by Bradley Gorzek
I refuse to come home empty-handed from a day afield. A lack of contacts or inability to connect can make it hard to put feathers in my game bag some days. Other times, the birds come down faster than I planned. Whether I’m killing it or getting killed, I never want to cut a good day short – especially when I drive a while to get somewhere special. Luckily, there are a host of edibles in the uplands to help me extend those days without discharging a single shell.
Though my griffon sidekick might find it odd, I keep my head on a swivel to find the goodies Mother Nature left curbside in every cover. I have missed a flush or two mid-forage, so there is a risk associated with the practice, but I risk it nonetheless. The following is far from exhaustive; however, it’s a good start for those who are looking to diversify their harvest:
I will start with edible mushrooms as they are the meatiest feather-free forage an upland wingshooter can find. Despite the fear that surrounds mushroom picking and the toxic side effects some carry, there are several varieties that serve well as table fare with foolproof identifiers that even novice foragers can easily recognize. Employment of sight, smell and feel are essential to harvesting good mushrooms – and you can even train your dog to find them if you so choose. I have not, personally. My wirehaired pointing griffon is far too busy trying to give me opportunities to miss birds to be bothered by fungi.
Early fall is not the proper season for morels and chanterelles, some of the more popular varieties in the area (sorry); however, lobsters and shrimp are crawling on the forest floor in numbers. They hit their stride when woodcock start falling into our favorite covers in September. These tasty morsels spring directly from the soil and resemble not a single toxic lookalike that I’m aware of, which makes them perfect bag fillers. I will not entirely discount the chanterelle group (including hedgehogs and black trumpets) as I have found them in my northern haunts, but I will forget them for the sake of brevity.
The lobster mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) is a parasitic mold that infects a variety of host fungi, turning them a reddish orange color reminiscent of cooked lobster. At the proper point of maturity, they will be solid, meaty and dense, and exude a nutty aroma. Despite the name, this mushroom should not smell like fish or seafood. If it does, it has likely passed its age of ripening and may show bruises and soft spots. Leave it. When a ripe lobster is cut open, it will have a creamy white center that resembles crab meat.
Lobsters range from tangerine to cantaloupe size, and I find they are often most tender on the smaller end of the spectrum. You can pan fry them or add them to stews, but I like to bread them with cornmeal and deep-fry them in olive oil. They are delightful and possess a lobster-like crunch this way.
Shrimp of the woods (Entoloma abortivum) is an aborted form of a common white mushroom with a stem, cap and gills. However, shrimp are unmistakable for their peculiar shape, resembling the back of a cleaned, shelled, cooked shrimp. They are bright white and often mildly pink on the underside. The back edge and inner folds take on a beige hue if they are older. Like lobster mushrooms, they will have a nutty, agreeable aroma. If they have darkened in color and smell fishy, they are past ripe and not so tasty. They can be cooked the same as lobsters, but I often elect to pan fry my shrimp.
Shrimp can be found growing solitarily, but they often sprout up in clusters. If you find one, you will normally see several more – as is the case with many mushrooms. They look like packing peanuts strewn about the forest floor and they are easy to pluck. Unlike lobsters, shrimp can be found sprouting from wood, but I normally stick to specimens found on the ground. It simplifies identification, that way.
With any mushroom, I suggest cutting them at ground level with a knife to preserve their mycorrhizal roots and promote future growth. I also suggest carrying a mesh bag to allow the fungi to breathe and release spores as you walk. Never place mushrooms in a plastic bag. If you are not preparing them the day of harvest, store them in an open paper bag in a cool location or cook them and freeze them the same day.
Besides a good knife and a bag, I suggest keeping a brush in the car to remove soil and debris from your mushrooms when you are finished hunting. I use paintbrushes and toothbrushes, but mycophiles would surely recommend more specialized mushroom tools. If you can avoid washing your mushrooms with water, it is highly advisable. Moisture can rapidly degrade the delicate little critters you worked so hard to collect.
If you are interested in herbalist remedies, the northern U.S. is home to some medicinal mushrooms, as well. Word to the wise: Make sure you chop these down to usable chunks before you dry them, otherwise you’ll need a splitting maul to break them down later.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a parasitic, black fungus that sprouts its tar-like mass from birch, like a miniature Godzilla pushing a scaly armored elbow from the contrasting white bark. Mushroom enthusiasts sometimes call chaga “black gold” because it contains a spongy golden orange core inside its rough black exterior. According to many herbalists, chaga can be used in a tea or tincture to treat several ailments including some cancers, but I and my affiliates are not making those claims. From my experience, it has an enjoyable earthy body and fills the pallet in any foraged tea blend.
Reishi or hemlock varnish shelf (Ganoderma tsugae) is a white rot fungus that grows on dead and live wood. I find them mostly on dead logs. They are a polypore variety with a knobby burgundy red cap and shell that fades into an orange crest and a final white edge that continues on the underside. The top of the mushroom is shiny and waxy while the underside is matte and rubbery. Reishi can range from bottle cap to beach ball size, and this particular variety normally grows in hemlock forests. Reishi are thought to have similar immune-boosting properties as chaga, but please refer to my statement in above. They are prepared the same way as “black gold” and have a woody character of flavor if you ask me. I think dried and ground reishi adds a lovely dry accent to tea blends.
Mushrooms are far from the only savory fare in the uplands, however. Fruits and herbs are everywhere you look. Many of the species we use to identify good cover are edible to humans and birds alike. What’s good for the grouse is good for the house.
Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.) and rose hips (Rosa sp.) might be found from early fall through winter as long as the forest dwellers leave them for you to pick. Hawthorn are shrubs and small trees with lobed, serrated leaves and long thorns. Wild rose are herbaceous or shrubby plants with compound serrated leaves and bristly stems. These fruits are not often plucked and eaten by humans, especially not in the fall when they are dried out, but I’m sure you’ve found these in a crop or two if you cared to look. Add the dry ground fruit to tea or stew (preferably before they end up in a crop) and they will provide a floral cranberry-like bouquet that you may find delightful.
Blackberries and raspberries (Rubus sp.) usually pass their prime before September, but you may find some holdouts in shaded areas in the early season. Their compound leaves come in three or five and their aggregate fruits are hard to miss. If it looks like a raspberry, it’s probably a raspberry. As you struggle through those blasted brambles, keep an eye out for color and the last of their fruit. The same goes for blueberries, huckleberries, and cranberries (Vaccinium sp.) by the bog.
Apples (Malus sp.), cherries(Prunus sp.) and serviceberries (Amelanchier sp.) come in shapes, colors and flavors too numerous to track, but each one is edible to an extent. If you happen upon these fruits, feel free to give them a try. Their leaves will have small marginal serrations and many have apiculate tips. If the fruits are too tannic and bitter to snack outright, consider adding them to wine, cider or spirits.
Alder cones and catkins (Alnus sp.) can be used in teas and tinctures or extracted to make yellow dye for textiles and artwork. Our forest friends eat them in the late winter months – so don’t deprive the woods of too many – but feel free to snag a couple if you want to try something new.
Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina) is one of my favorite herbs in the Northwoods. I use the leaves in tea and cooking to impart flavor and aroma similar to bay leaves. The marginally lobed leaves absolutely resemble ferns, but this plant is not actually a fern. Instead, it is a member of the laurel family. The seeds can be used for the same purpose and ripen around the same time as blueberries. Often, the two are found in similar wetland habitats, but sweet fern can also be found roadside in the North, which makes for easy picking.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a last-minute grab since you’ll find it in ditches along the road your way home. Typified by their periwinkle flowers, they may not be so easy to identify when their blooms are gone in fall. Pay attention to what they look like while they’re blooming. You’ll notice buds and seed pods littering the stem in all directions and leaves that resemble dandelion. The leaves and flowers can be used in teas and eaten as greens, but the commonly harvested portion is the taproot. The root is often roasted, ground and brewed into a coffee-like tea. Unfortunately, you must dig up the plant to harvest roots, so find a place where they are abundant and pull them up at intervals.
In all cases of foraging, please remember to think of the ecosystem and microcosms being affected when you pick. Harvest each species where it is abundant and move around the cover to minimize your impact on the community.
We should always show respect to the land and its creatures as if it were one of our fellow human beings. A lot can be said of character in the way one manages wildlife and resources. When we learn to see the forest for more than the trees, we find all sorts of treasures and treats around every trunk and corner.
These are just a few forage friends to get you started, but there are several guides and wild food pages to expand your list. Keep your eyes peeled out there and you’ll be stretching your game bag in no time.
Happy picking!
