BLOOMINGTON – National Mushroom Day was on October 15th and September was National Mushroom Month. Here in southern Indiana, you can find mushrooms growing in the wild from June through November, especially on the days after it has rained.
At BloomingShrooms, grow all of their mushrooms indoors in controlled environments so that they have them available year-round, but are often asked questions about foraging for mushrooms since they live in the heart of mushroom country.
Most often, people are concerned about whether the mushrooms they find while walking through the forest or in their lawn or garden are edible or toxic.
Here are a few tips:
- Never eat a mushroom you can’t positively identify.​​​​​​​
- Poisonous or toxic mushrooms will often have a strange odor that is acrid, chemical, or fishy smelling. Most edible mushrooms have a pleasant earthy aroma. There are lots of great books on mushroom foraging and identification. “All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms” by David Arora is a favorite as well as the “Audubon Field Guide to Mushrooms”. Even better, there are now a number of apps available for your phone. ‘ShroomID‘ is one favorite app, but there are many others as well.
- Finally, we get asked a lot about Morels and Chanterelles: These popular mushrooms are a delicacy that grows wild locally, but beware of deadly ‘look-a-likes”. True Morels can be confused with false Morels, which are poisonous. In the case of Chanterelles, which are already in the orange/yellow color range, their deadly doppelganger is the Jack O’Lantern. Again, refer to a good book, pocket or field guide, and don’t forget the online resources.
Entertainment at Saturday’s Market
Nicholas Graham Hall is a singer, songwriter, and local painter. He writes songs to express what he wants to say. He creates art to express what he feels. Also, he plays a variety of genres. Hall will perform at 10:00 a.m.
Also performing will be Emma Richards who plays a large variety of covers from The Lumineers, Pearl Jam, Indigo Girls, Counting Crows, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Fleetwood Mac, and similar artists. Richards will be performing at the Market this Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
25th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk is this Saturday
Coming this Saturday at Shower’s Plaza at City Hall is the 25th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.
Click here for registration information.
Mayor at the Market
Mayor at the Market is a community outreach program that invites Market-goers to interact with the mayor and various department heads from the City of Bloomington government.
From the arts to potholes – any city-related topic you are interested in is up for discussion. Jason Moore City of Bloomington’s Fire Department Chief will be greeting the public from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at this Saturday’s Farmers’ Market.
