Foraging for mushrooms, Appalachian original is rocking TikTok with her fungi-scouting tips and authentic persona

Whitney Johnson, aka @appalachian_forager,
poses with some of her fungi. (Photo via CJ)

Remember lock-down loneliness, when it seemed the only safe place to go was outside, preferably alone? Eastern Kentucky native Whitney Johnson took the "get outdoors" advice literally, "Mushroom hunting gave Johnson an outlet to get outside during the Covid-19 pandemic, as many people began feeling heavy isolation. She'd visit state parks and before long, she built an interest in the mushrooms she'd see in the woods," reports Rae Johnson of the Louisville Courier Journal. On TikTok, "Johnson is known as the @appalachian_forager . . . . The Lawrence County creator has more than 700,000 people following."

Whitney Johnson told the CJ, "I have had a strong sense of like, community, since I was a kid; you know, like family coming together for dinners and making that like a normal thing. So, you know, I do really feel like that's just instilled in me because that's where I'm from and that's what we do." Rae Johnson reports: "Megan Bullock, Johnson's best friend, said the Appalachian culture her videos exhibit draws people in, from how people in the region dress for the snow to Johnson's self-taught foraging tricks, like using a pole to finesse some high-up pheasant back mushrooms."

Sleuthing mushrooms is only part of Johnson's Appalachian charm. "She'll often show her followers how to make tinctures and other herbal products from plants in the region and engages with viewers in the comments by answering questions and showing a 'dash of humor' with a strong regional accent," Johnson adds. "When she's not filming in the woods, she can be found working as a full-time therapist, which plays into her online persona. . . . the key is authenticity in a digital age where so much online content is curated for perfection."

Lawrence County (Wikipedia map)

It's clear that Johnson enjoys building her TikTok family. She told Johnson: “I also love the comments that mention their memories with their mamaws and papaws and that my video unlocked a core, wholesome memory of their Appalachian family. . . . I get a lot of people who tell me they were intimidated by the thought of foraging and creating their own goodies, but now they’ve gained the confidence and are doing the dang thing."