Winter 12/01/2025

 Hello, fungi friends,

 

The first snowflakes fell in Ithaca, NY last week but, believe it or not, the mushroom foraging season isn’t fully over yet. I’m still finding Winter Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Blewits,(Clitocybe nuda) both of which are happy to fruit even in light snow.

We had a hot, dry summer and sporadic rain in the fall, so it was a real hit-or-miss year for foraging in the Finger Lakes but that made the mushrooms we did find feel even more like treasure. I was delighted (if not a little jealous!) to receive photos of mushrooms found by my students. I visited plenty of my usual spots that didn’t produce this year, but I also discovered a few new ones and that’s a win in my book.

I hope you’re writing down what you find, when you found it, and where you found it in a journal so you can refer to it later. Your future self will thank you.

I had a truly wonderful time taking folks on private foraging excursions this year! When I told my dad about the forays, he laughed and reminded me that I’ve basically been doing this my whole life. He used to take me hunting when I was a kid, and he said I scared all the animals away because I wouldn’t stop asking questions and talking about the plants, animals, and fungi. It appears I never grew out of that stage and now I get to share my knowledge and endless fascination with other curious nature lovers.

THANK YOU to everyone who joined me for a class, workshop, or foray this year!

 

May the Forest be with you,

Stacey

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Top photos: Winter Oysters

Bottom photos: Blewits