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GreaterUpperValley.com

Facebook Group “Mushrooms in the wilds of Vermont” Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary

Nov 21, 2018 02:21PM ● By Kevin
Among the hobbies, you can pick up in the great outdoors of beautiful Vermont is the unique, yet very popular hunt for wild, edible mushrooms. Mushrooms are often found in droves in the woods of Vermont when the summer months are more on the wet side. Foragers are in search of edible mushrooms, including chanterelles, oysters, lobster mushrooms, chicken-of-the-woods, and the black trumpet.

Over the years, a collective group of individuals has banded together to share photos of their findings on the Facebook group, “Mushrooms in the wilds of Vermont.” The group just celebrated its five-year anniversary in October and has almost 3,700 members to date.

The group was designed for Vermont residents and residents of neighboring states who forage for wild mushrooms. The administrators and moderators are very clear that this group was not designed to help identify mushrooms and their level of safety to the human body.

“Although many of us have consumed many varieties, and have lived to tell about them, we did so through many years of learning hands-on [and] from comparing many resources,” the page’s description states. “Therefore, be forewarned, that you are the only one responsible for your own choices when it comes to consuming wild mushrooms.”

The group also provides resources for those looking to learn more about mushrooms and foraging for them.

There are many authorities on the topic of mushroom hunting locally. One active participant to the group, Faith Hunt, a veteran mushroom forager from Quechee, is a frequent educator and guide. She has been seen as an authority at venues such as the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Mt. Peg (via Upper Valley Land Trust) in Woodstock, the Upper Valley Food  Co-op in White River Junction.

Hunt was even profiled in the Valley News, as she guided a group through Hartford’s Hurricane Forest. On the walk, she had the opportunity to find and present lobster mushrooms to her group.

The long-time forager began her studies in the 1980s when she took a class at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, the article said. She instructed mycology for many years thereafter.

Many of Hunt’s tours result in visitors being able to take home some findings for a home-cooked meal, and sometimes, Hunt hosts tastings and cooking demonstrations.

She’s known to have said at past events and lectures, “I show people what mushrooms kill you dead, what mushrooms make you wish you were dead, and what mushrooms are delicious!”

 

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