Edible wild mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest US come in many varieties, but the most commonly collected are chanterelles, morels, and the boletes (particularly Boletus edulis, otherwise known as “Cep” or “Steinpilz” in Europe). Chanterelles and boletes are fall mushrooms, whereas morels fruit in the spring. One of the reasons these particular varieties are popular is because they are easy to distinguish, and therefore not readily confused with mushrooms that may be toxic. HOWEVER, if you are considering venturing out into the wild to pick wild mushrooms to eat, it is strongly advised that you take a mycology class or get expert advice on how to identify what goes into your basket. All it takes is the spores from one Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) to turn an entire basket of edible mushrooms into poison! And there are a whole host of intermediate mushrooms that will give you a ripping case of purge, at both ends.
All that being said, this section will include some “less-than-edible” species, just for their cultural significance.
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