When Is The Best Time To Harvest Chaga?

Most of us mushroom lovers can’t wait to harvest chaga for its taste and its numerous health benefits. But one question often remains unanswered: When is the best time to harvest chaga? I’ve decided to do a little bit of research on the subject and this is what I found.

The ideal time to harvest chaga is in the winter, but some new information may change the tradition of winter harvesting. More and more people argue that summer might be better but for now, a majority claim that winter is the best season to harvest, and I agree.

You may have a couple of questions that popped in your head, like:

Are chaga harvested in the summer as good?
Should I wait for winter if I find a chaga in the summer?
Are chaga harvested in the summer toxic?
Would it be easier to just buy chaga on Amazon?

We will go over all of these in this text. But first, here are 4 reasons why winter is the best time to harvest chaga.

4 Reasons Why Winter Is The Best Time To Harvest Chaga.

1. Seasonal Growth

Chaga, like most wild mushrooms, grows during the summer, but unlike other mushrooms, it doesn’t rot and dies during winter. Instead, the chaga becomes dormant.

This is one of the reasons why we harvest during winter. If we take the chaga from the tree in the summer, we block its growth. We now have a smaller chaga than if we had waited a couple of months.

Harvesting it during winter makes sure that you have the biggest version of that chaga (until next summer).

2. Nutrient Density

Once again, the winner is the winter. During the cold season, the mushroom continues to feed off the birch tree (although at a much smaller rate) but doesn’t grow. Instead, it stores the nutrients (mainly betulin) needed for growth within itself. Making it more nutrient-dense during winter. Its tea, tincture, and decoction are also stronger, tastier, and healthier.

Click here to learn which disease can be cured with chaga

That doesn’t mean that a chaga harvested in the summer is useless, but keep in mind that it can be better if harvested in winter.

Some say that you need to wait for a temperature of at least -20°C (-4°F) to harvest the precious chaga. Although this theory has never been proven.

3. Easier To Spot

Again the clear winner here is the winter. The reason is that the leaves don’t block our view and hide the chaga from us in the winter. We can see dozens of birch trees almost simultaneously from top to bottom making it easier to spot the fungus.

Without the leaves blocking us, we can easily spot the dark chaga on the white birch tree. The contrast is so flagrant that the chaga is extremely easy to spot.

I went chaga hunting in the summer once and it was a disaster. Dozens of hours were lost looking at trees for nothing. It was a total bust.

Unless you are extremely lucky, you shouldn’t waste your time looking up in the summer. So many mushrooms are on the ground waiting to be harvested by us and we ignore them when we try to find chaga up in the air.

In my opinion, the fact that we can see chaga so easily during winter (or late fall and early spring) is alone a good reason to harvest in the winter.

4. Easier To Walk During Winter

This may sound counter-intuitive but with good snowshoes, it’s easier to circulate in the forest during winter than in the summer. The reason is that when we walk on top of the snow, we don’t have to watch the ground in front of us as much. We can’t trip on a rock or fall in a pit and break our ankles. We can look in the distance or above our head instead, which is a good thing because this is where we find chaga.

The snow also puts us a good foot or two higher above ground (or three if you live in northern Canada like me). That step up gives us an advantage for higher mushrooms that would be out of reach in the summer.

If you have a snowmobile you can also go to places that would be inaccessible in the summer with an ATV. A snowmobile can cross lakes or swamps that are impossible to cross in the summer.

Side note: Not every snowshoe are created equal, I personally recommend lightweight kits like this 5 stars reviewed snowshoe kit you can find on Amazon. You don’t want to go cheap with your snowshoes if you want to enjoy your experience.

Are Chaga Harvested In The Summer As Good?

As much as I hate being vague and ambiguous, the answer is: It depends.

As mentioned before, opinions vary on the “summer chaga”. Most experts say we should harvest in the winter, but what are the arguments of those who say we should harvest in the summer? Here they are:

Higher concentration of melanin
Gives the chaga a chance to scar and regain strength before winter.
Practicality (easier to dry and you don’t have to carry as much gear).

The key element of their argument is the melanin concentration. In the summer, the melatonin is higher than in the winter. That’s why chaga can be darker in the summer. But what does that even mean?

Melanin is a powerful antioxidant and one of the main nutrient found in chaga. Even though the mushroom loses betulin in the summer, it gains melanin. It loses a powerful nutrient but gains one as well. Can we say it’s even?

Again it depends. It depends mainly on who you ask. It seems like it’s a preference rather than a scientific fact that determines which nutrient is best.

Friendly Reminder: If You Harvest Chaga In The Summer, Watch For Bugs.

Fortunately, unlike most wild mushrooms, the chaga itself shouldn’t have any bugs in it. If it does you should discard the entire mushroom. Unfortunately, some bugs might slip in while you are walking in the forest with the chaga after it has been harvested.

Bugs can then infiltrate the mushroom and die there. You will end up with dead bugs in your chaga tea. That’s not what you want.

That is the reason why some experts and enthusiasts argue that it is better to harvest chaga in the summer.

Should I Wait For Winter If I Find A Chaga In The Summer?

I have a confession to make. I have harvested chaga in the summer before.

Every time I did it was because I was in a place that I knew I would not go back to. It was useless to create a waypoint on my GPS to go back in the winter. I knew that it was unlikely that I would go there again in my life.

If you are in this situation, it is totally fine to harvest the chaga in the summer. It’s better to have a summer chaga than no chaga.

If you are hiking far from home and see a chaga, you shouldn’t feel bad if you harvest it. You will get most of the nutrients and one more chaga mushroom.

Would it be easier to just buy chaga on Amazon?

Of course, but you would be missing the fun part. The fresh air and the walk in the wilderness are part of the charm of the mushroom. If, however, you chose to buy chaga on Amazon, I recommend the product linked in the button below. I tried and loved it. Give it a try and tell me your experience in the comment section.

Chaga on Amazon