Bruce

I totally capitulate to your culinary creations. Bruce

Mmmmm. You're making me hungry! One of my mushroom reference books offers this little repartee' on Laetiporus: "Does it really taste like chicken?" "Real chicken doesn't taste this good." B

Two evenings ago, my wife pulled some out of the freezer, part of the 2016 harvest. We needed to either eat it or throw it out. After trimming for freezer burn, she dipped the resulting strips in milk and rice flour and pan-fried it. Prepared this way, we both agreed that the two-year-old stuff was all but indistinguishable from fresh Laetiporus "fingers" that I'd collected just a few days previously. Having rained two days ago, I'm hoping to find more today...with luck, my cauliflower mushrooms will be fruiting again, too. Bruce

The ones I encountered were growing on an old cottonwood stump. Bruce

Lovely. What's the best way to preserve excess harvest? In the past, I've simply cleaned and frozen them; and although that works okay, they come out a little chewy. Bruce

I've seen similar. No idea what they are. Bruce

Lovely!

I stumbled across a few smallish purple-spored puffballs (Calvatia cyathiformis) today while mowing the back acreage. Same place I found them last fall. Photos available: https://drive.google.com/open?id=110bMdsVpG4VQMWN2LpXBu-o-M7HN-vOg https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_nyOUssuGiVyULQIj1rqdpkouC6RX5ys I only picked two and left the others to sporulate (read: I wasn't willing to brave the poison ivy). Bruce

I cleaned, separated, and lightly browned half of my stash in a little oil last night so as to get an unadulterated taste. The overall impression was very similar to a hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa)...quite flavorful and just a little chewy. It would perform well in any recipe devised for a hen. Cauliflower mushrooms are not very common and I was totally delighted to stumble across these two. You can bet that I will remember where I got it and will be coming back, hoping for more. Bruce

I uploaded the photo to my Google Drive. Here is the link https://drive.google.com/open?id=1upV-tN2ZIoSGcInRCWktKOzZ09NvrYGk Bruce

Results of this afternoon's edible mushroom foray. Clockwise from top-right: Crown corals, oysters, mixed chanterelles, cauliflower mushroom, and chicken "fingers." I still can't post an image here for some reason. If you want to see a photo, go to https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212274957095712&set=a.1654301044021.2078671.1431926578&type=3&theater You might have to "friend" me first. I've never found a cauliflower mushroom before, and am eager to give it a taste. If anyone has a good recipe, please send my way. Bruce

Look in any wooded area a couple of days after a soaking rain. I've found state parks and state forests to be good hunting grounds...but I occasionally turn up edibles in my own backyard. Also, get a good book and study up...I recommend "Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States" as a good beginner's book. I've found that the more edible mushrooms I'm able to identify the more "luck" I have.

I would send you photos, but for some reason I can't upload a photo here unless I start a new topic. I am also unable to "like" anyone's posts anymore. For awhile I was unable to post at all! These problems began as soon as I joined the society. Odd that sending in $30 would cause me to LOSE privileges. Bruce

In my opinion, neither of these mushrooms look like what you suggest they might be. My advice is to never eat anything unless YOU know what it is. Bruce

>>Have you ever found a good preservation method for laetiporius? I've been wanting to collect some this year but haven't encountered any yet. Good find for DHuntington. I've frozen them raw, and they always end up just a little more chewy than I would prefer. Depending on preparation (soups, casseroles, or whatever) you can kinda get away with it...but in my experience Laetiporus is by far the best when fresh and oven-fried. Bruce

Definitely a sobering story for any novice mushroom hunter. Amatoxins are deadly, and I never eat anything unless *I* know what it is. Bruce

Definitely young chants. Jack-o-lanterns grow on tree roots. I was out two days ago collecting and encountered a trail-runner who told me about these huge orange mushrooms that he saw growing on a tree stump. He thought they were the same thing I was collecting, but I suspected Leatiporus. I walked the same trail he told me about, wearing my backpack and expecting a big harvest; and was mildly disappointed to encounter a collection of truly huge jack-o-lanterns. They were very impressive and I took a bunch of photos, but took nothing home. C'est la vie, Bruce

Brick-cap boletes are generally much larger, and stain blue IMMEDIATELY after bruising. A bicolor bolete would have a red stem 2/3rds of the way up from the bottom. Like you, I'm kinda stumped. Bruce

I agree with Dhuntington, they sure look like oysters to me. They are very common in Indiana, and although not as tasty as morels or chanterelles, are definitely a worthwhile edible. They start out pure white but become more buff-colored as they age (or get rained on). I find their aroma to be very distinctive, but your mileage may vary. Regards, Bruce

Great find! I am so freaking jealous right now...

I have not found much by way of angel wings locally, but oysters are pretty common after a good rain. Best to post a photo; as they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. Be sure to get a good shot of the underside. Oysters in Indiana will commonly have little black beetles among the gills and smell faintly of anise. Try to either cook them up or dehydrate them within 2-3 days as they don't have a very long shelf life. Hope this helps, Bruce

Recent rains have finally brought up some mushrooms in central Indiana, although I haven't found anything really table-worthy. Below are some photos. I really wish Bitter Boletes tasted better. The oysters were, unfortunately, about two days past their prime. I would appreciate help with ID of the second photo. They kinda resemble Shaggy Manes but these were growing on wood. American Parasol? Bruce

Glad to hear somebody is finding something! Here in central IN it's been so dry this spring that nothing is popping up. Bruce

Welcome back! I need to get out hunting. Pheasantbacks should be available soon, too. Is that really a morel in the third picture? If it wasn't so early in the season I'd think it was a lobster mushroom. Bruce

The slice is dried and bagged and ready to send to you as soon as I have your mailing address.