THE NORWEGIAN ASSOCIATION FOR MYCOLOGY AND FORAGING

We are a voluntary non-profit organization which promotes knowledge and use of mushrooms and wild edible plants. Our members are organized in individual societies spread across Norway. These are our most important activities.

COOKING

Nature is full of edible species. We will teach you which ones are edible and how to use them for cooking. Our volunteer societies organize foraging walks, classes, and cooking workshops all over the country. This will help you get to know edible plants and mushrooms in your local community.

MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION STATION

Our volunteers organize mushroom identification stations all over the country. You can bring your foraged mushrooms. Our certified mushroom identification experts will help you remove the mushrooms that are not suitable for eating.

Our certified mushroom identification experts can also be reached through the app, Digital Soppkontroll. Based on the photos you submit, you can get help identifying the most common edible mushrooms. The app language is Norwegian. The app can be found through soppkontroll.no, in the Appstore, and in Google Play.

SPECIES REGISTRATION

Our members contribute to preserve the local biological diversity by registering species in the Species Observations System hosted by the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre. New species are discovered every year. Organisms move as they adapt to climate change and changes in areal use. Many fungi and plants contribute with important ecosystem services in the area where they live. Our registrations become part of the knowledge foundation for areal use decisions made by local and national government in Norway.

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

Species identification knowledge is the basis for all of our activities. You cannot safely forage for mushrooms, unless you know how to identify the deadly poisonous ones. It doesn’t feel safe serving ramps to your family, when you cannot distinguish it from the lily of the valley. We organize classes and walks that provide you with the necessary experience and knowledge to enjoy your foraging finds.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Nature is full of fiber and pigments. Flax and nettles are example of plant fibres that have been used to make textiles since humanity’s early days. Pigments extracted from plants and mushrooms can be used as paint, or to dye yarn and textiles. Fibers extracted from conks and plants are source materials for artisan paper. Our volunteers have extensive experience with dyeing yarns, creating natural pigments and making artisan paper used in arts and crafts. Our affiliated societies organize classes and workshops. We host an annual workshop for mushroom dyers.

INVASIVE SPECIES

Humans bring seeds and spores with us as we travel the world. Some of these seeds or spores will end up germinating. We also bring plants from one place to the next. If these organisms are able to reproduce in the new location, they might end up forcing out endemic species. These are classified as endemic species. Many tasty wild food plants are considered invasive species. You can prevent them from spreading by eating them! We will teach you how to make tasty dishes with Japanese knotweed, Turkish rocket, Japanese wireweed, or pineappleweed.