Foraging for fabulous forest fungi on Haida Gwaii

It's mushroom season on British Columbia's Haida Gwaii islands.

From August to late October, mushroom pickers and buyers descend on B.C.'s northwest to harvest the fungi.

Flavien Mabit has been foraging mushrooms around Skidegate Lake — one of the best known spots for mushrooms — for the past seven years.

"This year it's only just starting ... [because] it's been a dry summer. Mushrooms need a lot of water to start to spread out."

The most abundant mushrooms on the islands are the chanterelles which come in golden, white — and rarely — blue.

Mabit admits they're not the tastiest mushrooms, although they be some of the prettiest.

They also ship well.

Mabit explains wild mushrooms are the main crop from Haida Gwaii.

The mushrooms are harvested and sold to agents who come to the island. Then they are either sent by plane or ferry to Vancouver where they are sold to domestic markets and markets in Europe and Asia.

Forest foraging as a way of life

Mabit is a passionate advocate of wild foraging — in fact, he started the Sandspit Wild Harvest Festival to celebrate local products like seaweed, berries, and of course, mushrooms.

Ultimately, Mabit hopes the festival can help transform the way people view the forest.

"We see the forest just for the trees, but there's more to it than just the value of the timber," he said.

"Maybe we can generate revenue by actually tending to the forest so that they give more mushrooms, and we can get some revenue that is more sustainable." 

Safe picking!

But before you head out into the forest yourself, a word of caution.

Mabit — who is originally from France — says he's known the difference between safe and unsafe mushrooms since he was a child picking mushrooms with his family.

He adds there's a much stronger mushroom picking culture in Europe compared to North America, and people are more experienced in identifying which mushrooms are safe to eat.

It's not to be taken lightly — the provincial government recommends inexperienced or first-time mushroom collectors go mushroom picking with an expert.

With files from Daybreak North

To hear the interview, click on the link labelled Flavien Mabit, mushroom picker on Haida Gwaii