Rob DeHarpport’s outdoor report: First rains of fall bring return of mushroom foraging in high country

By ROB DeHARPPORT/For The Herald — Fall brings us many cherished outdoor activities here in the Highway 58 corridor.

Among the many to choose from we have fall Chinook and coho entering our coastal rivers, hunting for deer and elk, hiking, beautiful fall foliage, to name a few along with our first refreshing rains and our first freezing nighttime temperatures to welcome the seasonal changes. Snow is in the forecast for the upcoming week, possibly as low as Willamette Pass and even Crescent Lake.

With the first rains, another recreational and serious activity is mushroom hunting and picking. Yes, fall brings us fungi in our forests! There are many varieties and species to learn to properly and safely identify, prepare, dry or cook with. To name a few, we can find boletes, oyster, chicken of the woods, corral and the prized chanterelles, porcini, truffles as well as the matsutake or pine mushroom.

It is very important to learn what mushrooms are safe and edible to eat as there are some deadly “shrooms” in our forests. If not always deadly there are a few that look similar but can make an untrained picker very sick.

For instance, there is an Amanita that resembles the matsutake. In the spring there are false morels that greatly resemble true morels. Folks should take the time to learn with friends who are certain of exactly “what is what.” Or ask the experts such as the Cascade Mycological Society, which has a Facebook page and events to share knowledge of the “Fungus Among Us.”

The Lane County Farmers Market is another great source to learn about the various mushrooms available. There are also many books such as ” Mushrooms Demystified” by David Arora as well as other field guide books and sources on the internet. Be safe, and when in doubt seek out experts.

Some folks pick chanterelles, matsutakes and others commercially. In the 1970s a few in-the-know pickers began secretly picking and selling matsutakes here in the Crescent Lake area. The demand in Japan has always been strong for the matsutakes.

The Japanese value these mushrooms in soups and rice. They’ve believed as far back as the 7th century that the matsutakes lead to and contribute to a long life. The Japanese cook them with rice and soups, although they are also eaten raw. Matsutakes have an odor that has been described as “a provocative compromise between a Red Hot candy and a smelly sock.”

Also, they’re said to have a piney aroma and meaty flavor and a spicey fruity flavor and smell with a hint of cinnamon.

The value of matsutake commercial picking literally exploded in September of 1989. The Crescent Lake and Chemult areas were flooded with a “Gold Rush” style boom.

People flooded the forests and the tiny communities of Crescent Lake and Chemult seeking their fortunes among the jack pines and ponderosas. And many dollars were made! In 1993 the price for a #1 Matsutake hit $640 per pound! A hunting buddy and I stumbled across what amounted to a fanny pack full on the way back to camp around this time and cashed them in for over $400!

Pickers were everywhere. We even ran across some Canadian pickers near the top of Mount Ray at 6,700 feet elevation above south Waldo Lake while deer hunting one day. In 1995 the U.S. Forest Service was selling a two-month permit for matsutakes for $200, one-month permit for $100 and daily permits were under $10.

In ’95 the Chemult and Crescent ranger districts sold 3,200 permits for a total of $194,000! Makeshift buyer shacks in Chemult and Crescent Lake Junction paid out for a staggering 5,000 pounds per night equalling $12 million in cash for the two-month-long season to those walking the forests looking for cracks in the pine needles covering the forest floor that revealed the sprouting matsutakes. Wild West indeed! White Gold in the duff!

Comparatively, in those days a logging truckload of logs headed for the sawmill fetched around $900.

This season the prices began around $35 per pound soon after the first rains. Since then the prices have dropped and fluctuated.

Along with the boom times of the early to mid-nineties came trouble. Gambling, drinking, prostitution and a scene similar to the days of the wild, wild west.

Gang bangers from Seattle, Portland and California joined the rush. There were shootings as many protected their hard-earned pickings by carrying sidearms. Many national newspapers such as The New York Times and many others and magazines such as The New Yorker ran stories about the crazy scene in the South Central Oregon towns of Chemult and Crescent Lake Junction.

This led to the Forest Service building a campground specifically for matsutake pickers in 1996 near Little Odell Butte. It was a sprawling and large campground covering approximately one square mile — a virtual small city in the forest.

A 38-year-old Cambodian immigrant woman from Yreka was shot and killed by her husband after an alcohol-fueled argument in a mushroom camp. Oregon State Police brought in officers fluent in various languages to help maintain safety and peace.

The Little Odell Butte Camp still exists today with only about 35-40 camps currently using it, a small fraction of what once was in the initial matsutake boom days. Today there is also a small camp in the Chemult area. Permits are currently free.

Buyers today are located in Chemult with a couple located at the Crescent Creek Cottages at Crescent Lake Junction. The pickers cash in their bounty at the buyer shacks nightly. Many of the pickers are from California and Washington and are of Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Mieh and Mexican heritage.

Thankfully, things have settled down over the years since the initial boom years as prices dropped and stabilized somewhat. Prices in 2009 peaked at $25-30 per pound., although it can still be a very lucrative and worthwhile endeavor as domestically growing matsutakes has been elusive to farmers despite their best efforts.

The matsutake can be found from Canada through northern California well as areas in North Korea, China, Russia and Japan.  Scarcity is still the driver of price spikes.

So, whatever you decide to do and wherever you decide to go in these sunny Indian Summer days, enjoy your favorite activity, keep an eye on the weather and road conditions and be safe. Enjoy all of the wonderful fall opportunities within our great state.

Rob DeHarpport, former mayor of Westfir, moved to the Crescent Lake community in 2015 shortly after retiring from a 31-year career in the trucking industry.