By Mariah Bennett | Staff Writer
With the mission of raising awareness and teaching students about the outdoors as a community, the student-led Mycology & Foraging Club (MFC) is currently in the process of being chartered at Baylor.
The club focuses on both mycology and foraging, each having its own role. Mycology is the study of fungi, including mushrooms and yeasts, while foraging is searching widely for food and provisions, such as American beautyberries, chanterelle mushrooms, dandelion weeds and pine, spruce and fir tree leaves.
Chesapeake, Va., sophomore and and club president Bradon Lazarov said he has been foraging for eight years. He said he picked up foraging during his time as a Boy Scout and continued through his time as an American Eagle Scout.
“We wanted to bring awareness to the environment and the issues that are presented, as well as get people interested in making use of the outdoors,” Lazarov said. “You can make toothpaste, perfumes. There’s things you can eat.”
Lazarov said he founded the club along with Petal, Miss., sophomore and club vice president Raburn Paris after meeting in class and finding a mutual interest in mycology.
Lazarov also said from a modern perspective, it’s important for others to explore nature in order to appreciate what’s actually out there.
“There’s a quote that goes, ‘To destroy forests for free will is like burning a Renaissance painting,’” Lazarov said.
Katy sophomore and club historian Isabella Zarate said she thinks foraging is a way to connect with the environment.
“People don’t really get outside much, and it’s kind of hard to put into perspective problems like pollution and climate change when people are kind of just throwing statistics at you,” Zarate said. “When people are given the opportunity to engage with nature, you care more about trying to help it and to mitigate some of these consequences that are really affecting a lot of people.”
Zarate also said foraging is a nice stress reliever.
“A lot of us are really busy,” Zarate said. “We don’t really just take a breath. I feel like going foraging, going hiking … kind of gives you that moment in your day where you can enjoy the moment that you’re in [and] the environment that you’re with.”
The club has three main types of meetings: general meetings, event meetings and forays. General meetings are the first Thursday of every month, and forays are the last Saturday of every month. The club’s first foray is on Oct. 29. Lazarov said the club will most likely go to Cameron Park to “cold forage.”
According to Lazarov, there are two kinds of foraging: hot foraging and cold foraging. He said hot foraging is when an individual finds things they like and picks at them, taking them in moderation. On the other hand, he said cold foraging is when an individual just observes their findings.
“You can see what’s in the environment like ‘Oh, look, this type of plant growing here is edible. It does this. This is why it grows,’” Lazarov said.
Laguna Beach, Calif., sophomore and club treasurer Reece Wesinger said a tip when foraging is to bring a basket with holes in it.
“Sometimes, especially for mushrooms, those release spores,” Wesinger said. “And you don’t want to diminish the spores in the environment. You want to be able to fall on the ground so those mushrooms can grow again.”
Wesinger said the coolest thing she has ever foraged was a jack-o’-lantern mushroom that glowed in the dark.
Zarate said her favorite items to forage are within the category of mushrooms, with her favorite being “chicken of the wood.” She said they make a great vegetarian alternative to meat.
The club currently has 30 active members. General meetings are in Room A401 in the Baylor Sciences Building.
“If you’re looking to get connected to a community, I think the foraging community is a great place to be,” Wesinger said. “People are very helpful … super welcoming, and you’re going to meet a very diverse amount of people.”
