Finding hedgehog mushrooms in BC
We found these lovely, big edible mushrooms in the mountains near Bella Coola, BC on a foraging trip in October. They are great mushrooms for beginners because there are no poisonous look alikes to confuse you. The distinctive feature of hedgehog mushrooms is their little ‘teeth’ or spines that hang down on the underside of the cap. The mushroom is solid white to creamy in colour and grow single or gregarious in duff and moss under Pseudotsuga (Douglas-fir), Abies (fir), and Tsuga (hemlock) in forests around BC from October to December depending on the weather.
If you are a beginnner, just starting to learn to pick mushrooms, Hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum or the smaller Hydnum umbilicatum) are what our myco-experts would recommend for you. They are delicious fried with oil or butter and a little salt, a firm texture and an earthy umami rich flavour.
Come out on one of our mushroom foraging trips from Vancouver to learn more about what you can safely pick in the wilderness.