Harvesting mushrooms

[Bisamratte]

Ok, I am growing my own mushrooms from a kit and they are coming up nicely, but the question is how do I pick them? is it better to cut them off at the base or twist them out of the soil taking some of the roots with it?

Does the same technique also apply to wild mushrooms?
I really want to keep harvesting them without killing them

Cheers

ANDY

 

[spamel]

I cut the stem of mushrooms that I harvest from outdoors, I don't know if it encourages regrowth or not. When I harvested bracket fungus in Germany, I used to cut them off with my saw, and they grew back over time.

 

[fredcraft]

Perhaps I'm wrong by saying this, but in my mind it's the mushroom spores that enable new mushrooms to grow, so the roots should be irrelevant in the said process.

I'm pretty sure someone qualified will give you the correct information

Cheers,

 

[Bisamratte]

Perhaps I'm wrong by saying this, but in my mind it's the mushroom spores that enable new mushrooms to grow, so the roots should be irrelevant in the said process.

I'm pretty sure someone qualified will give you the correct information

Cheers,

That is exactly what I was thinking but the kit I bought started off as a mass of roots in the soil which then created sort of white mouldy stuff that took on a mushroom shape after two weeks. I don't think they will get chance to spore properly (due to frying and bbqing etc ) but the instructions say to just keep them warm for a week when no more mushrooms appear, then place them in a cool place and they will grow back

So I'm assuming that they need the roots to create new ones....but they don't need all of them to start with...and they may not be real roots anyway as they came up through two inches of soil and just looked like mould until the first 'shrooms...and will the cut off stems just get in the way ???

Mushrooms are strange things

 

[Bisamratte]

I cut the stem of mushrooms that I harvest from outdoors, I don't know if it encourages regrowth or not. When I harvested bracket fungus in Germany, I used to cut them off with my saw, and they grew back over time.

I have seen bracket fungus on a fallen tree that started out when the tree was upright, it looks as though it just stopped growing after the tree fell and started again above the original so that it was upright again. If I can find it again I will take a photo.

Cheers

Andy

 

[fredcraft]

Mushrooms are strange things

Indeed Bisamratte. I'm eager to see a response to your question by someone qualified !

I've found this interesting link about mushrooms (growing, care, preparation, etc...). I will defenately read it carefuly.

But from what I understood, Spamel is probably right when he says it encourages regrowth. Basicaly, before a mushroom (the type with a stem and cap) can grow in the form we know edible, it needs a network of roots to get it's organic nutrients from. So my understanding would be that keeping the roots enables the growing mushrooms (from the spores) to somehow graft to the roots network available thereby the new ones already have their "feeding" system.

So taking them with the roots would only delay the next batch of mushrooms.

That is my understanding at least !

Cheers,

 

[spamel]

From what I gather, the french look down on folk who don't cut them at the stem when gathering mushrooms, and if a plastic bag is use, stand by for more evil looks! A wicker basket is the preferred mthod to allow the spores to disperse whilst gathering. It makes sense actually!

 

[fredcraft]

From what I gather, the french look down on folk who don't cut them at the stem when gathering mushrooms, and if a plastic bag is use, stand by for more evil looks! A wicker basket is the preferred mthod to allow the spores to disperse whilst gathering. It makes sense actually!

Yes. But at 10-20 Billion spores on average, no one will convince me that even a plastic bag won't let huh.... several million spores out

I guess they just can't satisfy their crave for more good mushrooms so they harvest them accordingly ... wise frenchmen

 

[Bisamratte]

I have just been having a look in google and the advice seems to vary with different species. Not disturbing the root system does make sense though.

I also stumbled on a website called Squirrel Cuisine

Cheers

Andy

Ps its almost time to harvest the first few 'shrooms ...just gotta decide which knife to use

 

[gregorach]

This has come up before, and the resulting discussion was somewhat inconclusive...

Personally, I always cut them. The mushroom itself is just the fruiting body, the real business part of the fungus is the mycelium, which looks sort of like a root system, but it's actually the main body of the beastie.

The only exception I'd make to that is if I were unsure of my ID. In that case, you want the whole mushroom, including the base of the stipe and the volva, if present. However, I don't generally pick 'em unless I'm already sure of what they are.

 

[andyn]

I agree with Dunc...

But perhaps you should leave some of them so that they spore and hopefully that will mean they will grow again.

Also collecting in plastic bags is not a good idea as the mushrooms need to breathe. If you go into tesco etc and go to the fresh mushroom bit, you will find they supply paper bags. If you leave them in plastic bags, even for an hour or so they will go mouldy\spoil very quickly.

 

[xylaria]

I don't know that much about mushroom growing kits, but I can assure you that the vast magority of the fungal life cycle goes on under ground and is not visable. The fluffy white 'roots' that are attached to to mushroom are part of what is called secondary myclieum. Secondary mycelium is the diploid state of fungi lifecycle. With some fungi there is some evidance that distubing parts of the secondary mycelium encourages primary mycelium (haploid state) to grow and meet up, go diploid and make babies. But this is not case with all fungi though as some have very short distance where the mycelium grows. Most common edible fungi the mycelium is massive and picking mushrooms is about akin to picking blackberries. You are just picking the seasonal fruit and the bush doesn't die because you have picked every fruit you can see.

To make it simple, most fungi are meant to be eaten. Squirrels, badgers and bushcrafters, help the reproduction of fungi by spreading spores on fur and muzzles, or copraphilous spore germination. In simple terms this is eating spores, incubating in gut, and then dispositing the germinated spores in woodland by doing the bear thing.

Personally I try not get any of the mycelium as it muddys up my basket. I dont use plastic bags because it makes the harvest squishy and sweaty.

 

[xylaria]

In my humble and experienced and but not qualified opinion;

If you are picking for the pot, cut or break the stipe leaving the ground and root intact.

If you picking to ID a fungi, take one specimen with the root, but leaving earth around it intact. If the earth comes with the mushroom return the earth the where you found it carefully.

With growing kits do what it says on the packet


Some fungi such as chanterelle are becoming depleted in the wild due to commercial picking. This is the exception rather than the rule though. Generally responsible harvesting does little or no harm especially if you leave the mycelium behind. Bare in mind that for fungi to be in condition to pick in the wild the gills should be mature and therefore have already some dropped spores.

 

[Bisamratte]

In my humble and experienced and but not qualified opinion;

If you are picking for the pot, cut or break the stipe leaving the ground and root intact.

If you picking to ID a fungi, take one specimen with the root, but leaving earth around it intact. If the earth comes with the mushroom return the earth the where you found it carefully.

With growing kits do what it says on the packet

I'm picking for the pot so I will try not to disturb the soil by cutting them. The ever helpful instructions just say to harvest the mushrooms

many thanks for all your advice

Andy

 

[fredcraft]

The ever helpful instructions just say to harvest the mushrooms
Andy

I mean, come on... not enough explicit of an indication for you ?

 

[Voivode]

I grew mushrooms from spore prints for a while; it is a devilish business when you're working from scratch! Your kit has already done the hard work of inoculating the growth medium with the mycelium; the white fungusy bit you're calling the roots. The mushrooms proper, as already pointed out, are just the fruiting body of the fungal mass.

You should harvest your mushrooms by cutting at the base, disturbing the mycelium as little as possible. Many species will generate multiple 'flushes' of mushrooms before going dormant. Most require a cold snap of some sort to do that, thus the instructions to cool your kit down and prepare for another harvest. Secondary and, if you're lucky, Tertiary flushes will be dramatically lower in yield.

There is no point in leaving any mushrooms to distribute spores and attempt to start another cycle; your substrate is depleted and won't be a viable base for new growth. To top it off, growing fungi is a tricky business. They grow super-easy, but the conditions that are great for your yummy variety (warm, humid, nutritious) are perfect for nearly every other mould and fungi spore floating around, and there are a lot of those in your air.

 

[Mikey P]

You should harvest your mushrooms by cutting at the base, disturbing the mycelium as little as possible. Many species will generate multiple 'flushes' of mushrooms before going dormant. Most require a cold snap of some sort to do that, thus the instructions to cool your kit down and prepare for another harvest. Secondary and, if you're lucky, Tertiary flushes will be dramatically lower in yield.

Agree. However, note that when you are gathering wild mushrooms, the general idea is to take the whole fruit if you want to do further identification later on. If you cut the stalk, you may leave some of the identifying features (stalk base, veil remnants) behind.

The best way to remove the whole fruit is to twist and pull gently - this seems to work for most mushrooms - and lift part of the mycelium too.

 

[xylaria]

Agree. However, note that when you are gathering wild mushrooms, the general idea is to take the whole fruit if you want to do further identification later on. If you cut the stalk, you may leave some of the identifying features (stalk base, veil remnants) behind.

The best way to remove the whole fruit is to twist and pull gently - this seems to work for most mushrooms - and lift part of the mycelium too.

You dont need the any of the mycelium to ID a fungi. If you are collecting wild fungi for the pot and say you are in woodland with mixture of panther caps and blushers. The colour change when cutting tells which is which so you don't need pull up every fungi to check the ID. Features like volva and clubbing are normal visable without being picked.

The pull and twist method is the best way of breaking the root away from the mycelium. I am great believer in only taking what you need, and as the root of even the most edible fungi has the texture of punk wood I make an effort to leave it behind. I never carry a knife and tend to break the stipe just above the ground.

 

[Voivode]

...I never carry a knife...

I never thought that I would see the day that somebody on this board would claim they never carry a knife. That's like a MMO junkie saying they don't have a computer.

 

[xylaria]

I never thought that I would see the day that somebody on this board would claim they never carry a knife. That's like a MMO junkie saying they don't have a computer.

Funny but true. Carry a pair secateurs sometimes. I can make feather sticks, diggin sticks and cut willow with it. If i go out I tend burn dead gorse that doesn't need chopping as it breaks. With secateurs when old mushrooms collapse into pile of maggots they don't all land on my hand like they do if you use a knife. What do I need a knife for?

What is an MMO junkie?