National Mushroom Hunting Day

National Mushroom Hunting Day for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Wednesday, May 17th. There are until the next observance.

National Mushroom Hunting Day is an annual holiday observed on May 17 that was founded in 2014 by mushroom enthusiast Jace Shoemaker-Galloway. If you’re going mushroom hunting, you need to know how to tell which mushrooms are edible. You don’t want to go mushroom hunting hurriedly and wind up eating toxic mushrooms. Mycologists and mushroom hunters frequently utilize the spore print technique to distinguish between species that appear similar. So, before you go mushroom hunting, educate yourself.

📆 When is National Mushroom Hunting Day?

This year, National Mushroom Hunting Day is on May 17th. It is the 3rd Wednesday in May; in 2024, it is on Friday.

→ Did you know: Mushrooms are fungi, and they are more closely linked to animals and humans than to plants.

You can also see all fun things you didn’t know about and facts about May 17, 2023.

📜 History of National Mushroom Hunting Day

Button mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, morels, shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms are just a few of the many edible mushroom species that may be found in the wild. While chanterelles and morels can also be found in North America, button mushrooms and porcini are indigenous to both Europe and North America. East Asian in origin, shiitake is regarded as a therapeutic mushroom. Not only that, but the oyster mushroom was first grown in Germany, and now it is grown for money all over the world.

Chanterelles and morels are two wild mushrooms that are frequently mistaken for others. False chanterelles, or Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, can resemble edible chanterelles (Cantharellus). False chanterelles, which have sharp-looking gills, are thought to be edible, but the flavor is awful. When it comes to morels, fake morels like Gyromitra imitate real morels in appearance. Instead of the honeycomb look of real morel mushrooms, Gyromitra species typically resemble brains. Due to their gyromitrin, gyromitra are extremely toxic when fresh, although certain species may be cooked and eaten.

☑️ National Mushroom Hunting Day facts

✅ They can produce vitamin D
When exposed to UV light, most edible mushrooms create considerable levels of vitamin D.

✅ Magic mushrooms are the safest
Magic mushrooms are thought to be the least dangerous recreational drug.

✅ There’s a mushroom that tastes like chicken
The chicken of the woods, Laetiporus sulphureus, is frequently characterized as tasting like chicken flesh.

✨ Things to do on National Mushroom Hunting Day

⚡ Educate yourself
Before you begin mushroom hunting, you must first educate yourself. At the very least, you must be able to distinguish between edible and dangerous mushrooms.

⚡ Spread the word
Tell your friends about your experience. Who knows? Maybe one or two of them will come with you. And perhaps they know more about mushrooms, making the edible mushroom quest easier.

⚡ Buy mushrooms
If you don’t want to go mushroom hunting, you can still look for them in the market. It won’t be as amazing, but that’s fine.

📅 National Mushroom Hunting Day Observances

You can view all May holidays, including Special Interest and other Food holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and fun facts about National Mushroom Hunting Day. So be sure to check back soon.