Mushrooming in Del Norte County

Many species of mushroom can be found in the redwood forests at bases of trees like these!

Peer into the damp shadows of any forest in Del Norte County during the winter and you will probably see a few people picking their way slowly through the lush undergrowth far off any trail, baskets on their arms and noses nearly touching the ground. These intrepid forest sleuths are hunting for edible mushrooms, which thrive in the thick, wet layer of dirt and decaying vegetation that blankets the forest floors. Hidden within this loose layer of earth, a thick, cobweb-like mass called a mycelium is the primary body of the fungus; the occasional mushroom that pops up through the dirt carries the organism’s reproductive spores. Mushrooms come in a rainbow of colors, sizes, shapes, smells and—most importantly—tastes, and the hope of bringing home a hand-picked tasty treat is what sends determined mushroom hunters into the wet forests each winter.

Chanterelles, boletes, chicken of the woods, honey, morels, oysters, matsutake, corals, bear’s head and many other varieties of mushrooms all flourish in Del Norte County, but many inedible and toxic mushrooms grow here as well, so don’t eat any mushrooms you cannot identify with certainty. The College of the Redwoods-Del Norte offers a one-day mushroom identification class at the start of mushroom season each winter, but spaces fill up quickly so be sure to sign up in advance. For more information about the class, call College of the Redwoods-Del Norte at (707) 465-2300.