Mushroom foragers

[Bogtown Chick]

Blackchisel. I'm leaving that crown coral right where it is. If I'm not 100% myself positive with two experience foragers confirming something new to me then it's a no go.

Ralphie im sorry for photo barrage. I knew your rule but still broke it. Trying to save time. I tried to put edibles in the first. And the I don't knows or inedibles in the second post. I will say after reviewing a good mushroom site I'm fairly certain that those are mini hedgehogs.

There has been some exciting news in Minnesota mushrooming community. Foragers have found matsutake. They're doing some DNA sequencing to see if it's the same strain as in pacific NW. If a different strain they'll get to name it.

 

[blackchisel97]

this one might be a aspen Scaber Stalk, but I am not sure, I had one like it is why I remember it. The Cinnamon dots on the stalk is what I recalled. BUT there are lookalikes and I was too chicken or smart to try it. Boletes can be tricky to us beginners.

It looks like Leccinum Cersipelle (Scabrum). I foraged them all my life and never had any unpleasant reactions however, some people could be sensitive to certain chemical compounds many of which are not identified yet. This is one example - http://leslieland.com/2009/07/wild-...num-species-may-no-longer-be-considered-safe/
I know only two Boletes which are deadly toxic - calopus and satanas.

Vtech

 

[Bogtown Chick]

One of my spots I checked last night was a pine plantation. Somebody had been in there with a knife getting mushrooms. Of course now I'm thinking matsutake! 'What if!'

 

[Lynn-n-JimsVT]

Fantastic thread! Thank you all for posting. I have been a shroom forager for 2 years now and just recently made my first sale to a restaurant! I will post some pics later tonight as we have a busy day of dog walking today (we're dog walkers). So far I have foraged:

Chicken of the Woods (was very yummy, tastes like chicken)
King Bolete (only two of these ever for me, but man what a great mushroom)
Oyesters
Chanterelles (blushes in summer this year when we finally got rain)
Combs Tooth (aka Bears Head Tooth) - taste like lobster! <---this is the one I sold to the restaurant
Chaga-wonderful medicinal not an edible
Birch Polypore - wonderful medicinal not a great edible

We always leave some un harvested as a thank you to Mother Nature for the gifts.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hey BC.. In a country where the SoS can destroy thousands of government emails, you can post more than one picture and not have to worry about prison.....

Actually I broke my own rule too for the same reason, I was just getting confused reading and looking at the pictures is all.

I saw that video of him picking that "new" mushroom yesterday. I actually looked at it in error. I was looking for how others prepare "hens". One of the yoputubes had Hens named maratake, and I clicked on the video of the new find by mistake.

My Latin is a little rusty. Actually my terrible ability to learn Latin is one of the reasons I was not able to enter the Priesthood. The other was my growing up Methodist.


Blackchisel, I find it interesting that you say only 2 Boletes are poisonous. I find it oddly reassuring. However, I will continue to be extremely cautious though. I am so new at this and while wanting to learn more varieties, I am moving head slowly on the ones I eat.

I also was glad to see we were both close on the ID. I saw them in the plates when I was looking at the aspen one. I should have asked BC where she found hers. I assumed it was in and around Aspen because of where she lives. My Mistake.


Anyways, I am having my coffee and then running out to the "pasture" and picking another Hen. My dehydrator is empty and the winter will be long.


We made Hen in a white gravy over wild rice over chicken last night. ( well, Judy made It, I ate it). It was great.


Now the question I was looking for an answer to on Youtube, When you prepare hen do you just cut the leafs off the stalk and throw the stalk away or slice and dice the stalk too?

 

[duluthralphie]

Fantastic thread! Thank you all for posting. I have been a shroom forager for 2 years now and just recently made my first sale to a restaurant! I will post some pics later tonight as we have a busy day of dog walking today (we're dog walkers). So far I have foraged:

Chicken of the Woods (was very yummy, tastes like chicken)
King Bolete (only two of these ever for me, but man what a great mushroom)
Oyesters
Chanterelles (blushes in summer this year when we finally got rain)
Combs Tooth (aka Bears Head Tooth) - taste like lobster! <---this is the one I sold to the restaurant
Chaga-wonderful medicinal not an edible
Birch Polypore - wonderful medicinal not a great edible

We always leave some un harvested as a thank you to Mother Nature for the gifts.

Thanks for joining us!

That is an impressive list you have there. Welcome to the thread and BYC.



Where do you live? Here we have to take a class (I think( before we can sell mushrooms). MY cousin is approaching retirement and he thinks we should make mushroom picking and selling our "retirement" job. I have all those hens growing here and would love to be able to sell them.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Welcome @Lynn-n-JimsVT Proud to have you here and to flush out your first post too! LOL. I have pictures of the chicken of the woods. My Boss has reassured me it is ok to take.

He says: "I just like Morels" . I can appreciate that statement and will not argue about getting dibbs on this.

It is growing on a White Oak stump. Just cut last fall!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Most Leccinums are OK to eat but do they taste good? Edible is not always tasty. I have tried several boletes but not a Leccinum. Suillus is another mushroom in the bolete family and they are slimy and tasteless.

I've been thinking about this statement alot over the last few days and it has helped me skew down my desirable mushrooms. I'm definitely for tasty not just edible.

The local forager who told DH about the oysters said he liked oysters above the Lobster Mushroom. And I have to say that I do like Chanterelles above the lobster mushroom as well. If they were sitting side by side for me to dish on a steak...for example... I would pick the chanterelles.

 

[blackchisel97]

Blackchisel, I find it interesting that you say only 2 Boletes are poisonous. I find it oddly reassuring. However, I will continue to be extremely cautious though. I am so new at this and while wanting to learn more varieties, I am moving head slowly on the ones I eat.

Duluthralphie,

I'm using Latin names as they can be looked up easier. Also, I don't know all of their common names in english language as mushroom foraging isn't popular here as it was back home.
I was once picking nice family of Leccinum which grew overnight on my lawn, around business sign. Next thing I noticed a police car which pulled over with both occupants closely
watching my activity. I thought, they only like truffles

As for poisonous Boletes, I didn't even found them yet in Canada and chances are, they may or may not grow around or not in every province. Calopus was quite rare in Europe but Satan's Boletus was quite common and there was always some poor soul who had to feed not just himself but the the entire family.
I don't consider myself an expert forager and always research before I feast on something unknown. Many non edible or toxic mushrooms give warnings, such as rapidly changing color when pressed - like Calopus or their taste is extremely unpleasant. Some have very strong smell and generally, should be avoided. If I'm not 100% sure, I'm leaving it where is.
I included pic of Satan's Boletus for reference.

Vtech

 

[katsdar]

So I'm in North Georgia, Rome area, so should I wait till spring to go hunting