If you think mushrooms are everywhere this year in Southcentral Alaska, you're right

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After the recent heavy rains mushrooms grow on the forest floor on the campus of Alaska Pacific University on Saturday, August 13, 2016 in Anchorage, AK. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News)

If you think you're seeing mushrooms everywhere this year, you are correct.

"They are indeed blowing up this year," said Kate Mohatt, an ecologist with the Chugach National Forest.

Mohatt said a warm summer coupled with rain later in the season set up the perfect scenario for mushrooms to "fruit like crazy."

It's especially notable because of dry conditions over the last few years, she said.

"It was almost drought level," Mohatt said. "The soil was almost powdery dry."

No particular species of mushroom seems to be doing better than any others, according to Chris Maack, a mushroom hunter who's been searching for edible mushrooms and fungi in the Anchorage area since the 1970s. Maack often forages around Anchorage's Goose Lake. Some parts have been picked over this year, and she occasionally sees mushroom trimmings along the trail, a sure sign people have been out scouting for mushrooms.

"This year (people are) definitely out," she said.

Boletes — both the king and birch varieties — seem to be doing particularly well, according to Mohatt. That's good news for foragers who cherish the edible mushrooms, which are also known as porcini. Morels and puffballs are other popular wild edible mushrooms.

Jim Wheeler, a Homer chef and avid mushroom hunter, collected about 40 pounds of boletes in the Cooper Landing area last week.

As he and a friend drove up the Sterling Highway they noticed mushrooms were sprouting all over the side of the road.

"We were excited even 30 minutes before we started picking," Wheeler said.

Wheeler, who works for both Fat Olive's Restaurant and Maura's Cafe, likes to add bold flavors to the mushrooms. Lately he's been fire-roasting the king boletes as an appetizer with demi-glace and cream sauce and serving them with crostini. He's also added the birch boletes to a quiche with gorgonzola, lavender and tarragon.

Thursday night he was working on a risotto with three types of forest mushrooms, including the two types of boletes and a scaly hedgehog that he planned to serve at Fat Olive's along with blackened mahi mahi fillets.

"For me it's a way to get centered," Wheeler said of harvesting mushrooms. "It's nice to be able to be directly involved in the food chain."

Want to go find some mushrooms for yourself? Many guides have been published on the topic. Some general recommendations:

— Mushroom foragers suggest always going with someone who knows how to harvest safely. Mohatt said few mushrooms in Alaska are deadly poisonous, but many can cause gastrointestinal distress. At the very least, use a guide such as the one published by the U.S. Forest Service to help identify species.

— Don't trespass on private land and be respectful of public areas. If you're picking for commercial purposes, you'll need a permit from the Department of Natural Resources.

— Looking for tips on how to harvest and store wild mushrooms? You can learn more here.

— Need some in-person advice? Consider checking out the Girdwood Fungus Fair Aug. 26-28. Many workshops and fungus forays are sold out but talks and displays are open to everyone.