Georgia is home to an abundance of natural beauty, from pine forests to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the beaches of Jekyll and Tybee Island to our own Clarks Hill Lake. If you ever get the opportunity to explore our forest ecosystems more thoroughly, you might overlook some of its most interesting fauna – mushrooms. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi and they play a key role in an ecosystem. Mushrooms decompose dead material, share nutrients with the plants they live on, serve as food sources for other species, and create habitat for insects and other wildlife. This May, the Lincoln County Extension Office is hosting a Mushroom of Georgia class. You will have the opportunity to learn about mushrooms and foraging, and to create your own mushroom bag to grow oyster mushrooms at home. We still have space in this workshop and would love to see more registrants – call us at 706-359-3233 to put your name on the list.
Did you know, that even if you can’t see visible mushrooms on decaying wood, there may still be fungus present? The main body of a fungus is called mycelium, which grows through soil and decaying plant material as it searches for food. As the mycelium finds and digests food, the fungus grows and develops until it’s ready to reproduce. Then, when environmental conditions are right (often wet and warm), those mycelium will form mushrooms. Mushrooms serve one purpose for the fungus – producing spores, which are how the organism reproduces and spreads. For humans though, mushrooms have long been used for both medicinal and culinary purposes.
There are over 20,000 species of fruiting mushrooms that have been identified, and about 20 species are widely cultivated. There are many myths around mushroom safety, like if animals eat it, we should be able to – many wildlife species have very different digestive systems than us, and we cannot eat the same things they do. Not all mushrooms are edible, and cooking wild mushrooms that are toxic won’t magically remove the toxins. If you’re not 100% sure of what a mushroom is, its best to leave it alone. UGA Extension will never suggest you forage and consume wild mushrooms without extensive education, since many types of mushroom can be toxic and even deadly. We do not even offer mushroom identification, since the liability of an improper ID can be so great. Instead, we recommend you contact the Mushroom Club of Georgia for identification assistance.
In Georgia alone, there are more than 3,000 different species of mushrooms. Today, I’d like to share a few facts about oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are tasty and versatile to cook with, easy to grow, and pretty to look at. They range in color from white to grey, tan, or even pink or yellow, depending on the species. Oyster mushrooms get their name from their wide, fan-shaped caps that have smooth edges and white gills that run down their stems. In nature, they are typically found on dead or dying hardwood, particularly fallen logs, stumps, or snags. They are most prominent after warm, wet weather. These mushrooms are edible, with a mild, sweet flavor that goes well sautéed, grilled, or added to soups and other dishes. They are easy to cultivate and grow to maturity in just a few days. During our workshop, you’ll build a mushroom bag and get started growing your own oyster mushrooms at home.
If you have general questions about mushrooms (with the exception of identification), please feel free to contact your local Extension office at any time. Our contact information for the Lincoln County office is 706-359-3233 and uge3181@uga.edu. If you’re interested in growing your own mushrooms, come to our upcoming workshop on Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 6:30PM. There is a $25 per person fee for this program.
