Adventures in Mycology words // Pamela Hunt Photos // Carlos Gallardo Photography
Luna, a sturdy pit bull mix, and Derrick, a gangly adolescent Vizsla, raced up the trail, eager for whatever adventures they could find. Our group of nine slowly ascended the hill behind the dogs, pacing ourselves in the humid New England summer afternoon. Waiting for us in a small clearing stood our tour leader, clad in a porcini-colored t-shirt reading “All mushrooms are edible. Some only once.” Along with a handful of amateur foragers and a homeopathic practitioner, I had joined one of the first “Fruits of the Forest” walks that MoTown Mushrooms led at the Hunter Farmstead in Waterbury. The wooded property stretches nearly 40 acres along Joiner Brook and the meadows beyond. Though based in Morristown (hence the moniker), the company has arranged with the farm’s owners to lead tours, plant outdoor beds, and more importantly to provide demonstrations; The energetic duo that runs the business, Jason Bednarz and his wife, Monica Gallardo, want to help mushroom lov-
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ers have their cake and safely eat it too by teaching them how to grow “wild” varieties. The mycological adventure began as a hobby for Jason but bloomed into a fullblown business in 2013. When a tour member recounted a tale of shiitakestudded troughs taking over his bathroom when his interest in mushrooms first bloomed, Gallardo rolled her eyes and chuckled knowingly. When they first started growing, she said, “Our basement turned into a lab.” Interest in mushrooms has grown in Vermont thanks to increased exposure to wild specimens at farmers’ markets and local grocery stores. Once thought to be nutritionally empty, these edible fungi are now known to provide many health benefits. “Mushrooms are great sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, many of them have incredible medicinal properties, like lion’s mane, which is known for improving memory and cognition and regenerating nerve tissue,”
Gallardo explained. However, the bins of white button mushrooms with the occasional “exotic” cremini are no longer sating our increasingly sophisticated appetites. We want shiitakes! Give us chanterelles! Where are the morels? Yet according to Ari Rockland-Miller, cofounder of Burlington-based TheMushroomForager.com, Americans as a whole tend to be wary when it comes to wild varieties. He leads tours in area woodlands, demonstrating how edible treasures can be found if one only knows where and how to look. Some dangers can be identified relatively easily. The ghostly white stem of the amanita, aka the destroying angel, foretells its lethal offering. But it takes a practiced eye to discern a deadly jacko’-lantern from a delicious golden chanterelle. In fact, despite Rockland-Miller’s professed passion for these delicacies, he stands by the adage, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Misidentification poses too great of a risk.