Mushrooms!

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  • duckslayer56

    Active Member
    Mar 8, 2014
    147
    Odenton
    With the rain yesterday, and it being too windy for me to deer hunt I decided to hit the woods anyway and hunt for some mushrooms. This was my second trip out this year and man what a haul. The first tree I walk up to I find this young Hen of the Woods and more all around it.

    IMG_1159.jpg


    After I harvested all of those I found more, with two of them probably weighing in around 10 pounds each. All day we kept finding more and more hens. Eventually I found this nice young Chicken of the Woods, and a few more like it.

    IMG_1160.jpg


    All in all we hunted for about 5 hours and was able to fill up about a quarter of my truck bed. We lowered the tailgate for a pic. The season is here! Lots of Hens out right now!

    IMG_1164.jpg


    IMG_1161.jpg
     

    duckslayer56

    Active Member
    Mar 8, 2014
    147
    Odenton
    You'd be surprised, a good amount are edible, just not great table fare. I try to stick to the ones that are easy to ID. Chicken of the woods, Hen of the woods, puffballs, morels, and oysters really can't be mistaken for anything else.
     
    Last edited:

    Half-cocked

    Senior Meatbag
    Mar 14, 2006
    23,937
    I had cream of chicken-of-the-woods soup for the first time in my life a couple of weeks ago, it was amazing... :drool:
     

    mac1_131

    MSI Executive Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 31, 2009
    3,280
    That stuff looks nasty.

    I wish I had the skills to ID the correct ones. My luck I'd kill myself.
     

    duckslayer56

    Active Member
    Mar 8, 2014
    147
    Odenton
    Not nasty at all. There is a reason they're named chicken of the woods (the orange/yellow mushrooms). They actually have a flavor and texture of Chicken. It's crazy, but they're delicious. The hen of the woods is named because it resembles a hen's tail feathers when they're fully bloomed. The ones I found are kinda young, but they'll be excellent table fare. I just sautee them with some butter and garlic, them eat them with some venison. Or I'll add them in some venison stew. It adds some more wildness to the dish, wild meat and wild mushrooms, life don't get much better than that!

    Id is super easy for these two species. NO other mushroom looks like a hen or chicken of the woods. Both are in the polypore family, so they won't have any gills underneath. Both will usually be growing on really old oak trees, or old stumps. If they're growing on pine or any other conifer, don't pick them, they'll be edible, they'll just taste bad.

    Hen of the Woods is also called the Miatake mushroom in Japan, chefs will pay a good amount for them if they're prime and in good condition. I'm not sure what kind of licensing and permits you'd need to sell them. I just know the ones I find are MINE!!!
     

    protegeV

    Ready to go
    Apr 3, 2011
    46,880
    TX
    I remember seeing a TV show about a guy who picked mushrooms like these and sold them to restaurants for big $$$. Like $20- $50 per pound :shocked3:
     

    Minuteman

    Member
    BANNED!!!
    Not nasty at all. There is a reason they're named chicken of the woods (the orange/yellow mushrooms). They actually have a flavor and texture of Chicken. It's crazy, but they're delicious. The hen of the woods is named because it resembles a hen's tail feathers when they're fully bloomed. The ones I found are kinda young, but they'll be excellent table fare. I just sautee them with some butter and garlic, them eat them with some venison. Or I'll add them in some venison stew. It adds some more wildness to the dish, wild meat and wild mushrooms, life don't get much better than that!

    Id is super easy for these two species. NO other mushroom looks like a hen or chicken of the woods. Both are in the polypore family, so they won't have any gills underneath. Both will usually be growing on really old oak trees, or old stumps. If they're growing on pine or any other conifer, don't pick them, they'll be edible, they'll just taste bad.

    Hen of the Woods is also called the Miatake mushroom in Japan, chefs will pay a good amount for them if they're prime and in good condition. I'm not sure what kind of licensing and permits you'd need to sell them. I just know the ones I find are MINE!!!

    Facinating!

    Have been interested in mushrooms for a long time, but so afraid because I read that even experienced pickers sometimes make mistakes. I like how you explained that a few good mushrooms have nothing even close to confuse them with.

    Here are some mushroom species to avoid: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/983403
     

    Mdeng

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Nov 13, 2009
    8,568
    Virginia
    And here I thought this was another thread about how to make a 3% Antimony to Lead ratio.
     

    ChrisD

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 19, 2013
    2,991
    Conowingo
    The last time I picked mushrooms, I didn't remember the next 3 days.:D
    JK. I love mushrooms, but I would be afraid to pick them myself.
     

    Gunlawyer

    Active Member
    Jan 18, 2013
    165
    Knoxville, MD
    Big fan of mushrooms!

    Glad to see folks harvesting these wonderful snacks!!

    Some of the best experiences i have ever had outdoors, especially camping and climbing, were thanks to mushrooms. They are an amazing gift from Mother Earth!
     

    newmuzzleloader

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 14, 2009
    4,765
    joppa
    I saw these growing in the woods the other day, I can't remember what they are but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere they were edible. I'll have to try n find that book again.
     

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    wilcam47

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 4, 2008
    25,976
    Changed zip code
    You'd be surprised, a good amount are edible, just not great table fare. I try to stick to the ones that are easy to ID. Chicken of the woods, Hen of the woods, puffballs, morels, and oysters really can't be mistaken for anything else.

    I watch Morels closely, as there is a faux Morel. But if its questionable to me I toss them. Usually when you find Morels there are a bunch close by so losing one is not a big deal. I havent ventured out to the other mushrooms for lack of experience and I dont want to get sick or kill myself.
     

    namrelio

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 14, 2013
    4,372
    Frederick Co. Virginia
    I was speaking to my daughter about this thread and she said she has some experience picking mushrooms with her son from the scouts. So me , her, and my grandson are going to check it out. Be fun even if we don't find any.

    duckslayer56, thanks for starting this thread. I can't wait to get going with it.:)
     

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