The Olympic mountains of Washington State are home to Matsutake mushrooms, A fungus highly revered in Japan and in upscale restaurants around the world. An elusive, beautiful, fragrant mushroom that barely breaches the surface of the soil can be found during a small window during the later part of autumn in this temperate region. They grow from the mountain tops all the way to sea level, and associate with Douglas and Grand Fir in the mountains, and pine trees on the coast. At one time in their history these mushrooms, when picked at the right stage of development, could sell for $300 per pound here in Washington State.
The mushrooms have held a place if culinary importance in Japan and are revered as an aphrodisiac and food for the well to do or for special occasions, as their significance is culturally diminishing, so does their price on the market, driving down the need for heavy commercial picking and export. During the late 1990s these mushrooms were discovered growing also in China and Korea, partially due to new infrastructure of roads and ability to export, the global market drove the value of these mushrooms down even further. On a good year here in Washington they still can fetch $15 a pound for number one buttons.
In this video Aaron Hilliard, of the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society, takes us to a journey to the southeast Olympic mountains, a tectonic range in Western Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, to discover what these mushrooms look like in their habitat, how to harvest them and their various stages of growth. Come along on this journey to discover these beautiful mushrooms, as well as surprise finds of lobster mushrooms, a strange symbiotic relationship between two different fungi that create a beautiful and stunning gourmet delight. We also discover a queen Bolete, Boletus regineus.
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We will not accept any responsibility for negligence or accidental ingestion of poisonous mushrooms or plants. These videos are not intended to be a definitive field guide, but rather a starting point to become familiar with habitat,. Everyone is encouraged to do their own studies, acquire literature or internet resources to safely and confidently identify wild foods before they eat them.
When eating a new wild mushroom, it is advised to start with only a small amount, and make sure that it is fresh and that it is cooked thoroughly. Some mushrooms do not agree with certain individuals, and this is typically discovered on a case-by-case basis. Even the most edible of mushrooms contain compounds that can be tough for the human digestive tract to handle. Some “edible” species have small amounts of certain toxins that will easily break down with cooking. Fungi contains a molecule known as chitin that is the same thing that makes the exoskeleton of shellfish so hard, and cannot be broken down by the human digestive system, so it is another good reason to thoroughly cook mushrooms.
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Mushroom Wonderland and Aaron himself have no opinion and neither encourage nor discourage the use of mushrooms containing mind-altering compounds. These mushrooms contain powerful chemicals and should be treated with a high level of responsibility. Any video topics on the habitat, natural distribution, and morphological features of psychoactive mushrooms portrayed on this channel are purely for scientific and educational purposes.
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Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society- www.kitsapmush...
Puget Sound Mycological Society - www.psms.org
North American Mycological Society- www.namyco.org