Hunting the King of Mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest

Join me as I go on a quick hunt for my favorite mushroom, the king bolete (Boletus edulis), also known as porcini, cep, penny bun, steinpilz, and probably a bunch of other names. I was hunting at a very low elevation of only about 50'. Some mushroom safety items:
1. Never eat a mushroom unless you are absolutely certain of its identity. If in doubt, throw it out!
2. Mushroom hunters have a tendency to get lost. It can be easy to get excited about finding mushrooms, get distracted, and suddenly realize you're lost! Keep track of your bearings, and if you're hunting in an area where you get reception bring your cell phone and make sure it's charged.
3. I have come across some sketchy people out in the woods. As always, be aware of your surroundings. At the very least I always carry my knife for self defense.
I hope you enjoy the video! If you have any comments or suggestions, just leave a comment below.

Пікірлер: 66

  • @sebasv1920
    @sebasv19204 жыл бұрын

    I am a simple dude, and I really like your calm and relaxed presentation style. Keep up the good work, love it!

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @sethsmith4905
    @sethsmith49054 жыл бұрын

    Cool vid... one suggestion for you, you talk about trees are important but you don't identify what trees. Including any information on trees, region, altitude would be helpful for many people starting out that don't know and would most likely boost your channel. Good luck on your next hunt.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the suggestion! It hadn't occurred to me that I didn't mention what species of tree this was. It was a Sitka spruce, one of the king bolete's favorite trees to associate with. I will add elevation information to the video description. Thanks again for watching and providing feedback.

  • @your_eulogy2688

    @your_eulogy2688

    3 жыл бұрын

    I doubt elevation matters much. I find them at sea level and up in the Cascades. The trees seem to be key. Good luck out there.

  • @bubabee0192

    @bubabee0192

    2 жыл бұрын

    That's what google is for :)

  • @SkyfallLotus
    @SkyfallLotus4 жыл бұрын

    Awesome video! Can't wait to see more of your mushroom adventures!

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Anna!

  • @aether3885
    @aether3885 Жыл бұрын

    That had to feel like such a tease lol, finding that massive bolete right out the gate, then not finding anything else worth keeping, and finding out the bolete was full of bugs. At least you saw some cool shrooms!

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    Жыл бұрын

    Haha definitely.

  • @themudbugjuggler9912
    @themudbugjuggler99124 жыл бұрын

    What an incredibly large, and beautiful mushroom. Shame you couldn't save the cap, but seeing that green color and it's inhabitants, eeek! I've never eaten a mushroom I've found myself, no confidence there, lol. Although, last season round about this time, I drove past a house that I swear had chicken-of-the-woods growing in the front yard. If I see it again this year, I will ask the owner if I can have it. While FIRST taking detailed photos, and asking mycology advice from people that KNOW. Like Terry Prachett said," All fungi are edible...some fungi are edible only once..." And I do not wish to make that mistake, lol. Thanks so much for sharing. And I would love to see what you make with the dried mushrooms! Until next time, cheers! --amanda

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Nice to hear from you again and thanks for checking in! That Terry Prachett quote is great. David Arora wrote something similar about poisonous mushrooms, "Your first mistake could be your last!" But as you mentioned, as long as you are careful and smart about your identification, there are some delicious discoveries to be made. If there is a mycology club in your area it might be a great place to start... Good luck!

  • @dethaddr
    @dethaddr4 жыл бұрын

    Cool vids. It's nice to see what you can do in the home state.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks and yeah, there are so many great things to do here! Mushroom hunting, catching crayfish, clamming, crabbing, fishing, metal detecting... I wish there was more time to do everything.

  • @79obrien
    @79obrien3 жыл бұрын

    Amanita muscaria is safe to eat if cooked properly. People also use it recreationally but it dose not contain the Illegal drug psylosibin that other psychoactive mushrooms. I do not recommend anyone take it. if under 10 grams is consumed most people will not experience nausea. At 15 grams most people will experience nausea. There are a few different ways to convert the ibotenic acid to muscimol and this reduces negative side effects. This post is for educational and safety purposes

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the information. Very interesting! I seem to recall a video of David Arora in which he boiled some Amanita muscaria, then discarded the water as a way to remove the unwanted compounds (he may have repeated this extraction a second time; I'm not sure). This allegedly made it safe to eat. I also found he discussed intentional ingestion of ibotenic acid from A. muscaria to on page 895 of Mushrooms Demystified where he wrote, "...but most people who try it (including myself) do not wish to repeat the experience." That's enough to convince me to avoid it! Anyhow, thanks again for posting, I really appreciate information like this!

  • @lilolmecj
    @lilolmecj2 жыл бұрын

    I didn’t know much about bolettes, I have encountered them in my yard for years. I am looking forward to next autumn to explore them more.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Carole, if you're in the Pacific Northwest, David Arora's book "All That the Rain Promises, and More..." is a nice resource and has some good information about the different bolete species found in our area. Have fun exploring next fall!

  • @lilolmecj

    @lilolmecj

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic thanks!

  • @truyennam
    @truyennam3 жыл бұрын

    excellent.

  • @izqwiz1746
    @izqwiz17464 жыл бұрын

    Good job

  • @logansmith9990
    @logansmith99904 жыл бұрын

    This is awesome

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @CannonsRvRepair
    @CannonsRvRepair2 жыл бұрын

    I have these growing on my property right now

  • @mrsseasea
    @mrsseasea10 ай бұрын

    My grandson and I found 4-5 of them in our yard, well we live in a forested area, but I did not know if it’s poisonous? I’m positive it was the same it looked like that big one.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    10 ай бұрын

    Cool! Was this recently? If so, I'm glad to know the king boletes are already out and I need to get myself out mushroom hunting! And please remember the first rule of eating mushrooms: If in doubt, throw it out! It sounds like you're fairly sure of your mushroom identification, but please be certain before you eat any. If there is an expert in your area (you could search online for a local mushroom club, etc.), that person may be able to confirm it for you. I want to make sure you stay safe! Thanks for the update and for checking in. Cheers.

  • @gypsyfreedom9836
    @gypsyfreedom98362 жыл бұрын

    I was out yesterday and found one very similar in size and Stage of development as your thumbnail but unfortunately it was all buggy and full of worms so it got left in the forest

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    2 жыл бұрын

    Bummer! Kind of like winning the battle but losing the war. Yesterday I had a similar experience: I found a patch of nice shaggy parasol (Lepiota rachodes) mushrooms, but on closer inspection it seems the bugs had found them first. Too bad; they're one of my favorites.

  • @MKpixelfan
    @MKpixelfan2 жыл бұрын

    If you really wanted to eat it, you can remove the sponge (always remove anyways as that's where the bugs live and that texture and water consistency is not something you want to keep for drying or frying), then soak the rest in salt water to let the bugs out, if you fry it...you wouldn't have any issues.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi M K thanks for the suggestion about soaking in saltwater. I'll try that the next time I encounter a buggy bolete like this one.

  • @your_eulogy2688
    @your_eulogy26882 жыл бұрын

    When do they usually start on the coast? After the first bit of wet weather? After a freeze? Both?

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    2 жыл бұрын

    I wish I knew! I usually start looking about a week after the first rains have started. Good luck if you go!

  • @your_eulogy2688

    @your_eulogy2688

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic thanks, man. I've been going mid season every year and wouldn't mind finding them before those azzie pickers stop everything and kick everything over

  • @Rogue369
    @Rogue3694 жыл бұрын

    Where do you hunt around? I am in Lewis County and I would love to learn a thing or two.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    This was at one of my top-secret mushroom spots! 😊 Seriously though, even if I disclosed the location it probably wouldn't help much since it is a long ways from Lewis County. Having said that, I am always excited to help someone interested in learning more about mushrooms, and I am confident there is some great mushroom hunting in your area too. You might want to start by researching what regions/habitats in your area would most likely hold the mushrooms you're interested in. There are some great books about mushrooms in our part of the country (and where to find them) by David Arora; I show them in this video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/f46hm9p-o6TcnLQ.html. And if there is a mycology club in your area that could be a great resource too. Good luck!

  • @SnowOtter4977
    @SnowOtter49774 жыл бұрын

    Are those resurruction ferns?

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Good question. I think the ones at 1:04 are deer ferns (Struthiopteris spicant), but I'm not sure about that. I'm not very good with my native plant identification!

  • @SnowOtter4977

    @SnowOtter4977

    4 жыл бұрын

    Oh ok because I have dome resurruction ferns and they look pretty much the same

  • @darcyfarrow220
    @darcyfarrow2203 жыл бұрын

    That kind of mushroom is very common in my country, one person can actually fill a sack.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    3 жыл бұрын

    Cool! Assuming you're comfortable with posting it here, what is your country? I'm curious to know...

  • @darcyfarrow220

    @darcyfarrow220

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic The Philippines actually. The month of June is the best time to pick them, during rainy season.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@darcyfarrow220 Interesting. I know that king boletes are commonly sought in Europe (where they are known by a variety of common names, depending on the region), but I had no idea they were present in the Philippines. Thanks for sharing this!

  • @anzhelikavardi7204
    @anzhelikavardi72042 жыл бұрын

    Why did you pull it with the root?? You have to cut the mushroom and leave the root in the ground)

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Anzhelika, that's a good question, and I have talked with mushroom experts about this in the past. Our tendency is to think of a mushroom like a plant, and we all know that pulling a plant out by the roots would almost certainly kill it. But unlike plants, the permanent part of a mushroom is the mycelium (the underground network of fibers), and the mushroom itself is just the "fruiting body" of the mycelium. So, as my Russian friend who introduced me to mushrooms explained, picking a mushroom is like picking an apple. As long as you're not digging up the mycelium, it is OK. After all, if you were to cut away part of an apple from a tree instead of picking the entire thing, it might actually be worse for the tree since now there is a wound where disease could enter. At least that's my understanding; if you believe that's not the case I'd be happy to hear about it. I'm always excited to learn more about mushrooms!

  • @anzhelikavardi7204

    @anzhelikavardi7204

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic I am from Russia and my grandmothers abd great grandfathers always taught us to leave the roots in the ground! It’s scientific fact! Lear your stuff and do not ruining the nature!

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@anzhelikavardi7204 OK, I will plan to check into this further to determine which method is best for the health of the organism. It is important to me that I harvest mushrooms in the most sustainable way possible, and I can see you feel the same way. I'll keep you posted!

  • @evanhayes5891
    @evanhayes58914 жыл бұрын

    So this is a coastal mushroom?

  • @michaelcandido2824

    @michaelcandido2824

    2 жыл бұрын

    you can find them on the east side of the cascades in the gorge under ponderosa pine

  • @evanhayes5891

    @evanhayes5891

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@michaelcandido2824 Thanks, Michael! What time of year?

  • @mattiacamilletti838
    @mattiacamilletti8383 жыл бұрын

    The first mushrooms doesn't look like boletus edulis. Probabily still a mushroom of the boletus sensu strictu genus, but not boletus edulis.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hi Mattia, I am confident this was B. edulis. I have found them there many times before. A few other folks have commented to say they think it isn't B. edulis, perhaps because 1) B. edulis can have slight variations depending on location (e.g. New Mexico vs. Oregon), or 2) this was a very mature specimen, with things like the "netting" on the stipe less obvious. And if you don't think it is B. edulis, what species do you propose it is? Please know that I'm not trying to give you a hard time and I always appreciate mushroom identification questions or comments--it's a great way for us to discuss it and learn together.

  • @mattiacamilletti838

    @mattiacamilletti838

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic first of all i want i want to apologize since i didnt mean to upset you or disrespect you, if you felt that way. Going back to the discussion, i think you may be right about the geography-linked variety of the boletus edulis species. I am from italy and here they usually dont have such a dark stem and light brown cap. I just recently started to look through north america mushroom species out of curiosity. If i must propose a specie thogh, by looking at online picture, it does kinda look like Boletus fibrillosus, but as i said, i'm judging by pictures since i never had north american mushrooms between my hands.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@mattiacamilletti838 Hi Mattia, absolutely no need to be apologetic! I am always happy to talk about mushroom identification, and I love to learn from other folks, especially from another part of the world. I'll check into Boletus fibrillosus and see what I can find out about it (I'll try to keep you posted on what I can determine).

  • @mattiacamilletti838

    @mattiacamilletti838

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic thank you

  • @fattymcbastard6536

    @fattymcbastard6536

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@mattiacamilletti838 You don't have to switch continents to notice variability among the king boletes. If you look into it, I think you would find that the "red-tops" of the Canadian Rockies would more closely resemble the Porcini. On Vancouver Island where I'm from, they're not too dissimilar from the one in the video, but like you said, with a paler coloured stem. As far as I'm concerned, all certainty goes out the window if they don't have a stem that's much wider at the base than where it joins the cap.

  • @jamesrogers6976
    @jamesrogers69764 жыл бұрын

    Most of the time kings don't turn that yellowish color underneath. its a bolete....and edible but not a king

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hi James, I was fairly certain this was B. edulis (I have found them in that same area on several occasions), but I could be mistaken. I have only seen one other similar type of mushroom in that area, but I am almost certain it was in the Leccinum family so definitely not this one. Do you think the color may have just been off a bit because of the age (the mushrooms I found that day were all on the older side; I obviously missed the prime picking time! 😢)? If not a king, what species do you suspect it is?

  • @jamesrogers6976

    @jamesrogers6976

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@WesternEclectic interesting. It's possible that is a king. Mushrooms are so different dependent upon location. there are so many varieties of Boletus I wouldn't venture. It is more than likely you are correct and its a variance dependent on location.

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@jamesrogers6976 I will have to do some additional field research at that location next season! 😉

  • @phildirt3
    @phildirt34 жыл бұрын

    Obviously you re late

  • @WesternEclectic

    @WesternEclectic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yep. At least I found one king that was still in semi decent condition...

  • @evanhayes5891

    @evanhayes5891

    4 жыл бұрын

    Or a discarded pillow in very bad condition lol!

  • @marianoart6840
    @marianoart68402 жыл бұрын

    @mycoshanno She sells shroom, DMT, LSD, and also ships fast

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