My name is Ryan (aka Stumpjumper) and I am the host of this site. I have been an avid shroomer since the age of three. I am a forager for many species of edible fungi and I look forward to sharing knowledge with you and helping you find your next gourmet meal!
Morel Season 2020
It’s looking to be an early start to the season and a really weird one! I’m sitting here wondering, with the current state of affairs, how many people will even be in the woods this year? Schools are closed down here in Michigan, bars and restaurants are now closed to dine-in patrons, and there’s a…
Aspen Oyster Mushrooms
The Aspen Oyster mushroom is a late spring delicacy commonly found on dying or dead Big Tooth Aspen trees and their logs and branches on the forest floor. These mushrooms are easily distinguishable by their overlapping layers, whitish pink spore prints and their wonderful anise aroma. Pleurotus populinus are a pretty cool mushroom. The mycelium…
Lasting Memories
It seems almost like a dream, staring up the hillside at an endless patch of pine-cone sized black morels. That is my first memory of mushroom hunting with my mom. I was 3 years old. I don’t remember much else of that day in the hills of Glennie Michigan other than that brown paper grocery…
The Half-Free Morel
The half-free morel (Morchella punctipes) is the cause of a lot of confusion in the mushroom hunting community, especially for beginners. Although it is easily confused with a Morchella look-a-like called a Verpa (Verpa bohemica) it is in fact a true species of Morchella and perfectly edible. As with any mushroom, if it is your…
The Yellow Morel
The last and largest of the morels to fruit in the spring, the yellow morel is the king of all of the morel species. Morchella americana starts to appear around 3 weeks after the black morels start. Yelow morels start to appear as small baby grey mushrooms. People commonly refer to them as the “grey…
The Black Morel
The black morel is the first morel to appear in the spring. A very hardy and cold weather resistant species, the black morel can be found soon after the first snow melt and a few warm spring days. As with any morel they will start as tiny babies and need time to grow. The black…
Grifola frondosa “Hen of the Woods, Maitake”
Grifola frondosa is a polypore mushroom found mainly on oak trees and dead stumps in the late summer through autumn. I have never found one on any other kind of tree other than red oaks but it is said to grow on other hardwoods as well. I would’ve personally called them “Grouse of…
Laetiporus sulphureus “Chicken of the Woods”
This species of bracket fungus can be found summer through fall growing on dead or dying hardwoods (usually oak). While it is not rare to find them during the summer months, I usually encounter these mushrooms more often in the late summer/fall months. This polypore is very easily distinguishable and has no poisonous look-alikes….
Cantharellus cinnabarinus “Cinnabar Chanterelle
Choice and a delicious edible. Found in early autumn in mixed hardwoods. Easily identified by the reddish orange color, pastel appearance and false gills commonly having spreading veins in between. The spore print will be white to a light pink color. When cut they will have a white flesh inside. Cinnabar chanterelles are…
Armillaria mellea “The Honey Mushroom”
Armillaria mellea also known as honey mushrooms or “stumpers” is a choice autumn edible and one of my favorites. Found growing in large clusters around dead oak trees and stumps and occasionally on the ground following the decaying roots. They are easy identified by the size of the cluster, white ring under the cap with…