Mushroom Foraging Tips: July 2022

These mushroom foraging tips apply to the Cape Town area and other parts of the Western Cape such as George and surrounding areas. They do not necessarily apply to the rest of South Africa.

Mid-winter foraging in Cape Town and surrounds is normally associated with winter species such as the following (amongst others):

Shaggy Ink Caps (Coprinus comatus),
Pine Rings (Lactarius deliciosus),
White Parasols (Macrolepiota zeyheri).
Wood Blewitts (Clitocybe nuda)

One would forage for these mushrooms after a good rain, and in the case of Wood Blewitts, after a very cold spell.

However, this 2022 winter has seen patches of intense heavy downpours and cold wet weather interspersed with long periods of mild to warm weather. One would normally expect this sort of weather in autumn and spring.

These unusual conditions open up the possibility of the prized Porcini (Boletus edulis) and Oak Boletes (Boletus aureus) being found. This makes for some fantastic winter foraging with an abundance of mushrooms to be enjoyed.