How to Find More Porcini Mushrooms in the PNW - the Fiber King Bolete & Sweetbread Connection

Join me, mushroom foraging here in the forests of the Pacific Northwest! In this episode, we dive deep into a trick to finding a type of Porcini mushroom that is somewhat elusive and not well understood by many foragers ... but it's a type of King Bolete that shows up in forests where people aren't even looking for them! The Fiber King Bolete (Boletus fibrillosus), also known as the "Fib King" or "Chocolate King Bolete", is a choice culinary mushroom that shows up in Doug Fir / Hemlock forests throughout the PNW (Washington, Oregon, California, British Columbia, Idaho, etc) both at lower and higher elevations. When most of us think of pursuing King Boletes, we think about being either in coastal forests or at higher elevations... but this one makes it a habit of showing up in some of our most common lowland forests and, in fact, is our only King Bolete known to pair with Douglas Fir. So what's the secret? It's all about looking for another mushroom that is known to grow in the exact same spot: the Sweetbread Mushroom (Clitopilus prunulus group) Ironically, the Sweetbread Mushroom, also known as "The Miller" is actually an excellent edible mushroom in it's own right -- but because it can be difficult to differentiate from toxic, similar-looking mushrooms like Clitocybe rivulosa, it is generally not recommended for beginning foragers ... and even seasoned mycologists go through a careful checklist when foraging this one, namely looking for a pink/salmon-colored spore print and a strongly farinaceous aroma. Another common name for the Sweetbread Mushroom is "The Spy" - and this is because many seasoned foragers know that this particular mushroom helps one track down Boletus edulis ... but not many people realize that this also applies to Boletus fibrillosus. Another indicator for Boletus edulis is the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), but I have yet to see this one show up in the same spot as the Fiber King - if you have observed these showing up in the same spot, please let me know in the comments! Here's a little bit of what you can expect to see in this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:00 The Secret to Finding the Fiber King 01:42 Meet the Sweetbread Mushroom (Clitopilus prunulus group) 02:46 Two keys to identification - pinkish spores & strongly farinaceous 05:52 Do they show up before or after? 06:18 Fiber King Bolete (Boletus fibrillosus) aka Fib King / Chocolate King 08:56 More Fib King Buttons fruiting 11:54 Chocolate Boletes & Pacific Golden Chanterelles, oh my! 12:58 How do Chanterelles break? The "string cheese" tear 13:33 Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) - another good Porcini Indicator A Quick Disclaimer: All Mushroom Identification/discussion in this video is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please do not take anything I say as being dietary, health or medical advice. These videos are simply meant as a starting point for all of you to dig deeper into naturalist skills and knowledge. I encourage all of you to pick up field guides and continue to learn more about this incredible world that we've found ourselves in! If you're enjoying this content, don't forget to hit the subscribe button, like the video, and leave a comment - all of these things are free to you, and they really help the channel grow, so that I can continue to bring great new content your way. Thanks so much for tuning in, and until next time, Happy Trails! 🍄