Mushrooms have insane health benefits—especially wild mushrooms—and they are considered a superfood because of their nutrient density. Mushrooms have around 15 vitamins and minerals packed in each one, including vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, zinc, potassium, fiber, and vitamin D. They’re also rich in antioxidants, and the phytochemicals in mushrooms have anti-cancer and anti-aging properties.

While identifying the right mushrooms in the wild may be a challenge, preparing them is easy, if you know the right tricks. Here are eight.

Disclaimer: Before cooking and consuming wild mushrooms, make sure you are 100% certain what mushroom they are and always consult an expert. Many wild mushrooms are toxic, some deadly. 

8. Use the Right Tools 

Use a very sharp knife when harvesting the mushrooms and make sure to collect them in a basket or breathable mesh bag to allow them to breathe. Be gentle with the mushrooms when removing them. When chopping, continue to use a really sharp knife to maintain their unique shape and avoid damaging their delicate flesh.

7. Don’t Wash Them in Water

Mushrooms are mostly water, so don’t use water to clean them, because it will change and lessen their flavor. (The mushrooms will just absorb the water and they won’t taste as good.) Instead, use a very gentle brush to get rid of dirt and anything else that might still be on the wild mushrooms. Often, mushroom knives are equipped with a special mushroom brush for cleaning.

6. Check for Bugs

Always trim any damaged or discolored parts of the mushrooms away and avoid slimy mushrooms. Inspect them for insects, because sometimes, small bugs or worms live on mushrooms, especially those foraged from logs. 

5. Most Mushrooms Should Be Cooked

Almost all kinds of foraged mushrooms need to be cooked, and many are toxic if they are not—like morels—so cooking before consuming is usually the best choice. Sautéing mushrooms will also soften them and improve their texture.

Here are a few general ways to prepare cooked mushrooms:

• Sauté: For the best flavor, add butter or oil to the pan only after the water from the mushrooms has dissolved. Cook on medium-to-low heat until golden brown and soft.
• Roast: Add any desired seasonings to clean mushrooms and roast in the oven until they are tender and browned.
• Grill: Grilling mushrooms can be a great way to release different flavors.

4. Cook or Dry Them Right Away 

Foraged foods taste better when they’re fresh, so picking a bunch of mushrooms for your dinner that evening will help you enjoy the mushrooms’ flavor at its peak. Similarly, if you choose to dehydrate or freeze the mushrooms, it’s optimal to do so shortly after foraging. Clean the mushrooms before freezing or dehydrating them so they’re ready to go when you defrost them for use. 

If you plan to eat foraged mushrooms a few days after harvesting, store them in a brown paper bag without closing the top to keep them fresher for longer. Avoid storing them in plastic wrap, because that will make them go bad faster.

3. Try Preserving Them

If you have a lot of foraged mushrooms that you can’t eat right away, you can freeze, dry, or pickle them for long-term storage. Dried mushrooms can be rehydrated later before cooking them to gain back their delightful texture. The water from rehydrated mushrooms has great flavor and can be used for soups and stews. Generally, you only need around one-eighth the amount of dried mushrooms compared to fresh when you’re measuring mushrooms for a recipe.

Some mushrooms like chicken of the woods and chanterelles don’t store well dried, so instead, try to cook, vacuum seal, and freeze them to retain their best flavor. Mushrooms freeze better when cooked since they are mostly water and may become mushy if you free them raw.

You can also try the Italian process for marinating mushrooms, like for porcini, by salting the mushrooms, boiling them in vinegar, drying them, and then preserving them in olive oil. 

2. Don’t Overpower Them 

Seasonings and spices that go well with mushrooms can vary, but typically things like thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic, and shallots pair perfectly with wild mushrooms. Mushrooms also pair well with wine and cheese, if you want to have a fall picnic. Experiment with different mushrooms and pairings to find your favorite flavors. Wild mushrooms often have a unique, earthy flavor; try not to overpower them. Allow that flavor to shine through without overloading your dish with too many seasonings.

1. Go for Hearty Meals

Wild mushrooms pair well with game meats, steak, and some types of seafood. Foraged mushrooms in particular also make great sauces for steak, pasta, or fish, because of their wonderful flavor. Making a wild mushroom stew or soup is also the perfect way to end a day foraging, and you can never go wrong with a creamy mushroom sauce drizzled over a steak. 

Adding mushrooms to pasta or rice is also a match made in heaven. Mushroom risotto is insanely delicious, especially with foraged chanterelles or morels. Try adding sautéed foraged mushrooms to a simple sauce poured over noodles or as the stuffing inside ravioli.

For more mushroom content, browse here.

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Product: Lodge Deep Dutch Oven

Lodge has been a leader in the cast iron industry and has been making their heirloom-quality cookware since 1896. This Dutch oven is 10 inches deep and can hold 5 quarts when cooking. Since it’s Lodge, you can rely on this product time and time again and use it in a variety of ways. Make a delicious soup in the bowl or flip the lid upside-down and use it as a griddle to make pancakes. The Dutch oven has legs that allow it to stand on hot coals, and it comes with the Dutch Oven Cooking 101 Cookbook.

About Lodge

With over 25 years of experience, Lodge is the go-to company for cast-iron cookware. The company still operates out of its original foundry in south Pittsburg, Tennessee and creates high-quality kitchenware that you’ll be able to use for decades and pass down for generations. Besides Dutch ovens and skillets, there are a variety of other options that will help produce amazing, delicious, home-cooked meals for you and your family. 

Reviews

The Lodge Dutch oven comes well-reviewed, making it a great option for when you’re camping with your family. Cast iron can get heavy, though, so if you’re heading out on a backcountry camping trip, it might be best to leave this pot behind. 

Customers love the quality of the cookware and say that they’ve made some of their best campfire meals using Lodge cast iron products.

The post Product Spotlight: Lodge Deep Dutch Oven appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Step One: Which Mushroom Is Best for You?

All mushrooms are different, of course, and they may vary slightly in the environments they prefer. Oyster mushrooms are a common choice for beginners, as well as turkey tail or shiitake. It’s important to know what you want from the beginning, though, so that you can tailor your growing setup to that variety.

Easiest Option: Buy a Kit

There are plenty of services out there that will send you everything you need to get started. These kits will include whatever substrate you need, likely in the form of wood chips or sawdust, and likely some hydrated lime. They will also include wooden dowels or some similar host material pre-inoculated with mushroom spawn. From there, it’s mostly a case of mixing these ingredients and storing them properly.

It’s All in the Mix

Your kit might come with a storage system, but otherwise, grab a plastic bucket or tub of some kind, clean it well, and get your substrate in there. You need to hydrate it properly, so it’s moist but not wet. When you grab a handful and squeeze it in your hand, it should drip a little bit of water and hold its shape. If your kit includes lime, mix that in. Then, mix in your spawn, evenly and well, ensuring as many points of contact as possible.

But Where in the Kitchen Do You Put It?

There are a few key points here. First, no matter where you put it, you have to maintain your mixture’s humidity and moisture throughout the growing process. A spray bottle should do the trick, and a plastic bag as a cover will help maintain humidity.

Temperature and Incubation

Got a thermometer handy? For incubation, you’ll want your mushrooms to live at around 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on where you live, this may mean keeping it near a refrigerator’s exhaust for that warm air or an open window that gets some sun. Be sure to avoid direct sunlight, though. You’ll know your mushrooms are properly incubated when you see those white threads, mycelium, spread all throughout the substrate.

Fruiting

After incubation, bring the temperature down a little, into the low 60s. From there, it’s a waiting game, ensuring that you maintain humidity and moisture. When you see the mushrooms grow to a healthy size, it’ll be time to harvest and enjoy.

Intermediate: Buy the Spawn and DIY

You can save a little money and lean further into your own capability by simply buying the spawn and creating your own setup from scratch. A key difference in this approach will be finding or creating your own substrate.

Sourcing the Substrate

For this, you’ll want to harvest or source hardwood of some kind. No pines or conifers, since they’re too resinous. Oak, poplar, birch, or ash should all make great homes. If you opt for wood chips or sawdust, they should be made from these varieties of wood. You can also use cut hardwood logs, so long as they’re freshly harvested. Coffee grinds are a viable option, so long as whatever mushroom variety you grow can thrive in that acidity.

Sanitization and Pasteurization

If you’re using wood chips or sawdust, you’ll need to ensure that you don’t have some rogue bacteria or living things in your substrate. For this, you can place your substrate in a baking sheet and place into an oven, around 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit, for 10-20 minutes. Not enough to burn, just enough to sanitize. Alternatively, you could cover your substrate with boiling water, and that should work fine as well.

This process has the same effect as that lime mixture that would have come in your kit. Its alkaline qualities prepare your substrate in much the same way, so if you’re feeling ambitious, you could source some lime, find the right mixture, and go that route instead.

Adding the Spawn

Now, you can add the spawn. If you’re using wood chips, double-check your moisture levels. Mix in your spawn, cover it to maintain humidity, and let it be. Follow the same incubation and fruiting steps as you would with a kit, spraying it with water so it doesn’t dry out.

If you’ve opted to use a hardwood log, to add your spawn, you’ll want to drill into the log. Insert your inoculated dowels or whatever form your spawn came in. Follow the same processes until you see a lot of healthy mycelium. Here’s a tip for using logs: soaking them overnight in water can help trigger fruiting, if they’re ready.

Advanced: Creating Your Own Spawn

Essentially, this last step is a crash-course in cloning mushrooms. For this, you’ll need some internal mushroom tissue, so harvest a piece from the gills. Place it in a jar with some sanitized grain such as barley, wheat, or millet. For this, a microbe-proof air filter covering the jar can help the mycelium grow safely and without competition. Placing the mushroom tissue in between two sheets of damp, sterilized cardboard can also work. Grain is recommended, though, because when you later spread the spawn throughout your substrate, there will be a lot of points of contact.

What Will You Grow?

Now that you know some techniques, do you have a sense of what mushroom you want to grow? Will you opt for a shiitake or oyster, for taste? Will you grow reishi for its medicinal benefits? It’s hard to go wrong, but it’s easy to do. The rest is up to you.

The post How to Grow Mushrooms in Your Kitchen appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

“I found this guy last Wednesday just casually walking by my fence, so I called the Maple Ridge SPCA. His back feet are HUGE,” Shelley commented on a Facebook post.

The tortoise currently weighs around 35 pounds (16 kilograms). Shelley described him as the size of a turkey platter, one that can be used to serve 24 people a Thanksgiving turkey. And he is only going to get bigger.

Frank was checked over by vets at Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. They estimated him to be at a juvenile age, somewhere between eight and 15 years old. This species of tortoise can live up to 150 years old and grow to the size of a wheelbarrow. Frank loves to eat grasses, shrubs, and plants.

Native to the dry deserts of sub-Saharan Africa, these tortoises are endangered but are often smuggled into North America, where they can reproduce in captivity and be sold at low prices. Tortoises of this size are not thought to make great pets by reptile experts and can often end up escaping or being abandoned. 

The species can be overwhelming for families to care for as they outgrow their spaces. Plus, since they typically live longer than humans, looking after a giant tortoise is a life-long commitment. 

This particular tortoise is currently living with a foster family, who nicknamed him “Frank the Tank,” and he is still looking for his forever home. 

The post An Adorable Tortoise Called ‘Frank the Tank’ Invaded a Spinach Patch (Want to Adopt Him?)  appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Cozy Whisky Chai

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces whole milk
• 1 chai tea bag
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 ounce whiskey

Instructions:

1. Warm milk until it begins to steam (do not bring to a boil).
2. Remove from heat, then add tea bag and cinnamon stick to milk. Let steep for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove tea bag from milk.
4. Stir in honey or maple syrup then add whiskey and enjoy!

Spiked Spiced Cider

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces apple cider
• 1 tablespoon mulling spices
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 ounces whiskey

Instructions:

1. Bring apple cider, mulling spices, and cinnamon stick to a boil, then let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Carefully strain out the mulling spices.
3. Add lemon juice and whiskey. Start sipping!

Hot Cocoa with a Kick

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 ounce whiskey
• Toasted marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Warm milk until it begins to steam (don’t bring to a boil).
2. Remove from heat, then stir in cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and sugar until they dissolve.
3. Drop in the cinnamon stick, pour in the whiskey, and top with freshly toasted marshmallows. Cheers! 

Whiskey Tip

Stick with a solid whiskey, such as Pendleton, for these campfire cocktails to ensure the best flavor and finish. And if you’re still looking for more campfire cocktail inspiration, check out these other great recipes from Pendleton Whisky.

The post 3 Whiskey Campfire Cocktails to Warm You Up This Fall appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Watch this adorable wildlife moment here:

In the video, the squirrel picks off pieces of the top of the mushroom for a brief snack. He or she is enjoying the fungus feast so much that the squirrel eventually knocks down the mushroom to munch on the stem. He even looks into the camera a few times as he continues to enjoy his snack. 

For more information about mushroom foraging (for humans), check out these guides from Outdoors.com:

• The Fatal Five: Avoid These 5 Deadly Mushrooms in the Wild
• Shroom With A View: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Mushrooms Outdoors
• The Foolproof Four: The 4 Easiest Mushrooms to Forage 
• 5 Mushrooms to Forage in Winter

The post WATCH: Foraging Squirrel Eats a Mushroom appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

There are over 20,000 species out there waiting to be discovered. The reproductive product of fungi, mushrooms are comparable to the fruit of a plant.

The mushroom kingdom exists in its own realm, separate from animals and plants, and represents a cycle of regrowth and regeneration as they absorb nutrients from decomposed organisms to begin new growth.

How do mushrooms spread across a forest, and how much can we learn from the incredible fungal network that exists beneath our feet?

Zillions of Spores

The key to spreadability is in the spores. All fungi release zillions of tiny spores into the atmosphere. These spores can attract insects, spreading their genes around and allowing mushrooms to flourish and crop up in all kinds of places.    

As they spread, mushrooms break down many kinds of matter. In fact, anything hydrocarbon based, such as oil, can be absorbed by a fungal network, which can remove toxins and bring contaminated soil back to life.

Fantastic Fungi

Mycophiles are people fascinated by mushrooms. The Netflix documentary, Fantastic Fungi, explores the growing fascination and science behind the most common living species on Earth.

In the documentary, experts explain how mushrooms form in an underground network of threads, called the mycelium network. The mycelium can join with roots from trees and plant life, allowing communication through these pathways. This process is called mycorrhiza and offers benefits to both partners.

Paul Stamets, a mycologist from Ohio, believes in the collaborative power of mushrooms. “What a beautiful inspirational model for how human beings might live. In a shared economy based not on greed but on nurturing relationships and mutual cooperation,” he says in the film.  

Mushrooms Make Their Own Wind

Biologists Emilie Dressaire (Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut) and Marcus Roper (UCLA) say mushrooms may spread by making their own wind. “Funghi are ingenious engineers” Dressaire notes.

Their latest studies explore how mushrooms can spread their genes in still air. They create their own wind by releasing water vapor. Their moisture evaporates, creating a flow of air that carries the spores around. These air movements allow the spores to land in new locations and begin a new growth cycle.

Mushroom Self-Defense

Mushrooms can be nutritious and delicious. They contain low amounts of fat and sodium, and provide high amounts of beneficial vitamin D.

However, some mushrooms are poisonous. These mushrooms intentionally produce poison so they will not be eaten and can reproduce. It is difficult to tell whether a mushroom in the forest is poisonous or not from its appearance, so it’s always safest to leave it alone in the wild, unless you’re an expert in mushroom foraging or are with an expert in mushroom foraging.

Healing Mushrooms

Fungi have been used in Eastern medicine practices for hundreds of years, and fungi were also used in the early production of penicillin. Some experts claim they have many health benefits, and some studies show they can decrease the risk of cancer.

Small doses of psilocybin, the component commonly found in “magic mushrooms,” has also been studied closely in association with helping people who have mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.

So, what can the wonderful world of mushrooms teach us? A lot. The fungal network can help us understand that everything in the natural world is interconnected, and it demonstrates how some of Earth’s oldest organisms have survived the test of time.

The post How Do Mushrooms Spread Across the Forest? appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

If you’re ready to take on some fungi foraging this fall, you may be wondering, is it a good year for mushrooms? An average year? A subpar one? Are these claims even possible to make on a broad scale?

Christian Schwarz, a California-based ecologist, says this fall, some areas are doing well, mushroom-wise, and others are in historic drought. Even within a single U.S. state, conditions vary widely.

“North America is a colossal landmass, and thus resists any simple description of ‘when is best to forage,'” Schwarz told Outdoors.com. “Generally, it can be described as ‘when there is plenty of available soil moisture and temperatures are not freezing.’ In most areas, this coincides with the rainy season(s).”

In other words, the fall mushroom forecast varies hugely by region. However, if you live in a place where Schwarz’s conditions (plenty of available soil moisture and temperatures above freezing) are met during the fall months, it’s likely a great time to go outside and forage.

Examples of Optimal Conditions for Mushrooms

“Within the context of coastal California [. . .] a mild summer with a few scattered rains means that the soil structure is more open, humid, and ready to absorb subsequent fall and winter rains,” Schwarz says. “If those rains come right on the early end [of] the normal season—as opposed to the middle of summer—and are followed by continued steady moisture to maintain humidity, this can lead to bonanza years.”

Typhoon Songda created such conditions on the central California coast in 2016, Schwarz adds.

In a recent interview with her local news station, second-generation forager and author Melany Kahn said, “Mushrooms need two things: they need heat and they need moisture in order to sprout. So, this summer, mushrooms were very happy.”

As a result, in her area (Shelburne, Vermont), it’s a great fall for mushroom foraging. Kahn leads foraging expeditions for all ages into local forests, educating, guiding, and inspiring others to enjoy the hobby as much as her and her family.

Best Places to Forage for Mushrooms

The best mushroom foraging spots will depend on your priorities, explains Schwarz. “Every species is different and wants a particular suite of factors—both living and non-living,” he says. “Many require intact, healthy forest with well-developed duff layers and minimal presence of invasive plants and invertebrates. However, others thrive on disturbance and are more ‘ruderal.’ Others still fruit in great abundance after forest fires. So it really depends what you’re after.”

Most of all, Schwarz stresses that finding excellent mushroom spots requires deep familiarity with your local land and the patterns and flows of energy through its ecology. “There is no substitute for time—lots of it—spent in quiet observation, roaming the area you live in and trying to understand the stories unfolding on the natural stage.”

If spending some quality time outdoors getting to know your local environment is something you’re looking to do this fall, then the forecast for mushroom foraging looks quite good indeed.

NOTE: When foraging for edibles in the wild, it’s critical to educate yourself first about what’s growing in the area—both the safe and the dangerous things, so you know what to watch out for. If you’re not 100% sure, do not consume. And work with an expert if you aren’t experienced.  Mushrooms may be fascinating, but they can also be very deadly.

For more information about mushroom foraging, check out these guides from Outdoors.com:

• The Fatal Five: Avoid These 5 Deadly Mushrooms in the Wild
• Shroom With A View: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Mushrooms Outdoors
• The Foolproof Four: The 4 Easiest Mushrooms to Forage 
• From Mushrooms to Berries, You Can Make Your World More Edible With These Online Foraging Classes

The post 2023 Fall Mushroom Forecast: The Optimal Time to Forage for Fungi appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Turns out, these functional fungi have even more magical properties than you’d think. Here are 10 bizarre and fascinating uses of mushrooms. 

1. Biodegradable Packaging

Could mushrooms be the ultimate eco-friendly alternative to plastic packaging? Companies like Evocative are using shrooms to create biodegradable packaging materials. Evocative, for instance, uses just two ingredients in its mushroom-based packaging: hemp hurd and mycelium (the root-like part of the fungus). After use, mushroom packaging can be broken up and spread into a garden bed to convert into compost.

2. Faux Leather 

Mooo-ve over, cows. Mycelium can be used to create leather-like material for fashion accessories like purses and even Adidas sneakers. Bolt Threads is one example of a company making mushroom-leather items, using its Mylo Unleather material, which feels as luxurious as leather but is way more sustainable.

3. Guitars

New England-based luthier Rachel Rosenkrantz has taken her craft to the next level by building guitars out of mushrooms and other biomaterials. She says not only does the material make sense environmentally but it also lends the instrument a truly unique sound.

4. Alcoholic Beverages

Mushrooms are used to make mushroom wine, mushroom beer, and mushroom spirits. Finger Lakes-based company Mushroom Spirits Distillery offers a line of spirits infused with various types of mushrooms. The company says each infusion has its own flavor profile and works surprisingly well in classic cocktails. For instance, the company’s tasting room offers drinks like the Classic Bloody Mary with its Shiitake Vodka and the Mushroom Mule with its Hen of the Woods Vodka.

5. Boogie Boards

A failed Kickstarter campaign suggests the world isn’t quite ready for mushroom boogie boards, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless. In the spirit of reducing the use of materials like plastic and styrofoam, the Magical Mushroom Company raised some money this summer in hopes it could produce mushroom-based boogie boards aimed at tourists buying low-cost boards while on vacation. The prototypes looked promising, and maybe this eco-friendly packaging company will keep working toward its goal of sustainable shroom bodyboards. 

6. Coffee Substitute

Instead of drinking coffee in the morning, you could drink mushrooms. MUD\WATR makes a coffee alternative that’s a surprisingly tasty pick me up. Their OG blend is masala-chai flavored and includes chaga, cordyceps, reishi, and lion’s mane mushrooms. You can use the MUD\WATR blend to create a delicious latté or as an addition to a nutritious smoothie. When you buy the Morning Ritual Starter Kit, they’ll send you a frother and a whole booklet full of ideas. If you’re in the market for a mushroom-based coffee substitute, other options include Ryze and Beyond Brew’s Rise ‘n Shroom.

7. Soil Purifier

As part of a process called mycoremediation, mushrooms can help clean up contaminated environments by absorbing and breaking down various pollutants in soil, including heavy metals, agricultural waste, and pharmaceutical waste. Seems a bit magical, right?

8. Tinder

This one’s for the survivalists out there. Did you know that you can harvest certain mushrooms and use them as tinder to start a fire in an emergency situation? The hoof fungus is perhaps the most famous example of a tinder fungus, but other species, such as chaga mushrooms and cracked cap polypores, can also help you light a flame. 

9. Lamp Shades

If you’ve ever wanted a more natural vibe in your home, you’re in luck. MushLume Lighting makes lampshades bio-fabricated from mushroom mycelium and sustainably grown hemp. The company says its lamp shades are molded, dried, and heated to create a stable, 100% biodegradable product. They look great, too. 

10. Coffins 

Do you love mushrooms so much that you’d like to be buried in them? Loop Biotech offers several mycelium-made items for after-life care, including the Loop Living Cocoon (a coffin), the Loop ForestBed (a funeral carrier), and Loop Earth Rise (an urn). If you’re really committed, you can even buy a pet coffin made of mushrooms.

The post Shrooms Beyond the Plate: 10 Bizarre and Fascinating Uses of Mushrooms appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.