June 2026 Mycoscope
Outbreak | | Discovering Our Native Wild Mushrooms | Join us for an immersive forest experience where learning meets the thrill of discovery. Our knowledgeable and passionate guides will lead you every step of the way. New dates available: And many more excursions this summer and fall in Lanaudière, Mauricie, the Laurentians, Montérégie, and Eastern Townships! Limited to 25 participants per excursion — reserve your spot early! 👉 See all upcoming dates and register on our event calendar. | | Mushroom Growing Workshop — August 9, 2026 | Interested in growing your own mushrooms? Our expert will guide you through indoor and outdoor cultivation techniques in this 3-hour workshop: oyster mushrooms, shiitake, lion’s mane, and more. You'll leave with a 2 kg ready-to-grow kit (a $35 value). Reserve your spot early! | | Morel Pizza with Veggies and Goat Cheese | While morel season is in full swing, we’ve got a seasonal recipe for you: a morel pizza with asparagus, artichokes, and goat cheese. On a thin, crispy crust, butter-sautéed morels release their unique forest aroma, while asparagus and goat cheese add freshness and creaminess. Seasonal, delicious, and so simple to make! The full recipe is now on the blog. If you don’t have freshly foraged mushrooms, our cultivated or wild dried morels work beautifully as well! | | This summer, an El Niño cycle is beginning in the Pacific. West of the Rockies, warm and dry conditions are expected. Closer to the Atlantic, the heat may come with humidity—conditions that are generally favorable for foragers. Here’s when to look for some of your favorite species. | Bolete season is starting. These mushrooms typically live in symbiosis with trees. Most of our North American species are edible, although a few can be toxic—though not deadly. Boletes are recognizable by the pores on the underside of the cap. On our excursions, you’ll soon be finding tasty sensative boletes (Boletus sensibilis) under beech and oak trees. You’ll even more often come across Weaver’s boletes under white pines. | | Despite the pores under the cap and their common name, “Weaver’s boletes” are not part of the genus Boletus. They are actually Suillus, a group whose caps are covered with a gelatinous layer that helps protect them from dryness and cold. These are good edibles, but before cooking them it’s recommended to remove this protective cuticle, which is known to have a laxative effect. These are just two edible species among the hundreds of pore-bearing mushrooms found in our region. | A Healing Mushroom Trametes versicolor is a common polypore found abundantly in our forests, sought after for its medicinal properties. In summer, it spreads out in fan-like formations on the trunks of hardwood trees. As winter approaches, insects will have feasted on it. It will reappear the following spring, displaying its greyish, velvety, concentric bands that resemble a 'turkey tail'—hence its common name. On our hikes, you’ll come across it often. Your guides will help you distinguish it from look-alikes that do not share the same desired properties. | | In traditional Chinese medicine, this mushroom has been consumed as a decoction for millennia. It contains a polysaccharide (PSK), which has led to its approval as a pharmaceutical drug in Japan in extract form. It is prescribed to help counteract immunosuppression caused by colorectal, gastric, and lung cancers, as well as by treatments themselves—chemotherapy and radiotherapy—which it does not, however, replace. | Highly Recommended Drawing on the latest advances in mycology, Molds, Mushrooms, and Medicines reveals what scientists are learning about the importance of fungi to our lives, from their vital role in supporting the ecosystems on which we depend to their emerging uses in lifesaving medicine. Nothing out of a horror story here! Under the microscope, it reveals the interactions between fungi—often invisible to the naked eye—and other organisms, a close relationship that sustains life, even when it proves fatal for those other organisms. A fascinating, and highly informative book! | | A big thank you to our loyal readers! Nearly 7,000 of you receive our newsletter, in French or English, whichever you prefer. Since 2011, we’ve shared over 200 monthly issues with you! To thank you for your loyalty, here is a promo code that will give you 10% off your next purchase, in-store or online. Your promo code for this 10% discount: MYCOSCOPE (This code is active immediately and valid for your next order.) | | | | | |
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