Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/724773
f a l l 2 0 1 6 | 5 D G THIS Mushrooms are seen in most supermarkets: button, shiitake, portobellos. Maybe at Whole Foods you'll see less common mushrooms: chanterelles, morels, oysters. But the difference between them is more than taste and color. It's very difficult to cultivate mushrooms "in captivity," as they aren't technically plants and thus require more than just soil and water to grow. Conditions have to be ideal (cool and moist like in the Pacific Northwest is best) and a suitable substrate—something to grow on—and various other needs are required. Which is why, despite living in a time of modern farm- ing techniques, hydroponics and GMO foods, many mushrooms must be foraged in wild. It's a unique career, with vernacular knowledge of mycol- ogy traditionally passed down from family or friends rather than studied academically or through field guides. According to mushroom forager Dylan Taube, "Only nature can predict the outcome of mushrooms, and it's nature that grows that bounty for you." Because mushrooms only grow in certain conditions and certain seasons, mushroom foraging is highly regional. Mushroom hunting as a profession originated in Japan, where rare mushrooms like Matsutakes were foraged and sold for over $1,000 apiece, presented in a traditional wooden box. In the mid to late 1980s, there was an overharvest of Matsutakes in Japan, and Jap- anese business looked to states like Oregon to grow the mushrooms to fill the demand. By Jesse Hom-Dawson / photos by Alex Rubin Mushroom forager Dylan Taube with freshly picked chanterelles. n FOOD of the Forest FORAGING FOR FUNGI WITH DYLAN TAUBE