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Yes, North Texas has an edible wild mushroom season. Here's what you need to know before you forage

Fall is a good time to find chanterelles and oyster mushrooms in areas that have received heavy rain.

As cooler, wetter weather creeps back into the forecast (hopefully), I am thrilled by the building excitement for a season that few in North Texas take advantage of: mushrooms! As an avid forager and professional horticulturist, I get questions about fungi all the time. But although I am fascinated by the subject, it's always been a bit outside my realm of expertise.

You see, fungi and their fruiting bodies (mushrooms) are not even very closely related to flowers, shrubs or trees. In fact, mushrooms are, surprisingly, more closely related to humans than plants.

Over the past few years, hiking around North Texas and beyond, I've stumbled across a few edible mushrooms with varying degrees of palatability. Other times, I've sought out higher-value fungi only to be skunked. But now, after a lot of research and practice, the art of foraging for fungi has finally started to become productive.

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Edible mushroom expert Patrick Harris discovers a patch of golden chanterelles in a wooded...
Edible mushroom expert Patrick Harris discovers a patch of golden chanterelles in a wooded area east of DFW following a heavy rain.(Daniel Cunningham)
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In the spring, I reached out to Patrick Harris, local mushroom expert and administrator of the North Texas Mushroom Hunters Facebook group, to dig deeper into the amazing world of edible wild mushrooms. We drove about an hour east of Dallas to find oyster mushrooms and chanterelles, and that experience has pushed my interest in mushrooms into more of an obsession.

Harris, 32, has been a connoisseur of the often hard-to-find delectables since he was a teenager.

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"I became fascinated with mushrooms of all kinds, so I started picking random ones in my neighborhood and posting the pictures to online forums, asking experts what I had found," Harris says. "I found my first edible oysters, cooked and ate them. They were so tasty. That initial culinary experience made me curious enough to seek out other edible mushrooms."

But for those contemplating consuming foraged mushrooms, Harris first offers some serious words of caution.

"Never eat anything you are not 100% sure of," he says. "Always get a third opinion. When in doubt, throw it out!"

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As with plants, I try to correctly identify a foraging find two to three times until I feel comfortable that the specimen is 100% edible. Many mushrooms are toxic, and some can even be deadly. But if you proceed with caution and focus on the learning process, the reward can be greater than merely extraordinary ingredients for a meal.

"It's a good way to interface with the natural world in a way that's fun and fulfilling," Harris says. "Foraging is usually a relaxing and therapeutic way to spend time outdoors and can be like a mini-vacation for those who need some time away from a stressful lifestyle. Sometimes it can be peaceful and meditative, and at other times thrilling, because you never know what you could find."

A cluster of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) fruit on a decomposing black willow tree...
A cluster of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) fruit on a decomposing black willow tree stump in North Texas.(Daniel Cunningham)

Know the rules

To get started, Harris recommends learning how to recognize what you should avoid. After that, start learning about common edible mushrooms, such as oysters, and their identifying features.

"Use a good guidebook targeted for your region and have a few experts on hand, either in person or on an online forum, to confirm your attempts at identifying wild fungi," Harris says.

In addition to verifying their physical anatomy, the colors of their parts and how those colors change after any tissue is damaged, many wild mushrooms require a spore print for verification. This analyzes the colors and patterns of the reproductive spores after the caps are placed on a piece of glass or paper for 2 to 24 hours.

Unfortunately, there are also some other concerns associated with foraging for mushrooms in Texas. Technically, the practice is illegal on public and private land unless you have permission. And while some national parks and preserves in the state allow for mushroom foraging for personal use (less than 1 gallon), harvesting fungi that will be sold requires a $50 commercial permit. The practice is strictly prohibited in Texas state parks, and the state regularly assigns hefty fines to violators.

The identifying false gills of chanterelle mushrooms (Cantharellus spp.) are forked and...
The identifying false gills of chanterelle mushrooms (Cantharellus spp.) are forked and continue running down the top of the stem.(Daniel Cunningham)
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Follow the moisture

Although I've known for quite some time that many edible fungi seem to pop up after heavy rain, Harris introduced me to moisture maps, which have made a world of difference.

"Moisture maps provide a good indication of where fungi might be fruiting that week," he says. "Looking at maps showing accumulated rainfall over 72 hours, I look for areas showing a solid 1 to 3 inches of rain reported. Where forests and parks overlap with the right rain amount is where I look. It's almost a surefire way to find mushrooms."

Many of the most desirable edible mushrooms can be found in spring, including Harris's personal favorite: morels. But there are others that can be discovered in the fall if you look in the right spots.

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"Morels occur in early spring, about the time redbuds are fully bloomed and going to seed, in a very short window of 3 to 4 weeks," Harris says. "Chanterelles occur late spring through fall with heavy rains and warm, humid days. Oyster mushrooms can be found during cool, wet periods all year round, but mostly during spring, fall and winter."

If at first you don't succeed, don't be discouraged.

"Persistence pays. Keep going! If you are really at your wits' end, ask for help finding good spots from someone who is more experienced," Harris adds. "Sometimes mushroom hunters will give away a good spot or at least useful tips for finding one."

I can attest to that. I've personally learned so much from online mushroom identification groups in addition to Texas Mushrooms: A Field Guide by Susan and Van Metzler. The key to gathering a correct identification is to take detailed photos of the top, underside of the cap and the side profile of the mushroom. Sometimes cutting the mushroom in half vertically will aid in identification.

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And don't be afraid to take a sample with you to help in the learning process. Contrary to popular belief, unlike plants, removing the fruiting top part of the stem and cap of the mushroom doesn't harm the population of the species. It just gives you more time to identify it.

Daniel Cunningham is a Dallas-based horticulturalist with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension.

A mix of edible chanterelle species (Cantharellus spp.) that have been lightly brushed and...
A mix of edible chanterelle species (Cantharellus spp.) that have been lightly brushed and rinsed are the products of a successful mushroom foraging foray.(Daniel Cunningham)