Etiquettes For Mushroom Foraging
So, the logic goes, when we go to collect mushrooms to eat, we must ensure that we do not harm our natural spaces. While you are looking for some edible mushrooms and at the same time want to address some foraging myths, here is how we help you. Should you pick or cut mushrooms during harvest? Let us address the age-old cut versus pick debate. You must have heard folks say that you have to cut mushrooms off at the base so you do not disturb the soil and the mycelium. The thinking goes as when you pick them, you end up damaging the mycelium and it will also hurt the fungal system prevailing under the ground. But what does the scientific research have to say about it? Pick, don’t cut Scientists say that one must pick the mushrooms. Even the data shows that the plots being picked have slightly higher production rates than the control plots. Researchers believe that when you leave the cut stump, you are actually leaving a wound open for pathogens to enter and affect the mycelium. One more ...