xylaria said:
Massively Multiplayer Online (game). Some (many?) of the people who are into those things have more or less replaced real life with a virtual one. I had a couple of friends essentially disappear when World of Warcraft came out.
Harvesting mushrooms
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Massively Multiplayer Online (game). Some (many?) of the people who are into those things have more or less replaced real life with a virtual one. I had a couple of friends essentially disappear when World of Warcraft came out.
As someone else mentioned, pulling up by the roots just puts mud into your mushroom bag. This mixes in with all the edible parts and needs cleaning off later. I just slice off with a knife at ground level. The thin-stalked trumpet chanterelles I nip off with my fingernails.
It's slightly different with morels, leaving visible cut stalks is akin to saying to others " You have just found a top spot, come back next year for a bagfull, be sure to leave none for me". Morel locations are jealously guarded over here...
I find plastic bags fine in autumn when it's not too hot, a lot more practical than a basket when mushrooming on steep slopes, and discreet when you don't want anyone else to know what you're up to ( see previous comment on morels...) My partner uses a basket, but rather because it's the traditional method than to help with spore spreading.
Very poor morel season here this year, too dry, we found six yesterday where we should have found sixty. But I did get a good crop of cramp balls as well, so it was all worthwhile.
It's slightly different with morels, leaving visible cut stalks is akin to saying to others " You have just found a top spot, come back next year for a bagfull, be sure to leave none for me". Morel locations are jealously guarded over here...
I find plastic bags fine in autumn when it's not too hot, a lot more practical than a basket when mushrooming on steep slopes, and discreet when you don't want anyone else to know what you're up to ( see previous comment on morels...) My partner uses a basket, but rather because it's the traditional method than to help with spore spreading.
Very poor morel season here this year, too dry, we found six yesterday where we should have found sixty. But I did get a good crop of cramp balls as well, so it was all worthwhile.
If the goal is to preserve the mushroom, you should always cut. For ID, I suppose it's better to take the whole thing but most fungi IDs rely on other, more critical factors. There are no roots in mushrooms. Roots are part of vascular plants, not mushrooms. What you pick to eat is the mycelium woven into the sexual reproductive structure of the fungus. Below that is more mycelium which continues to grow. The more you leave, the better the chance of continued growth and survival in the future. Fungi do not rely on spores alone to propagate but often grow underground to form a vast network of mycelia. In Oregon, we have individual mushrooms that have grown to cover over 2,000 acres. These individual mushrooms are sometimes several miles in diameter and extend several feet into the ground. Obviously pulling up a fruiting body by the "roots" won't do much damage with this species 
but for those tasty species that tend to get overharvested (here in Michigan it's morels), it is better to be cautious and always cut the fruiting body loose from the rest of the mycelium.
but for those tasty species that tend to get overharvested (here in Michigan it's morels), it is better to be cautious and always cut the fruiting body loose from the rest of the mycelium.
Got to disaggree a little here
Taking all of the stalk out of the ground is not a bad thing and may help with ID.
As you mention Hoodoo the network of mycelia can cover miles, taking the whole of the stalk does virtually no damage to the fungus as a whole, bit like taking a leaf off with an apple doesnt kill the apple tree.
A study here at the botanic garden showed no difference in plots where the stem was dug up and where the stem was left.
Tant
Taking all of the stalk out of the ground is not a bad thing and may help with ID.
As you mention Hoodoo the network of mycelia can cover miles, taking the whole of the stalk does virtually no damage to the fungus as a whole, bit like taking a leaf off with an apple doesnt kill the apple tree.
A study here at the botanic garden showed no difference in plots where the stem was dug up and where the stem was left.
Tant
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Tantalus said:
The thing is alot ground fungi have very deep myclieum that forms a mycorrhizal (friendly) relationship with trees, but not all. If you have a fungi that has saprophytic (eats rubbish)relationship with leaf litter the myclieum will be very shallow in the ecosystem and when the pull and twist method is used a big chunk of the myclieum comes with the mushroom. You need be quite a fungi geek to know what damage if any at all you are doing by pulling rather than picking as the relationship a paticular fungi has with its environment differs between species.
I find it really difficult to explain all this, and it is easier just say cutting and pinching is better for the environment. But obviously there is alot more to it. As I said earlier some fungi benifit from the primary myclieum being distrubed but not all, and you have to be one serious geek know which ones.
My point is you would have to dig up several square miles to disturb the entire "fungus".
I suggest not worrying over much, as for leaving the mycelia well they are microscopic and pretty hard to see
Dig up the main body of the mushroom, it will help with ID
Point of pedantry , One single mycelium , two plural mycelia.
Tant
I suggest not worrying over much, as for leaving the mycelia well they are microscopic and pretty hard to see
Dig up the main body of the mushroom, it will help with ID
Point of pedantry , One single mycelium , two plural mycelia.
Tant
Yeah, I think everyone's agreed that if you need to ID it, then take the whole thing. The debate rages mainly around the ones you've positively ID'd from 20 feet away. I don't need to take the base of the stipe to ID a cep... 
As for how much you'd have to damage to hurt the fungus itself, that very much depends on the individual or colony in question. I've seen some pretty small patches of chanterelles, for example...
Anyway, good to see you're still lurking around, Tant!
As for how much you'd have to damage to hurt the fungus itself, that very much depends on the individual or colony in question. I've seen some pretty small patches of chanterelles, for example...
Anyway, good to see you're still lurking around, Tant!
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