaths that occur. I have collected several and dried them but have yet to eat even one. I guess I want to see someone else eat them (and survive) before I do it. I am not a bold (or brave) mushroom hunter. As a result I am becoming a rather old mushroom hunter.
As a general practice that I have never followed even once, it might be wise to set aside an example of any mushroom you eat in a paper bag labeled "what I ate" with the time and date you ate it in the rather unlikely hope that even if you got it wrong this information will help the emergency room get it right and take appropriate steps to try to remedy the situation..
Now that I have hopefully stimulated a healthy mycophobia in anyone reading this, I will list a few general rules for eating mushrooms, whether they are picked from the wild or purchased from your local grocery store.
First, eat only fresh mushrooms. When they have sat around in the refrigerator for a few weeks and gotten slimy with brightly colored patches of mold or whatever on them, they are spoiled. Eating spoiled meat can and probably will make you sick. Eating spoiled mushrooms can do the same, however edible they may have been to begin with. Mushrooms should be stored refrigerated without washing in paper bags or another container which allows them to breath without drying out, never in plastic bags which generally cause them to become mushy very quickly. Any dirt should be removed by brushing (see photo below) and washing with water should be done minimally, if at all, and washed mushrooms should be eaten immediately.
Second, start off with small quantities. Many people have individualized reactions to even the best mushrooms. Such reactions usually take the form of gastric disturbance. One can react adversely to a species others have no problems with. Many individuals react adversely to consuming various species of Agaricus, some even to Agaricus bisporus (the species most often commercially raised and sold in grocery stores). Or one can react adversely to a particular strain of a species complex even though you have no problems with other strains. My sister has long eaten and enjoyed morels of all types (including yellow, white and black) from the Midwest. Last year she purchased black morels from British Columbia in the market one day and prepared them for dinner with a nice beef steak which she served with a red wine. She became quite nauseous. Her husband, who has allergies to half the foods that exist, had no problem. A week or so later she decided it must have been bad wine and purchased more morels and steak, but this time got a better wine. The same thing happened. Sometime later she again purchased and prepared black morels from the same source, but this time had no wine. She got sick again. I think now she has learned to avoid black morels from British Columbia. I have eaten black morels found in Washington State just south of the British Columbia border without any problem. If you experience some peculiarized reaction to a mushroom it will not be as extreme or unpleasant if you have consumed only a small quantity. So to begin with stick to eating only a small quantity.
Third, do not mix various kinds of mushrooms unless you have eaten them all separately many times without any adverse reaction. If you do react adversely to a particular mushroom you will want to know which one so you can avoid it in the future. Many mushroom recipes call for combining various types of mushrooms. Sometimes this is a matter of economy (an ounce of very expensive imported dried porcini will stretch quite a bit further when mixed with much cheaper Agaricus bisporus). Sometimes it is because the person who created the recipe thought the various mushroom flavors complimented each other to beneficial effect. Boletus barrowsii, a mushroom found in the southwest similar to Boletus edulis (porcini) and not long ago classed as a strain within that species, is very strongly flavored, particularly after drying. A few years back I dried several bushels of these and regularly use them in cooking. I suspect mixing them with the more bland Agaricus bisporus in cooking could result in a high volume of mushrooms in a dish without the overwhelming flavor caused by using the barrowsii alone. But I don't do it; I just use smaller quantities of the barrowsii. I personally think one should gain an appreciation of the flavor of a particular species before mixing it with others. Sometimes I think chefs just try to put as many types of expensive, exotic mushrooms in a single dish as possible just to show off. Approach such recipes with caution and only after eating the species separately first.
Fourth, it is generally unwise to eat wild mushrooms raw. Some species contain toxins that are broken down by cooking. If you decide to eat them raw check to make sure the species is one suited for this treatment.
Finally, eat mushrooms in moderation. With all respect to the Texas steakhouse that advertises on billboards that if you can eat it in an hour you get their 4-pound steak for free, most people who do so will end up with a stomach ache. Mushrooms contain complex substances that can be difficult to digest. However good tasting they may be if you eat too many you will probably regret it. Somehow I usually forget this rule when I find a couple of pounds of chanterelles awaiting my attention. Most of the digestive upsets I have ever experienced after eating wild mushrooms were the result of violating this rule.
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List of Macrofungi Found in Arizona and New Mexico
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Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Inspecting a Russula
Click to See Full-Sized Photograph
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Preparing to Eat Way Too Many Chanterelles - This is Not Moderation, But They Tasted Great
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Inspecting a Russula
Click to See Full-Sized Photograph
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
The disclaimer being finished let's get on to the mushrooms.
Southwestern Mushroom Habitats
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List of Macrofungi Found in Arizona and New Mexico
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A Typical New Mexico Mushroom Hunt
Wondering Where the Mushrooms Are
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Beginning to Wonder Where I am
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Uncertain Where Mushrooms Are or I Am
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Giving Up on the Mushrooms
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
No Mushrooms for Dinner
Photograph by B.G. Lueck. Used by Permission.
Brigitte muscaria
Photograph ©1999 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
Photograph ©1999 by B.W. Freyburger. All Rights Reserved.
I Bet There Are Chanterelles On the Other Side of This Mountain
Except as otherwise noted all original material on this site © 2001 B.W. Freyburger
This site contains some clip art obtained from sites that claimed it was public domain or authorized for use on noncommercial sites. If you notice any material on this site which you believe to be used in violation of copyright laws please notify the webmaster immediately. Some clip art appearing here is original.
Webmaster: B.W. Freyburger
Page Updated July 2, 2002