1.) Should I use a mesh bag?
2.) Should I use a knife to cut mushrooms or pull them up?
3.) Do morels “pop up” or grow over time?

People have solidified opinions on all of these questions, and sometimes it is hard to break through what they have known for decades.  With another year having lapsed, people are starting to get the mushroom fever, so this is a good time to add to the sickness and start some discussion. These questions are more complicated than they may initially appear, so there will be several different posts over the course of time. On with number 1:

1.) Should I use a mesh bag?

The short answer is yes, but the long answer can get quite complicated.

Most people believe they need a mesh bag to spread the spores around the woods as they are hunting. This is true, but only to a point. Mushroom spores are not present throughout the entire life cycle of the mushroom. If you are hunting early in the year and choose to harvest a mushroom before it is mature, then it is very likely that the spores have not yet been generated, and none will be spread as you are walking. Thus, if you are truly interested in spreading spores, the best time to harvest is later in the life-cycle.

Another type of spring mushroom that you are likely to encounter are called Devil’s Urns – Urnula craterium. They are small black cup fungi that grow off the sides of logs.  I bring them up because they release their spores in a very similar fashion to morels. In fact, with Devil’s Urns as well as with many other types of cup fungi, if you take the time to bend down and blow into the cup, you are likely to trigger the spore release, assuming it has not already occurred. The release will even generate an audible hissing sound that you can hear in the video below.  A 1979 research article on morels describes this exact same spore release and a 2-4 second audible hiss for a morel that the researcher put under a faucet of water (Schmidt 1979).

I tell you about this phenomenon too see how many of you I can get to start dipping down to the ground and blowing on your morels as you find them – as if we do not do enough strange things in the woods already.  A cup fungus audibly releasing its spores.

Overall, having a mesh bag does not automatically mean the spores are going to be released as you are hunting in the woods. Timing of the harvest has much more to do with it. But you are still likely to hit a certain percentage of your mushrooms at the right time, so this is good reason number 1 to use a mesh bag, but it is not the primary purpose.

The primary reason to use a mesh bag is to keep your mushrooms fresh.

If you place your mushrooms in a plastic bag, you are cutting off their ability to breathe, to respire. This is necessary for the mushrooms to maintain their original texture and consistency.  This is usually as far as I would go in a morel lecture, but lets take the process a couple steps further. Even after they are harvested, mushrooms have active biological processes occurring. They are still living long after harvest. Mushroom cultivators know that even with store bought mushrooms that are over a week old, you can still clone any part of the mushroom to produce a viable culture of living and healthy mycelium. Though the mushroom has been harvested long ago, it is still very much alive.

Respiration in harvested mushrooms is much higher than for vegetables, and the shelf life of harvested mushrooms is directly related to their respiration rate (Ares et al. 2007). So without fresh air, harvested mushrooms cannot continue to break down their stored energy reserves, and they will no longer be able to survive.  This means their original firm texture will begin to change and become soft. A mesh bag is a critical step to allow for continued respiration.

Another reason mushrooms begin to lose quality are the enzymes they produce. The enzymatic reaction that occurs requires oxygen, enzymes, and phenolic compounds within the mushroom to proceed and begin producing color changes – usually the brown coloration you see on aging mushrooms – a result of melanin production. A mesh bag cannot help with this problem, as it is a normal process for most fruits and vegetables.  Fresh air only speeds the enzymatic reaction, but a lack of fresh air reduces the respiration rate, and can cause cellular death. Without continued respiration, the cell walls will begin to rupture, and is one of the reasons for the texture change we discussed a moment ago. A second effect is it will also allow more enzymes to become active within the mushroom that were once trapped within the cells, accelerating browning even further (Jolivet et al. 1998).

So putting your mushrooms in a plastic bag will decrease respiration rates which changes the texture of the mushrooms, and it will increase the rate of browning of the mushrooms. But there are other effects as well. Another result of putting your mushrooms in a plastic bag is that it will cause water to become retained within the mushroom.

As mushrooms respire, water is able to freely go into and out of the mushroom at its desired rate. If mushrooms are placed in a plastic bag, the humidity levels are raised, and the mushrooms will not be able to transfer water away as freely. These increased water levels, combined with a lack of fresh air, create the perfect environment for bacteria to flourish. As these bacteria grow, they produce toxins that damage the cells of mushrooms. This process breaks open the cells, changing the texture even more, and once again releases more of the enzymes the cells contained, resulting in an even faster rate of enzymatic browning (Brennan et al. 1998). It will also produce exudates that make the mushrooms begin to appear slimy. The combination of increased water, decreased airflow, and bacteria, create a “plastic bag trifecta” that completes the devastation of the mushrooms.

Cooling mushrooms is the final step that should be taken to increase their longevity. Cooler temperatures slow down the rates of bacterial growth and makes the active enzymes that cause browning in mushrooms less reactive. It will also slow down the active biological processes within the mushroom, meaning that they will require less respiration, and live a longer, healthier life.

There is one myth regarding mesh bags that tends to appear with some frequency. It is that mesh bags are used so that monomethylhydrazine, a poisonous volatile hydrazine compound can escape. According to Andary and Privat (1985), this chemical is not found in morels. It is, however, a component of false morels in the genus Gyromitra, and is the primary reason why they should not be consumed. These mushrooms contain the chemical Gyromitrin, a chemical that turns into monomethlyhydrazine when the mushrooms are cooked or in the body when the mushrooms are consumed. This chemical is a known cancer causing agent.

If you made it through this process, I congratulate you, and you can surely now explain to people why they should use a mesh bag when harvesting mushrooms. Or the other option is to just give a simple “NO!” when someone reaches for their plastic bag.

Think the other questions can be this complicated? You may be surprised…

References:

Andary C, & Privat G. (1985). Variations in Monomethlyhydrazine Content in Gyromitra Esculenta. Mycologia 77 (2). 259-264.
Ares G, Lareo C, & Lema P. (2007) Modified Atmospheric Packaging for Postharvest Storage of Mushrooms. A Review. Fresh Produce 1 (1).  32-40.  Global Science Books
Brennan, M & Gormly, T. (1998) Extending the Shelf Life of Fresh Sliced Mushrooms. The National Food Centre.
Jolivet S, Arpin N, Wichers HJ,  & Pellon G. (1998)  Agaricus bisporus browning: A review. Mycology Research (102)

At the end of 2011, we decided to close down our retail location in Nashville, IN and to temporarily close our website. At that time, the owners went back to school, and finalized their graduate studies.

We are currently working to get the company set back up under this new domain and name – The Mushroom Farm located at mushroomfarm.com.  We aim to rebuild our extensive product line of mushroom cultivation equipment and mushroom related goods. We will eventually have a retail location again in Bloomington, IN – including a full mushroom farm that you can visit and pickup fresh mushrooms.

Right now, we have a limited number of supplies that you can buy online. The number of products we have available will gradually increase as we build back our capacity. We also plan to significantly increase the information sections on our website, including cultivation information and videos, as well as information on wild mushroom species.

Please signup for our newsletter to stay tuned for information about our company, including the grand opening of our website and store. Once again, thanks for all of your past support, and we hope you look forward to what the future holds.

-Steve
The Mushroom Farm

Article & Video: Nowhere is Safe

With the explosion of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, many mushroom farms in the area have been affected. Japan eats a fairly large number of mushrooms per person compared to citizens of the states, so it is a significant issue for their population. Here is a quick look at some of the stats:

Normal radiation levels in Shiitake from Japan are 1.3 to 6.4 Bq/kg in fresh product and 6.7 to 73.9 Bq/kg in dried product (from 2001). The legal limit is 500 Bq/kg. A farm 250 km away from the plant was recently found with levels of 2,770 Bq/kg in their cultivated Shiitake. Due to these high levels of radioactive contamination, many of the outdoor farms in that region have been shutdown. There was even an indoor farm that tested above 1500 Bg/kg for their Shiitakes.

I looked briefly in the scientific literature and found a couple neat things. Average levels of Cesium are about 30 times higher in cultivated Shiitake than Oysters in Japan. But a study in Ukraine after Chernobyl found the highest levels in Oysters growing on Pine (Above 32,000 Bq/kg). As might be expected, levels in Shiitake are a function of Cesium levels of the rain and dry fallout. The levels also seem to be inversely correlated with atmospheric temperature. Shiitake grown in logs tend to accumulate more than those grown on sawdust blocks. (This is probably due to indoor vs. outdoor cultivation.) Finally, Matsutake accumulates more Cs than Shiitake, Grifola about the same.

There is only a limited amount of research that has been done regarding the accumulation of radioactive cesium into cultivated mushrooms. I only found about 5 or 6 papers on the issue. Much of the available information was already coming out of Japan, so expect to see a lot more research being presented in the upcoming years.

This is yet another advantage to locally grown produce. You can be sure not to get mushrooms that glow in the dark!

Next we have a crust-like fungus.

A couple Pear Shaped Puffballs (Morganella pyriformis).

Hope you enjoyed this blog post of Indiana Mushrooms. Have a good one.

The agenda for today was a mushroom walk that was an event on the Nature Center schedule. We limited the walk to one hour, as there was a hawk and owl show that was coming up after the walk. The walk was well attended, for a total count of 43 attendees. 47 people including us and two dogs.

In the future, I may need to do a signup list and limit the walk to 20 or 30 people. The group was kind of large, but most left fulfilled. Especially since they got to find a Hen of the Woods. The one we found was growing under a Black Oak, and this was the second time that I have found one under a Black Oak this year. If you ask most people, they would say to look under White Oak, but also be sure to check out Black Oak as well. About half of the one we found was getting a little old, but it still made for a good presentation.

The Hen of the Woods was the major find, but we were also able to come across alot of puffballs, Turkey Tails, and a nice stump of Mock Oysters – Phyllotopsis nidulans. The overall goal of this walk was to teach newcomers some of the basics to look for when identifying a mushroom – what substrate it grows on, whether it has pores, gills, teeth, etc.

After the Nature Center walk we went out for another hour and a half with some of the regulars who attend other Hoosier Mushroom Society events. Here is our total species list for the day. Not too impressive, but we were able to find a few new things for the people who came out.
Species List – October 22, 2011 – Brown County State Park – Nashville, IN

Discovery Trail

Trametes versicolor
Stereum ostrea
Grifola frondosa
Phyllotopsis nidulans
Trichaptum birforme
Lactarius sp.

Ogle Lake -> Nature Preserve

Galerina marginata
Herecium erinaceus
Trametes elegans
Lycoperdon pyriforme
Mycena galericulata
Xylobolus frustulatus
Hypoxylon fragiforme
Lycagala epidendrum
Tremella fuciformis
Pluteus cervinus
Schizophyllum commune
Phlebia radiata
Phlebia incarnata

Brought in (Nashville Area)

Armillaria tabescens

Around Ogle lake, the beavers have taken over. They have dropped trees all around the lake. Recently, the DNR trapped and executed several of them, but there are still signs of recent beaver activity.

This is one of the few deadly poisonous mushrooms in our area. It is called Galerina marginata. Look for it growing on downed wood. It will usually have rusty colored spores and a ring around the stem.

Tremella fuciformis – White Jelly Mushroom. It has started to somewhat degrade in the middle. When it is really fresh, it looks like ice growing out the sides of logs.

And I will leave you with a shot of Xylobolus frustulatus. Commonly found on dead wood. Didnt end up taking too many pictures today, as the park was really busy and I had to keep Kais on a leash. Hope to see you at a future event!

Went out for a short walk today. It was fairly cool (under 50 degrees) and had been raining heavily early in the day. Three people came to this walk regardless of the weather. I was hoping for some of the fall mushrooms to start coming out, but alas, still nadda. Seeing much of the same things that have been out during the summer.

The dull orange fungus is Phlebia radiata and the white is, I believe, a slime mold called Brefeldia maxima. I have found these two growing on the same log a number of times this year.

Xerula furfuracea
Pluteus cervinus
Pleurotus ostreatus
Trametes versicolor
Stereum ostrea
Stereum complicatum
Polyporus badius
Spongipellis pachyodon
Lycagala epidendrum
Panellus stipticus
Armillaria rhizomorphs
Trametes elegans
Polyporus alveolaris
Lenzites betulina
Lycoperdon pyriforme
Tremella mesenterica
Brefeldia maxima (maybe)
Phlebia radiata
Trichaptum biforme
Hypoxylon fragiforme

Witches Butter – Tremella mesenterica

October Species List from Hoosier Mushroom Society

Ganoderma applanatum - Artists Conk

We had a good foray up near Lafayette on October 8th. Thanks to the Lafayette mushroom people who put it on. The remainder of our events for October will be around the Bloomington area, and we hope you can make it to one of them. Also be sure to check out the article on The Hoosier Mushroom Society in the Outdoor Section of the Bloomington Herald Times on October 16th!

Tuesday October 18th - Griffey Reservoir – Meet at large parking lot on north side of the lake at 5pm. 1.5 – 2 hour walk.
Thursday October 20th – RCA Community Park – Meet near large shelter at 5pm. 1-1.5 hour walk.
Saturday October 22nd - Brown County State Park Event – Meet at nature center at 1pm – 1.5 -2 hour walk.

As always, email steve@hoosiermushrooms.com with any questions.

And be sure to check out the post on our Facebook group for more frequent events in the Bloomington area.

We met at Tippecanoe Battlefield in Battleground, Indiana for the foray. We picked a great location, because right where everyone gathered to meet, there was one of the largest White Oaks I have ever seen with several Hen of the Woods around it in the landscaping. Made for a great picture.

Gloeophyllum sepiarium

Agaricus campestris

Morchella esculenta - Yellow Morel

Chicken of the Woods

A quick story…later in the foray, someone held up a mushroom and a couple of us agreed that it looked like Pluteus cervinus – The Deer Mushroom. We were planning to go to the Purdue Herbarium later in the day, so we saved it to look at its unique microscopic characters. More on that later…

Entoloma sp.

Gymnopus acervatus

Mycena galericulata

Mycena galericulata

Lepiota cristata

Frogitty frog

Maggie reaching for a giant puffball

Pokeberry stain

Purdue Herbarium

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (THERE WILL LIKELY BE CHANGES)

Hoosier Mushroom Society Events

Month of April – Will be heading out into the woods nearly every afternoon in the Bloomington area.
April 9 - HMS Presentation – Tom Nauman from Morel Mania in Bloomington.
April 16 – HMS Foray – Morel Search at Brown County State Park – Nashville, IN
May 21st – HMS Foray – Yellowood State Forest – Bloomington, IN
July16 -  HMS Foray – Salamonie Reservoir – Andrews, IN
Aug.  27 – HMS Foray – Northwest Indiana Foray – Dunes State Park
Sept. 3 – HMS Foray – Yellowood State Forest – Bloomington, IN
Sept. 24 – HMS Foray – Brown County State Park – Nashville, IN
October 8 – HMS Foray – Lafayette, IN Area
October 22 – HMS Late-Season Foray – Eagle Creek – Indianapolis, IN

Other Events of Interest

February 19 – Winter Tree ID workshop – Brown County State Park – 10am to noon
March 28 - “The First Morel” — a mushroom presentation by Don Ruch, Biology Professor at Ball State – West Lafayette, IN
April 30 – May 1 - Morel Festival in Mansfield, IN
May 7th - Morel Festival at Brown County State Park
August 1-6 – Mycological Society of America Meeting – Fairbanks,  AK
August 5-7 - North American Mycological Association Foray (NAMA) – Western Pennsylvania  *Recommend*
August 11-14 – North East Mycological Federation (NEMF) Foray – New York
August 18-21 – Telluride Mushroom Festival – Telluride, CO
September 17-18 – The Hoosier Outdoor Experience – Fort Harrison SP – Indianapolis, IN

We generally plan on camping out at each of these HMS Foray events that occur in reasonable temperatures. The poor weather replacement day will be on the day after the scheduled foray listed.

If you attend state parks often, or are considering attending several of our events, I would suggest purchasing a DNR annual entrance permit.

Also, if you are looking to go out into the woods on a more frequent basis. There will be numerous afternoon opportunities to go out into the woods in the Bloomington area. Just send an email, and let us know that you are interested.

November 25th – 28th

December 17th – Jan 2nd

If you place an order during these times, it will ship shortly after the period ends.

Thanks for your continued support. Should you need any technical assistance on any product, someone should still be answering the phone.   877-730-MYCO

-HMC