You may be asking yourself what you need to start foraging. Honestly, you don’t necessarily need anything, but there are tools and supplies that will help you out a lot when foraging!
First think about what you are wearing and where you are going. No matter what time of year it is I always wear hiking shoes and pants to forage. This helps prevent being eaten by bugs, getting ticks, and avoiding brushing up against a plant like poison ivy, oak, or sumac with your bare legs. I also like to bring some sort of bug repellant that includes mosquito and tick protection.
You are going to want to bring something to contain your goodies!
Bags and containers are great for plants, herbs, and flowers. Baskets are the best for collecting fungi. This allows them to spread the spores as you walk them through wherever you are going and helps spread more for next year! A knife for cutting the herbs, plants, and mushrooms is always very helpful. When harvesting mushrooms to not disturb the mycelium underground. Cut the base of the mushroom, and if you do happen to pull up the mycelium of mycelial roots just cut it off and stick it back where you pulled it from! A knife is always handy to cut the mushrooms in half for more identification as well.
If you will be foraging a plant for its roots, bring a gardening shovel and gardening gloves! If you harvest anything that is prickly or anything next to something that is, it may not be a bad idea to have those gardening gloves with you! If you will be out for a long time make sure you bring plenty of water and snacks. When I go, I always bring a cheap camping chair I bought for $6. It’s nothing fancy, but it is light and easy to carry on my back while I am hiking and foraging. You absolutely do not need one, it is entirely optional.
Field guides and identification books are recommended, especially if you intend to eat anything you find. A field guide or textbook style book about fungi or edible plants in your area of the world will give you a better source for what is actually around you. Another great source is to join identification forums. Facebook and Reddit are great places to check for groups or subreddits. r/shroomid on Reddit is an entire subreddit dedicated to fungi identification. You may learn a thing or two by browsing these groups as well!
Bring a friend! Being in the woods, forests, mountains, or trails is way safer with another person around. Lastly, I always bring some sort of bag to collect litter and trash that I find on the hike. Leave it better than you found it and leave no trace yourself!
*** Side note, mycophobia is the fear of mushrooms, usually from incorrect information. This is the belief that any mushroom and/or any environment they are in is toxic. Stop the spread of misinformation! There is not a single mushroom that is dangerous or will harm you to touch it. If it makes you feel better, wash your hands after. The only way a mushroom can harm an individual is if they ingest it. Even then, it is only toxic and improperly prepared mushrooms that can do any harm. If you are concerned, please do research and look into this.