This golden lump that at first resembles a misshapen potato, is highly sought and valued among many that dabble in the culinary arts. This is a Truffle. Found in my own wooded backyard between the roots of an old oak tree.

At market truffles can be valued of up to $100 per ounce. I shaved some on my 98c ramen last night, it was delicious. 🍜🍄

#truffle #forgedfoods #fungi

I think it might be time to cut them, that was fast.

I am used to boreal ground flora and limited biotic activity during the spring. Today I took a hike around my hometown in lower MI to find so many wonderfully active organisms thanks to heat. Excited to get home to some clean nature instead of the tattered landscape present here.

Chicken of the Woods:  This is an edible mushroom I found on my walk today.  No birds, but this, and this photo does not show it justice.  It was really large, and more vibrant than this image shows.  I did not pick it.  It was too beautiful, and the park where I found it asks us not to take vegetation or animals.  Thanks to the elder who saw me on the trail with my camera and told me of it. 

Lactarius Deliciosus - Saffron Milk Caps

We went looking for morels today but only found these guys~ oh well another day is another opportunity to forage 🍄 🍃♥️

Isn’t this gorgeous? This is called a Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus). It is edible and has medicinal qualities. There are several sites on-line that sell grow-kits for this mushroom.

This is a link to a video by a guy who’s out in some really pretty woods in Pennsylvania and gets quite enthusiastic about this mushroom.

Pseudohydnum gelatinosum, called cat’s tongue fungus or toothed jelly fungus, is a saprotrophic species of jelly fungus that’s often collected and candied into a sort of mushroom “gummy”. It’s pretty tasteless on its own, so it takes on the flavor of whatever it’s candied with. Honestly, I think it’s not near as tasty as a Haribo bear, but to each their own! 

This is a Gomphidius (spikecap), probably Gomphidius oregonensis, called the Insidious Gomphidius or Oregon Gomphidius. They’re not a very showy mushroom, being a sort of dingy pink color with an often glutinous cap. 

Like most Gomphidius, this species has a mostly greyish white stipe with a bright yellow lower section. While they have gills, they’re actually a member of the order Boletales, which generally have pores. They often associate with Douglas Fir trees near Suillis mushrooms, another genera in the order Boletales. 

Insidious Gomphidius turn a nasty brownish black when old, hence the name. They’re technically edible, but not worth picking in my opinion. 

Hello! I found what I think is a mushroom in my yard that looked really cool! I actually thought it was an egg at first, haha.

I think an animal or something broke it later before I could take a decent look, but! I’m really curious to know what kind of mushroom this is! I looked it up and I think it may be a coprinus comatus, but I’m not sure;;;

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@peachy-artist​ bingo! This is indeed Coprinus comatus, the shaggy mane. This species is good eating! I’ve collected and cooked it before myself. It’s best to gather it before it begins to turn pink at the edge of the cap, and be sure to cook it a few hours within when you collected it. This species disperses spores by deliquescing, meaning it digests itself and leaves only a nasty black spore-filled goo. As soon as it’s picked, it’ll start deliquescing, so the clock is ticking! 

I finally found a way I truly fully enjoy chicken of the woods. It’s a great mushroom, but I always struggled finding ways to have it that really excited me. I found it. It’s awesome. “Fish” tacos. Chicken of the woods breaded and fried and put in tacos! Ah-mazing! For those of you unfamiliar with chicken of the woods it is one of the least mushroomy mushrooms out there in both texture in flavor, thus why it has been dubbed chicken of the woods. I made the slaw (hiding on the bottom) with kohlrabi from my garden along with some basil from friends, foraged bergamot, green onion, and swiss chard from my garden (with mayo of course). I added some of my garden tomatoes, homemade salsa, and a little cheese to top it off. I plan on making chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches next. I just think this spicy fish fry breading really does it for me. It adds such a nice crunch and spice. What are your favorite ways to eat chicken of the woods?

Epping Forest, UK, August 2019

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)

After an amazing season for them last summer and then absolutely nothing this year, I’ve finally found some chicken of the woods, one of my favourite wild edibles. I actually came across this little guy last week, when it was nothing more than the tiniest bubble of yellow you can see on the left. I went back to check on it today to find it as shown on the right, and so decided to leave it another week before going back and, hopefully, harvesting this delicacy to eat. 

Epping Forest, UK, August 2019

Chestnut bolete (Gyroporus castaneus)

Though it has the same distinctively pored surface, the chestnut bolete is not a ‘true bolete’ - a member of the Boletus family - and can be distinguished from them by its yellow spore print and hollow stem.

The chestnut bolete is a great edible - it is easy to distinguished from the poisonous boletes, as there is no red on the body and no staining of the flesh when it’s cut open, and tends to grow in large enough numbers to be worth your time hunting around once you’ve stumbled across one, although in this instance I only found three. 

“Edible fungi.” The new student’s reference work for teachers, students and families. v.3. 1909. 

Internet Archive

I found chicken of the woods at long last!! I cannot wait to try this orange goddess

Barnet, London, July 2019

Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus Ostreatus)

Found a modest bunch of oysters which I made into from-scratch stuffing with my terrible first attempt at gluten free bread from last weekend, which turned out to be good for something.

Learn Your Land ||  9 Wild Edible Mushrooms You Can Forage This Spring

My mushrooms!!!

Earlier this spring when I grew mushrooms on cardboard, I decided to mix the spent substrate with straw in a milk crate and leave it in the garden in the hopes that it would make more mushrooms and it worked!!! Those are baby oyster mushrooms! 🍄

Mushroom Guidesheet #7–Common Suilus Species!

Suillus is a genus of Boletoid mushrooms which are mycorrhizal with various conifer species, such as pine, hemlock, spruce and larch. They are known as fantastic edibles, relatively easy to come by and identify, with dozens of species to choose from. Here’s a summary of how to find and identify three of the most common species collected for food in North America.

Suillus americanus identification traits:
-The “Chicken Fat Mushroom” pairs most often with white pine and is a bright, “chicken-fat” yellow on all parts.
-When young and fresh, the stem and pore surface, sometimes also the cap, will exude a greasy substance much like chicken fat.
-Cap will nearly always be greasy or tacky, usually about 2 inches across average size with a proportionally skinny stem.

The Chicken Fat Mushroom is highly praised as an edible and is native to the eastern US and Canada. Look under white pine trees beginning in June, the day after rainfalls. When conditions are right, dozens are known to fruit from single organisms.

Suillus granulatus identification traits:
-A broadly-partnering species superficially similar to the related Jersey Cow Bolete, Suillus bovinus.
-Cap is brown, slimy to greasy or tacky depending on humidity. May be plain or have some slight darker patches or “scales”.
-Stem near the pore surface will have tiny, easily brushed-aside “granules” attached. Fresh specimens have a higher chance of having their granulated stem intact.
-Grows with a variety of pine species, including two-needle and three-needle species. May also appear with hemlocks.

Granulated Boletes are the most common Suillus growing in late summer and autumn. This is handy, as they can fruit in the hundreds and are considered a AA+ grade edible, with tender flesh and a savory flavor. I have several in m’ fridge currently as the pine trees nearby are producing a continuing series of fruitings with every rain.

Suillus spraguei/pictus identification traits:
-A beautiful and colorful Suillus, growing most often with red pines, sometimes with hemlocks and introduced Scots pines.
-Cap is yellow in underlying color, with thick covering of reddish scales or fibrils that spread further apart as the cap opens.
-This species displays a partial veil, delicate and membranous, over the lemon-yellow pores when young. As the mushroom matures this veil tears and some remnants will be left on the cap edge and stem.
-Flesh, when cut, stains slightly reddish. This stain fades back to yellowish color over time.

The Painted Bolete is one of the most visually impressive Suillus. It doesn’t usually fruit in large numbers, but including a few in your dish can be worthwhile when they are numerous. Like cilantro, this mushroom species can taste wildly different (good or bad) depending on the person–be sure to taste a small sample before deciding if this species is in your list of edibles!

Some notes to basic Suillus genus identification:
-Suillus are mushrooms best known for the gourmet Slippery Jack, Suillus luteus, which displays many features that define the genus. Partial veils of a membranous substance are common in many species as are a squat, ground-hugging stature, yellowish-to-cream pore surfaces that are easily peeled away from the cap, greasy caps whose cuticles are also conveniently easy to peel away, and delicate tender cap tissue which is generally non-staining and pale in color. Suillus do not grow from wood or dung but form underground symbiosis with conifer trees–they are growing directly from the forest soil and commonly form “fairy rings” or crescent shapes around their partner trees.

Notes on prepping Suillus for cooking:
-Some people report the greasy cap cuticle and pore layers of Suillus mushrooms can cause gastrointestinal distress in those with pre-existing digestive conditions. For safe handling and cleaning of these species, it’s recommended you peel the cap skin and pore surface from the caps before wiping the mushroom clean with a damp cloth and allowing to air dry a few moments prior to cooking.
-Never eat any mushroom that you cannot identify with confidence. If you are unsure, consult an expert or simply choose caution and eat something else. XD Better safe than sorry–toxic boletoids are extremely rare but they do exist.

^u^ I really enjoy some beer-battered fried Suillus, roasted Suillus with meat and veggies, Suillus browned and then added to wild mushroom soups… they’re excellent little shrooms for eating, 99% foolproof and easy to learn how to avoid that 1% of error. XD