Nothing beats going for a hike and coming back with freshly-picked wild foods. In the fall, mushrooms are towards the top of the list when it comes to foraging. Of course, before consuming any sort of wild mushroom, making sure that the mushroom has been correctly identified is crucial. Taking a class with an expert is the best way to learn which mushrooms are good to eat and which to avoid.

We’re going to focus on the black trumpet mushroom. This funnel-shaped fungi comes in black, gray, and brown. Their top edges are rolled outwards. One thing that is particularly unusual about black trumpets is that they do not have gills. Instead, you’ll find that the underpart of their caps is smooth or just a bit wrinkled.

Although identifying black trumpet mushrooms is quite easy, locating them in the wild can be tricky. As darker mushrooms, they are more difficult to spot since they tend to blend in better in the forest. They grow in patches but often go unnoticed. However, if you know where they like to grow then finding them becomes far more likely. 

If your goal is to forage for black trumpet mushrooms, you’re best off looking around hardwood forests. Although they do not fruit on wood like many kinds of mushrooms, they do grow near it. They especially like to grow close to tanoak trees. Black trumpet mushrooms are often found in mossy areas. The contrast in color with the moss makes them easier to locate. 

Black trumpets enjoy dark and damp areas. If you know where there are some small streams, following these streams and looking around the edges of them can land you with some nice mushrooms. Seeing as they grow in patches, all it takes is finding one area to get all that you need.

Eating foraged foods is extremely rewarding. However, proper identification is key, especially with mushrooms. It is not enough to just match the mushrooms that you found with a photo that you found online because many toxic organisms look very similar to edible ones. Take false hellebore, for example. 

In the case of black trumpets, though, you are in the clear. These mushrooms are great for beginners because they have a unique look and don’t have any poisonous lookalikes. Black trumpet mushrooms have hollowed stems that can grow to be a few inches tall. They are smooth to the touch and quite thin. They can be found in the winter in California.

Like other kinds of mushrooms, there are a lot of ways to enjoy black trumpets. After they have been foraged and well-rinsed, its time to put them in the pan.  

Here’s a recipe for Black Trumpet Souffle:

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup butter

• 3-5 oz black trumpet mushrooms

• 3-5 oz crimini mushrooms

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1-1/4 cups milk

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Swiss cheese

• 3 eggs

• salt and pepper

For the first few minutes, sauté the mushrooms in butter. Next, put in the flour and stir it together for two minutes. Stir the milk away from the heat slowly. Add the cheese along with some salt and pepper. Beat in just the egg yolks. With the egg whites, whisk them and then add to the mushrooms. Finally, pour it on into a souffle dish and bake between 30 and 40 minutes. 

Want to find your own? We have mushroom foraging classes all season in Marin, Sonoma, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Our teachers have a combined 95 years of mushroom hunting experience! Come learn the secrets of the woods: