Forest Forage for Fungi
'Forest Bathing' in Des Moines' Margo Frankel Woods State Park
Disclaimer: The content in this post is not intended to assess, diagnose, prescribe, or promise cure to any ailment or disease. If suffering from illness, contact a licensed healthcare provider. Consuming wild grown foods, especially certain toxic plants and mushrooms, can cause serious illness or death. If you are not 100 percent certain of the type of species and its toxicity, do not eat it. This post may contain errors and incomplete information. Forage and wildcraft ethically. Follow the laws in your jurisdiction, and always consume mushrooms at your own risk.
DES MOINES——Wander the wild woods of Iowa. Beyond an opportunity to forage and feast on mushrooms, walking in nature nutures the brain, according to a study by a neuroscience think tank.
Activity in the brain related to stress processing wanes after an hour-long walk in nature, according to a paper published Sept. 5 in Molecular Psychiatry. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one hour walk in the forest or an urban shopping district.
Mental health problems such as anxiety, mood disorders, major depression, and schizophrenia are up to 56% more common in urban compared to rural environments, according to a 2007 study by the JellinekMentrum Mental Health Institute Amsterdam.
Empirical research has documented the cognitive benefits of exposure to nature. Spending time in wilderness can improve working memory capacity. It can restore directed attention and reduce negative emotions. Beyond psychological surveys, evidence shows that nature immersion decreases heart rate, blood pressure and the stress-related hormone cortisol.
Scientists examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in woodland or a shopping district in Berlin using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.
“The results support the previously assumed positive relationship between nature and brain health, but this is the first study to prove the causal link. Interestingly, the brain activity after the urban walk in these regions remained stable and did not show increases, which argues against a commonly held view that urban exposure causes additional stress,” Simone Kühn, head of the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, said in a release.
A 2017 study by the Institute demonstrated that city residents who lived near forests had healthier structures in the amygdala, a part of the brain that processes stress and reactions to danger.
Almost a quarter of U.S. young adults receive mental health treatment, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control this month. The percentage of adults aged 18-44 who obtained mental health treatment in 2021 jumped to 23.2 percent from 18.5 percent in 2019.
Adherents of shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing”) in Japan posit that the scent and experience of breathing in compounds that trees emit could boost immune function.
No credible doctor would advise patients to walk the woods instead of taking prescribed medications, but people can reap tangible health benefits from their nearest patch of forest. ParkRx, one of the first so-called park-prescription programs in America, launched in 2013. It provides health care practitioners guides, toolkits and case studies to nudge their clients outdoors.
Margo Frankel: Iowa Conservation Trailblazer
As a practitioner of mindful meditation in wilderness who forages for fungi, fruit and flora, my personal experiences jives with this research. Thursday I visited Margo Frankel Woods State Park, near Saylor Township, in Des Moines to hike this hypothesis.
The 136-acre state park on the north side of Des Moines is an ideal place to hike through thick woods and climb moderate hills. The land is managed by the township and volunteers. It’s not quite wilderness, as traffic is audible. Nonetheless, it’s about as pristine a place as possible in the confines of the City of Des Moines.
Ancient Algonkian and Sioux used the land as a hunting ground, according to a guide published in Des Moines Outdoors. Apple trees near the woods’ entrance mark the homestead of the township’s namesake, early settler John Saylor.
State officials later changed the name to honor Margo Kohn Frankel, a trailblazing advocate for prairie conservation in the 1930s and a founding member of the State Board of Conservation. Apple trees near the entrance to the woods mark Saylor’s homestead. The Greater Des Moines Committee purchased the woods and transferred the property, packed with oak and walnut trees, to the State of Iowa in 1945 for a state park.
Frankel, a fierce proponent of reclaiming native prairie and woodland, advocated restoring prairie areas for public conservation and spearheaded an expansion of the Iowa State Park System. When the board merged with the Fish and Game Commission in 1935, Frankel chaired the new Iowa Conservation Corps, according to a 2014 article in The Annals of Iowa.
Woods of Wonder
In a 90-minute, 3.1 mile walk through the woods, I encountered a cornucopia of food-grade fungi, fresh air and a feeling of freeness.
Foraging for mushrooms may seem odd to many Iowans, but the Iowa mushroom community is, well, mushrooming. In a private Facebook group, more than 16,000 members exchange knowledge and share geolocation tips to educate foraging newbies and experts alike.
Golden Oyster
The first species I encountered: the Golden Oyster (Plerotus citrinopileatus), which peaks in Iowa from May to Sept. Oysters are a culinarily popular species of Asian origin.
Hobbyists often grow this variety, distinguished by the yellow color of the caps and the absorbent, cashew-like flavor. Golden Oyster is almost never available fresh commercially outside of farmers markets and independent growers (Cambridge-based Joygrow, for example) because of its short shelf-life and the fruit’s fragility.
The deep golden to bright yellow caps top white, bent stems. Narrow gills extend down the stalk. This species grows in clusters on decaying hardwood trees.
Pleurotus mushrooms are rich in proteins, fiber, amino acids, carbohydrates, water-soluble vitamins (Vitamin C and B complex), and minerals (Na, Ca, P, Fe and K). Oysters are also packed with functional bioactive molecules, thought to boost health and wellness. Oysters are considered choice in the culinary community for their rich, umami-taste.
Chicken of the Woods
The next fungi I found: jackpot. After reading a narrative of a fellow forager’s hike, I set out to find a sulphur shelf mushroom commonly known as chicken-of-the-woods or crab-of-the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). This premium, culinary-grade mushroom is well documented in accounts of ancient folk medicine of Indigenous Americans.
The mushroom produces many antioxidants, including caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, and quercetin. It also contains lanostatanoids, molecules that have the ability to inhibit cancerous growths.
Scientists estimate an excess of 140,000 mushrooms exist on earth, but humans have documented fewer than 10 percent of the organisms. Chicken-of-the-woods, however, is well-known and beloved by Iowa fungi fans.
This delicacy grows in overlapping clusters on living trees, decaying logs and stumps of chestnut, maple, oak, willow and other hardwoods from the base skyward. It peaks from mid-June to mid-Oct. in Iowa.
The polypore mushroom has a pore surface rather than gills. They attach to their substrate on the side directly (like a shelf) or by a short stem (like a frying pan).
The species is distinguished by its sulphur-yellow to bright orange color and velvety texture. When ripe, the flesh emits a fungal aroma and oozes a translucent juice. Foragers harvest the young, outer growth of specimens and avoid older, dry portions attached to the tree as these areas tend to be tough or insect infested.
Like most mushrooms, if consumed raw, this species is toxic. Cooked, this low-calorie, high-protein mushroom is without peer. A 100g serving is just 33 calories but packs 14g of protein and provides potassium and Vitamin C, according to research by Austin Collins of Healing Mushrooms.
Dog’s Nose
Off the main trail, I encountered an amazing, alien-like oddity: the Dog’s Nose fungus (Camarops petersii or Peridoxylon petersii). Michael Kuo, who publishes MushroomExpert.com, dubbed this species “Uncle Fester’s Eyeball Fungus” in 2007.
Technically, this wet, pimply fungus is a large perithecial ascomycete, not a mushroom. It’s fruiting bodies and mycelium grow on decomposing logs (typically oak). Its blackish spores are produced just below the inky, slimy upper surface in microscopic pear-shaped structures called perithecia.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach a wealth of information on fungi
ISU Extension and Outreach employs educators, volunteers, and researchers throughout Iowa’s 99 counties to engage Iowans with research, education and outdoor experiences. To help mushroom gatherers identify and understand the characteristics of Iowa’s mushrooms, specialists published the Safe Mushroom Foraging guide.
This 80-page publication provides foragers guidance on the time of year various mushroom are available, distinctions among species, typical habitat and look-alike mushrooms.
“The guide is a great resource for people who want to hunt mushrooms on their own or with their children, as they look at different mushrooms and learn about their role in nature in the wild,” said Lina Rodriguez-Salamanca, plant pathology diagnostician with the Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic at Iowa State University, in a 2020 press release. “The guide focuses on the most common mushrooms and their look-alikes, as well as those that are edible and those poisonous to avoid.”
Full-color photos in the $4 hard copy (the PDF is free) help hunters identify more than 50 mushrooms, including those considered edible, inedible and toxic.
Safe Mushroom Foraging is co-authored with Rosanne Healy, assistant research scientist at University of Florida and Iowa State alumnus, and Leonor Leandro, associate professor in plant pathology and microbiology at Iowa State.
If you seek to forage fungi, ensure you have the proper gear and follow best foraging practices:
Fungi Forager Gear
• Mesh, canvas, wax paper or brown paper bags
• Cooler
• Sharp knife
• Soft bristle brush
• Ruler or measuring tape
• Area-specific guide to tree and mushroom species
• Hiking gear: walking stick, insect repellent, compass, food, and water
Best Practices
• Respect private property as well as state and local laws on foraging.
• Understand characteristics of desired mushrooms, and learn to identify poisonous lookalikes.
• Inspect mushrooms to avoid over-ripe fruit, bruises, slime, fuzz, and insect-infested fungi.
• Remove dirt or debris with a soft brush.
• Store species separately.
• Avoid in-transit storage in direct sun or warm temperatures; refrigerate or freeze soon after harvest