“I have people send me pictures of mushrooms almost on a daily basis,” says Tanner Hammond. It makes sense. If you have a mushroom-related question, chances are, Hammond — better known to devotees and social media followers as Mushroom Man Tan — has an answer.

Several years ago, Hammond was just about as unfamiliar with mushrooms as anyone else. His interest in fungi stemmed from his culinary background. “I got into all this because I worked at Dragonfly, both in Fairhope and Daphne, for 11 years,” he says. “I was into smoking meats as a hobby while I was a chef, and that led me to want to source the best-quality meat, which got me into the woods. I didn’t see any deer out there, but I came out of the woods with pictures of around 30 mushrooms.” While some would have shown off their pictures and left it at that, Hammond didn’t stop there. “I told my stepdad, ‘I’ve got to be able to eat one,’” he recalls. “He told me to buy a book. So, I bought a book and ended up in the wormhole. And that’s what turned me into the mushroom man.”

Now, there’s no going back for Mushroom Man Tan. He’s all in. “I’m doing a million things,” he says. “I can’t stop myself.” He’s a frequent face at markets around the area, selling his mushrooms, tinctures and grow kits. Other times during the week, he spends a couple of days delivering across Mobile and Baldwin counties, sometimes enlisting the help of his wife Sarah, who has earned the nickname Little Miss Mushroom. If you don’t hear from Hammond one morning or afternoon, he’s likely out in the woods leading a foraging trip. That’s right; in just a few years, he has gone from a newbie to an educator on all things mushroom. “I teach foraging classes about every two weeks on wild mushrooms. I didn’t grow up doing public speaking or anything,” he says. “Literally the first forage I did, I was walking with my hands in my pockets because they were shaking. It took a while to get used to it. I love teaching now though. Sometimes I still get butterflies, but I just take a deep breath and once I say five words, it’s all good.” He has the credentials to back up his teaching, too, as a certified wild mushroom ID expert through the Health Department of Alabama. His classes take participants on a hike in the woods (Bayfront Park in Daphne or Medal of Honor Park in Mobile are their frequent meeting spots), teaching them the steps of mushroom identification, the difference between edible and toxic varieties and best practices for harvesting and transporting foraged mushrooms. “What I love about it is that the mushroom world brings the most diverse groups of people together,” he says. “I sell out of my forages regularly and there’s not a particular group of people who show up. It’s the most unexpected group of people hanging out in the woods just talking. It’s just everybody.”

As Hammond’s interest in mushrooms grew, he had to try his hand at growing them himself. “When I first started, I just had a small shelf that I wrapped in plastic wrap,” he says. He then expanded to an entire room in his house. Now, his crop grows in a climate-controlled shed in his Daphne backyard. “I can grow everything all year,” he says. “I currently grow 10 mushroom varieties all year round. It’s easier than growing plants because mushrooms are going to do their thing. I’ve grown all kinds of stuff, and, by far, mushrooms are the easiest.” Mushrooms grow fairly rapidly — even the slower-growing varieties take only a few months to produce. “Yeah, we don’t eat the grocery store mushrooms anymore,” laughs Hammond. After he harvests his produce, he sells it to customers and local restaurants. Some of his current clients include Locals, Red or White in Fairhope, Sebastian’s, The Wash House, Char 32, Southwood Kitchen and Fisher’s in Orange Beach. His homegrown mushrooms make up most of his restaurant supply. The leftover fraction is made up of what he forages. “The foraging part just became legal last year, to harvest wild mushrooms and sell them,” he says. “I was the second person in the state to get the certificate to do it. I’m still the only person in South Alabama with that certificate to legally sell them; there are maybe about 10 people in the state with the certificate but they’re all north of here.” As far as which wild variety is Hammond’s bestseller, there’s just one option. “Chanterelle mushrooms are pretty much the only variety that I forage and sell. They grow in the summer for about three to four months, and they grow in the hottest and most
humid time of the year,” he says. Chanterelle mushrooms grow prolifically, meaning they produce abundantly. “I’ve picked about 50 pounds in one day before,” he says.

Staying true to his culinary roots, Hammond puts on cooking demonstrations and hosts private dinners to show off how to cook different varieties in a showcase of their versatility. And since his foray into foraging began with a focus on food and its origins, it’s not surprising that his work also emphasizes holistic wellness, through both food and medicine. “I do the cooking side of all of it as well as making medicinal extracts for the health benefits,” he says. The extracts, also called tinctures, are made from both homegrown and foraged mushrooms. Hammond employs a double-extraction process involving alcohol and the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms and water, which makes the mushrooms easier to metabolize. Different varieties come with a host of unique health advantages, from immune support to reducing inflammation. “All the tinctures have different benefits,” he says. “I just put some in my coffee in the morning and my sparkling water at night.”

“I’m working really hard on building a community down here, an outdoor community of people who get together and harvest things from the wild and make medicines and food,” says Hammond. One step in that process was starting the first Gulf Coast Fungi Festival this past October. Hammond recruited experts across our Southern region who specialize in foraging, mushrooms or native plants. The festival hosted education sessions, lectures and demonstrations. Education, he says, is his favorite part of being the local authority on mushrooms. After all, that’s how he came to be the mushroom man, by researching and educating himself. “I like to get people familiar with mushrooms because they’re just such neat things,” he says. “You almost have to find somebody that’s into it or it’s kind of a hard thing to study on your own. And people are just really interested in everything mushroom right now.” 

Keep scrolling for Tan’s breakdown of his favorite mushroom varieties.

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Mushroom Varieties to Forage in South Alabama

Lion’s Mane

Description
Lion’s mane mushrooms are very recognizable. Large and white, lion’s mane mushrooms get their name from the thick hairs called “teeth” that cover them, a distinctive characteristic few other mushrooms have.

Where to find
Lion’s mane mushrooms grow during most of the year around the Mobile-Tensaw Delta area. Search for them on logs or dying or dead trees.

How to store
Keep lion’s mane stored in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator, where they will last about a week. To prevent mold, keep them away from liquids and humid environments. If you will not use them within a week, the best way to preserve them is to saute them and then freeze them due to their high water content.

How to use
Known for their seafood-like taste, lion’s mane mushrooms can be used in place of crab meat and lobster in most dishes. Add them to your pasta or try your hand at making vegetarian crab cakes!

Medicinal benefits
Among their many health benefits, lion’s mane mushrooms improve brain function, help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduce the risk of heart disease and aid in cell regeneration.

Reishi

Description
Reishi mushrooms are large with a somewhat woody texture. They have wide reddish-brown caps that can often be glossy and are edged with white. 

Where to find
A lover of heat and humidity, reishi grow wild across Alabama and can be found at the base of trees or growing on dead or dying wood, including stumps, tree trunks or fallen logs.

How to use
Due to their woody texture and bitter taste when eaten fresh, reishi mushrooms are more commonly consumed cooked or dried. They have many uses. For years, they have been steeped to make tea and more recently, they have been made available as a powder to be added to coffee and hot chocolate. You can also add them to soups and sauces, which softens the mushrooms to be more palatable.

Medicinal benefits
Known as the “mushroom of immortality,” reishi mushrooms are often touted in supplements and health-food products due to their many and varied health benefits. They have been staples in Chinese medicine for many years. Their benefits include reducing depression and fatigue, improving antioxidants, boosting the immune system and helping fight different forms of cancer.

Chanterelle

Description
Chanterelle mushrooms are known for their striking orange color. Instead of gills, chanterelle mushrooms have deep ridges running under their cap. 

Where to find
Chanterelles love the hot, rainy summers in south Alabama. They grow prolifically, meaning they are highly fruitful, and can usually be found thriving near hardwood trees.

How to use
Chanterelles have a slightly fruity flavor. The best way to highlight their taste is to saute the mushrooms in butter and herbs.

Medicinal benefits
Chanterelles are polysaccharide powerhouses. They are an excellent source of chitin and chitosan, both of which protect cells from damage and boost immunity. These mushrooms are also used to reduce inflammation and lower cancer risk.

Turkey Tail

Description
Turkey tail mushrooms sport a range of autumnal colors that fan out to closely resemble a turkey’s tail. These mushrooms have small pores in place of gills that release spores into the environment.

Where to find
Because turkey tail mushrooms grow year-round, they are a common find during foraging trips. Like most mushrooms, they grow on fallen trees, logs and stumps. They tolerate both sun and shade.

How to use
Because of their versatility, turkey tail mushrooms are used in a variety of dishes. Put them in a soup, brew them into a tea and add them on top of pasta.

Medicinal benefits
Turkey tail mushrooms can be found in a variety of supplements and health-food products due to their ability to help fight colds and the flu. They also aid in digestion, improve gut health, and increase brain function and exercise performance.

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Mushroom Varieties Ideal for Cultivation

Pioppino

Description
Pioppino mushrooms grow in clusters and have tan or dark brown caps with long, cream-colored stems. They most commonly grow on decaying hardwood trees, particularly poplar trees.

How to grow
It is possible to grow pioppino mushrooms either indoors or outdoors. Beginners may find it easier to start with a grow kit, while those with more experience may prefer to grow them from scratch. This variety grows best in high humidity levels and cooler temperatures.

How to use
The taste of pioppino mushrooms has been described as nutty and sweet, with a slightly peppery bite. With a slightly chewy texture, they are best served in stir fry, soup and salads.

Medicinal benefits
These mushrooms contain many health benefits and are high in antioxidants. They are also a good source of protein and fiber and pack a punch with a plethora of essential vitamins and minerals.

Chestnut

Description
Rusty brown in color, chestnut mushrooms grow in large clusters in the woods. They sometimes grow on living trees in addition to dead and decaying wood.

How to grow
Chestnut mushrooms grow well in sawdust or straw substrates. Keep them in a warm, dark place throughout the growing process as they do best in those conditions. They grow relatively quickly, typically taking between 10 and 14 days to mature.

How to use
True to their name, chestnut mushrooms have a nutty, slightly sweet taste. Both the cap and the stem can be used as
additions to recipes such as in salads, on top of brie or even pickled!

Medicinal benefits
Particularly good for increasing overall cellular health and containing high levels of vitamin B12, chestnut mushrooms are also anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal. They may even slow down osteoporosis.

Shiitake 

Description
With an umbrella-shaped cap and long stem, shiitake mushrooms resemble the classic mushrooms we typically recognize. They range from tan to brown.

How to grow
Shiitake mushrooms grow best in logs. You can plant the mycelium in logs or, for an easier process, in sawdust. It will take the mushrooms longer to grow if planted in a log, but they will last longer and continuously produce over a longer period. On the flip side, planting in sawdust will yield a harvest more quickly, but the mushrooms will reproduce only a few times.

How to store
Shiitakes have a longer shelf life than most mushrooms and can last 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator post-harvest so long as they are kept as dry as possible. They can also be sauteed and frozen.

How to cook
A meaty, umami flavor makes shiitake mushrooms a perfect meat substitute and a great addition to any dish. Try them out in a vegetarian stir fry, as a topping on burgers or pizza or even dried into shiitake jerky.

Medicinal benefits
Shiitake mushrooms are high in vitamins B and D. Besides being a nutrient-dense food, they also help reduce the risk of cancer, increase immunity and can even help with gingivitis.

Oyster

Description
One of the top commercially grown varieties, oyster mushrooms sport an oyster-shaped cap and gills running across the mushroom and down the stem. The different variations of oysters range in color and are often named by their shade, such as pink oysters and blue-gray oysters.

How to grow
Oyster mushrooms thrive best on dead material. In the wild, they can be seen growing on dead logs. At home, you can use cardboard, straw or coffee grounds to grow your mushrooms. Just moisten your materials, mix in the mushroom mycelium and keep in a warm, dark place.

How to store
Oyster mushrooms are best kept in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. They will last for about one month in the freezer,
and can be stored either raw or cooked. 

How to use
Oyster mushrooms are incredibly versatile and go well in just about any dish. Mix them in with scrambled eggs for a delicious breakfast, coat them in breadcrumbs and deep fry for a crunchy appetizer or simply saute in butter and garlic as a side.

Medicinal benefits
Packed with nutrients, oyster mushrooms help with immune support, regulating cholesterol and increasing bone density.