You don't need to stop the presses for this: It's mushroom season, and they are growing in Oxbow Regional Park.
That's about as newsworthy as "sun rises in the east.'' But mushrooms always seem to require a refresher course, especially if you plan to eat them.
That's the idea behind Oxbow Park's free class for identifying mushrooms, taught Sunday by Metro naturalist Alice Froehlich. Although the first of two sessions had about 30 participants, no one seemed to have visions of returning home to cook what they collected.
Mostly, it was a fun family outing, or a way to learn a bit about the infinite variety of mushrooms and other fungi of the forest.
Froehlich put to rest right away anyone's fear of mushrooms by saying that of nearly 8,000 types in North America, less than a half dozen are truly deadly.
"Most of the rest will give you a stomach ache, or just don't taste very good. Yuk,'' she said. "About eight or nine wild mushrooms are edible types that people seek out because they are good to eat.''
With those odds, the most dangerous part of a mushroom outing may be getting lost in the woods, instead of what a picker ingests. To stay safe in the woods while hunting mushrooms, Froehlich offered these tips:
- Get a permit when required. The land managing agency issuing the permit can provide maps and tell you where to look.
- Don't get lost looking at the ground. Look up to keep your bearings.
- Wear bright clothing during deer hunting season, because you may wander off trail and be in an unexpected place for the hunter.
- Bring a compass and whistle.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return.
Also, there are many good mushroom identification books, but it's always best to cross reference between at least two should you plan to eat a wild mushroom. And only ingest a small portion, then wait 48 hours to see what effect it had.
Froehlich sent the pickers into the Oxbow woods. Less than an hour later, they had returned and covered two picnic tables with strange-looking fruits of the forest. The most unusual was a brown mushroom that was shaded silver on parts of its side. One picker said it looked like it had been in the fridge too long, but Froehlich had a different explanation.
"That's a boletus mushroom being attacked by another type of fungus,'' she said.
Bonita Wilcox, 33, had found it while searching with a friend, Will Lawrence, 24, who both live in Southwest Portland.
"I learned a lot,'' Wilcox said, adding that attending the class was a good way to keep knowledge current on mushrooming. Then Wilcox added, "I didn't know anything. I was here to learn. The focus on edible mushrooms was a good reminder on how to safeguard yourself."
If you go: Oxbow Park is 25 miles east of downtown Portland. The easiest way to reach it is by driving Division Street all the way to the park entry road. Park admission is $5 per vehicle. Dogs are not allowed except service animals. The park campground remains open all year; 3010 S.E. Oxbow Parkway, Gresham; 503-663-4708, oregonmetro.gov/parks.
For more ways to learn about mushroom picking, connect with the Oregon Mycological Society at wildmushrooms.org, or attend monthly meetings at the World Forestry Center in Portland.
Here's a link to photos of mushrooms growing on a National Park Service island this September in Lake Michigan: Mushrooms of fall popping up; photograph but don't eat them.
-- Terry Richard
trichard@oregonian.com
503-221-8222; @trichardpdx