Contributing Writer

Sam Rivera

Foraging Editor & Cultivation Writer

Sam Rivera has foraged the Pacific Northwest for 12 years and harvests wild mushrooms for local restaurants under a state-approved permit. Sam writes the field, kitchen, and cultivation guides, and grows oyster and shiitake mushrooms on logs and sawdust blocks at home.

Every safety-critical claim in those guides is checked by Dr. Marsh before it publishes. Sam's beat is the practical side of the hobby, from reading a spore print to cleaning grit out of morels.

The guides favor slow, careful habits over shortcuts, because the cost of a wrong pick is too high. Start with a handful of easy, unmistakable species, then build from there.

Credentials

Experience: 12 years in the field
Focus areas: Foraging, Home cultivation, Cooking
Qualifications: Certified wild mushroom identifier (state-approved), 12 years commercial foraging
Role: Writes field, kitchen, and cultivation guides
Pages written: 20

Pages written by Sam Rivera

Chanterelle Chanterelle vs Jack O'Lantern: Tell Them Apart Safely Creamy Mushroom Risotto With Deep Mushroom Flavor Dangerous Mushroom Lookalikes That Cause Deadly Mistakes Death Cap False Morel False Morel vs True Morel: Why the Hollow Test Matters Foraging Safety Rules That Keep Wild Mushrooms Off Your Plate How to Cook Morels Safely and Brown Them Well How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms From Straw to Harvest How to Take a Spore Print You Can Actually Read Jack O'Lantern Lion's Mane Morel Morel Oyster Mushroom Oyster Mushroom vs Shiitake: Which One Fits the Dish? Sauteed Chanterelles That Brown Instead of Steam Shiitake Shiitake