*Both puffballs and entoloma abortivum could be mistaken for the deadly Amanita in its button-mushroom stage, so be v. careful and always triple-check.
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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!
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Hericium abietis, the bear’s head fungus, is common in Washington State in the fall at higher elevations. This mushroom can get very large - I’ve seen some that spread two feet over a log! It likes to grow on dead conifer wood, and can be harvested multiple times by just cutting off the fruiting body and waiting for it to regrow. Bear’s head is often described as a choice edible mushroom. I’ve found it to be naturally a little bland, but I’m sure it’s better if you cook it with lots of spices!
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It’s my favorite time of year: mushroom season! Here’s one of my first gathered mushies: a lobster mushroom, at left. Lobster mushrooms aren’t really a mushroom species, per se, but rather occur when the ascomycete Hypomyces lactifluorum infects a mushroom of the genera Russula or Lactarius. The mushroom on the right is an uninfected Russula, possible an unusually dark-capped Russula brevipes or Russula cascadensis. The Russula species the lobster fungus infects are boring and chalky in flavor, but when infected, they become almost crunchy and far more flavorful! The mushroom itself ends up deformed and that lovely bright orange.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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“Edible fungi.” The new student’s reference work for teachers, students and families. v.3. 1909.
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I found chicken of the woods at long last!! I cannot wait to try this orange goddess
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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.
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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! 🍄
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Went ahead and harvested them, not 100% happy with the batch, but I grew mushrooms and I’m pretty pleased with that.
Edit: I’ve decided just to dry them out
Hopefully I’ll grow better next time14
I think it’s close to harvest time, all the info I’ve read said they need more water because of the edges looking so cracked. Idk, any advice?
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Oyster mushroom update, they are slowly starting to go concave, based on what they do in 3 to 5 days they could be ready to harvest
11mmm I have a lightly fricasseed gourmet mushroom blend (crimini, golden oak shiitake, and oyster) with garlic mince :3
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