Pine Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest

Pine mushrooms are a gilled mushroom found in the Pacific Northwest of North America growing in the coniferous woodlands. These ectomycorrhizal fungi are usually an edible species which exist in a symbiotic relationship with various species of pine. They belong to the genus Tricholoma.

The best-known species of pine mushrooms are closely related East Asian Tricholoma matsutake, also known as "matsutake" or songi, while the North American species Tricholoma magnivelare, is also known as "ponderosa mushroom" or "American matsutake."

One very rare species that has been difficult to grow indoors without extremely precise controls is the Princess Matsutake.

In recent years, globalization has made hunting for pine mushrooms popular among all types people in British Columbia, where they are found under pine trees and often associated with deer trails. Local mushroom hunters sell their harvest daily to local depots who then rush them to airports. The pine mushrooms are then shipped fresh by air to Asia where demand is high and they are priced at a premium.

Pine mushrooms grow in many provinces. In northern Alberta, Sask., Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, seasons can be cut short by killing frosts. The largest harvests in North America are in British Columbia where the season can start early in the north, in August.  Pine mushrooms fruiting follows the cool weather as it moves down the coast like a wave. On Mt. Elphinstone, a popular harvest area, and Vancouver Island, picking can begin in Sept and continue right into December if conditions are right.
 

Prices paid by commercial buyers fluctuate daily and are effected by world politics, harvests from foreign countries, Japanese demand, currency rates, buyer discretion and many other factors. Prices can vary from $5 to $30 per pound or more, depending on the grade.  Pine mushroom harvesting can be very lucrative but the days of $100 a lb or more are likely gone forever.

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