10 Autumn Mushrooms that you Can Forage!

These are some of my favorite Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms in the Fall!

Resinous Polypore

Resinous Polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum) is an often overlooked edible mushroom in the fall. They have a rusty brown color and a white outer ring when they are young. When I harvest this mushroom, I only cut the outer white layer to eat. This polypore is sometimes referred to as Steak of the woods and has a pleasant texture when cooked.

These mushrooms grow on hardwood trees and often ooze a liquid which is why they are known as resinous polypore.

Hen of the Woods

Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) is one of the most delicious mushrooms you can forage! They are also known as Maitake and they are a heavy, layered mushroom.

Hen of the Woods grow in the late summer and fall and you are mostly like to find them growing at the base of old growth oak trees. Maitake have a savor, umami flavor and a slight meaty texture. They are tasty in a wild variety of recipes and are my favorite edible mushroom.

They also can be dried and have a lot of health benefits. Hen of the Woods are high in vitamin D, support immune function, and balance blood sugar.

Birch Polypore

Birch Polypore ( Fomitopsis betulina) is a common medicinal mushroom that grows on trees. This mushroom can found all year round, but it grows fresh in the late summer and fall.

This mushroom isn't edible, but it can be used in teas and tinctures. Birch Polypore is anti viral, anti inflammatory and helps modulate the immune system similar to reishi. The mushroom can be simmered into a tea or extracted in alcohol.

The outer skin of birch polypore works well as a band aid and has anti-viral properties. The dry mushroom can also used as a strop to sharpen knives. So, it is a great mushroom to know in the northern forest!

Honey Mushrooms

Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) are out now in Eastern North America! They are very abundant mushroom in the forests, you can find pounds of these mushrooms quite easily. Honey mushrooms are often found in dense clusters around the base of trees.

These are a moderately difficult mushroom to identify because their color and shape can vary. There is also a few toxic look-a-likes such as jack-o-lanterns and deadly galerina.

To identify honey mushrooms:

*Look for light brown to yellowish brown caps with small hairs that form a dark circle towards the center

*The mushrooms have a veil covering the gills early in their development that eventually turns into a ring

*The mushrooms have decurrant gills meaning they run down the stem until they reach the ring.

* Honey Mushrooms have a white spore print. Place the caps on a dark sheet of paper and wait to see the color of the resulting ring.

*Honey mushrooms grow in clusters and not singly like deadly galerina.

One caveat is ringless honey mushrooms, a related species that doesn't have a ring.

Honey mushrooms are edible and the caps have a texture similar to shittake. Their flavor is not as good as shittake, but it is not bad!

Shrimp of the Woods

Shrimp of the Woods is a reaction between entoloma and honey mushrooms that transforms them into a packing peanut shape. These white nuggets are found growing above tree roots, around or on the base of trees. Entoloma parasitizes honey mushrooms and turns them into popcorn shrimp looking mushrooms.

At the final stage, these mushrooms will lose both their cap, gills and become a white blob on the forest floor. These mushrooms are firm, but mild in flavor. I like to brown these mushrooms and then add a sauce after I cook them for a bit.

Yellow Foot Chanterelles

Yellowfoot or Winter Chanterelles (Craterellus tubaeformis) is a edible mushroom that grows late in the year. These mushrooms have a distinctive yellow stem that is hollow. The mushrooms are mostly found growing on the ground and often in great numbers.

On the underside, the mushrooms have false gills that are decurrent meaning the gills travel slightly down the stem / stipe. These mushrooms have a slightly less fruity smell than golden chanterelles, but they still are an excellent edible mushroom.

Late Fall Oyster Mushroom

Late Fall Oyster Mushroom (Sarcomyxa serotina, formerly Panellus serotinus) is a strange looking mushroom that looks like it belongs in shrek’s swamp. This fungi is sometimes called greenback mushroom because of it’s green hue. The mushroom can come in a variety of colors ranging from greenish yellow, purplish brown and olive green. Late Fall Oyster mushroom is a cold tolerant mushroom that usually starts fruiting after the first frost. These mushrooms are thickier and meatier than normal fungi and have yellowish gills on the underside.

Despite the strange colors, this mushroom tastes quite good! Late Fall Oyster Mushrooms are great with eggs, stirfrys and soups. Some people like to bread and fry the mushrooms because they taste similar to calamari. This mushroom also has health properties like supporting the liver and the immune system.

Hedgehog Mushrooms

Hedgehog Mushrooms (Hydnum sp.) is an edible mushroom that is easy to identify. It has unique spines on the underside instead of gills or pores. These mushrooms are creamy white to orange yellow in color. They often look like a dull colored chanterelle, however they are easily distinguished by the underside. These mushrooms are edible and have a firm texture to them. There are several different species of hedgehogs that differ slightly in size and structure, but they are all edible.

Brickcap Mushrooms

Brick Cap Mushrooms (Hypholoma lateritium) are an autumn mushroom that grows on decomposing wood. This mushrooms grow in a clusters and is edible. The center of the mushroom is brick red and often the outer cap will be lighter in color. If you leave them on a white piece of paper for a few hours, they will have a purplish-brown spore print.

Be careful for deadly galerina! Deadly galerina grows singly and not in clusters.

Lion’s Mane

Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a wonderful edible and medicinal mushroom that grows on hardwood trees. This mushroom grows on dying or dead hardwood trees and it has an affinity for oak and beech trees.

Lion’s Mane is a choice edible mushroom that a texture similar to crab meat. They are delicious in a wide variety of dishes.

While Lion's Mane is an excellent edible mushroom, it also has a whole host of medicinal properties. This mushroom has been shown to boost brain function, mental focus and it even contains nerve growth factors that can help repair neural networks and the myelin sheaths in the brain. it's also been shown to be anti-inflammatory and could have some effects on improving mood, specifically depression and anxiety