Chaga Hunting

St.Patrick's day marks the start of our gardening season here in the Shongum Shadow, so with that rapidly approaching next week, we decided to close out winter with one last Chaga hike. Chaga grows best in cold climates. The more drastic the temperature changes, the more nutrient dense the Chaga will be, therefore we prefer to harvest our Chaga from Mountainous regions. Chaga is the easiest to find during the winter because the black, charcoal-like growth stands out against the white birch bark and the snow on the ground. This antioxidant rich mushroom has a parasitic relationship with its Birch tree host, often growing on weakened or damaged Birch Trees. The Chaga will slowly grow over the course of 3-5 years, absorbing nutrients from the heartwood before eventually killing the tree.

Pictured here is Paper Birch, also known as white birch.

Once a chunk is spotted, Patrick takes a closer look to determine the quality/age of the Chaga and the tree. He makes sure to walk the full way around the tree as mushrooms are born from spore clusters meaning, if there is one growing on the tree already it’s likely that more are nearby. Patrick brings a small hatchet with him to help knock the Chaga growth off the birch tree. He recommends using the back of the hatchet or a good sized rock (if you forgot your hatchet!) to knock off the growth. Whatever comes off is what the tree is willing to give you. To ethically forage Chaga, and all mushrooms alike, make sure to always leave some behind so that these smaller chunks of Chaga can grow bigger in time. 

Always check the "far side of the tree" , IYKYK

Patrick often spots Chaga growing far overhead so creative problem solving while on a Chaga hike is a must. Pictured below is the tree Patrick ended up climbing to get a quality chunk using the back of his hatchet. The arrow points to where the Chaga was growing before Patrick knocked it loose.

Patrick's daring Chaga climb

We may have had the intention of finding Chaga on our hike today, but we went into the day with an attitude of enjoying our time in the woods no matter the outcome. You can increase your odds, going to the right spots the right time of year, but you're never guaranteed to find what you're foraging for... unless its a good time! With that attitude on our side, we were fortunate enough to harvest enough for our needs while soaking up a beautiful bluebird winter day. Now it's time to process the harvest and get the first extraction by grain alcohol started!

All smiles with this nice Chaga chunk!