mushrooms & sauerkraut

OCTOBER 2025

Certified Mushroomer from Michigan (Larisa Mednis)

Michigan, USA

Larisa Mednis thinks that her interest in mushrooming comes from her Latvian roots. A number of years ago Larisa joined a mushrooming club in Michigan, USA, where she learned to forage and identify mushrooms from specialists in the field. Today Larisa holds a certificate in wild mushrooming from the State of Michigan, which allows her to legally sell mushrooms. As a vegetarian, Larisa uses mushrooms as a meat substitute in various favourite recipes.

Photos from Larisa Mednis’ personal archive. 

ℹ️ How to watch with English subtitles:
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Larisa with golden oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus). Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Larisa with a small red chanterelle (Cantharellus cinnabarinus). Garezers, Michigan.
Larisa with a morel (Morchella esculenta). Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Larisa showing how to correctly identify the honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea) using a mushroom guidebook. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Larisa with a bag full of golden oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus). Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Friends (from left): Rikki Moss, Elize Jekabson, and Larisa Medne foraging for morels in spring. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Larisa with a 20-pound (9.07 kg) hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa)! Commerce Township, Michigan.
Foraging group after a walk in the woods. In the center sits Phil Tedeschi, Larisa’s foraging mentor.
Larisa with a big pile of chicken of the woods (Sulphur shelf, Laetiporus sulphureus). Raccoon Township, Pennsylvania.
A fallen log covered in golden oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus citrinopileatus)! Dexter, Michigan.
Collected morels. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Chicken of the woods (Sulphur shelf, Laetiporus sulphureus) Parmesan in a pan.
Larisa’s mushroom foraging certification from the State of Michigan.
Chicken of the Woods Parmesan Recipe. By Larisa Mednis
Chicken of the Woods Parmesan Recipe. By Larisa Mednis

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