Hen's are out

[jerkin'm]

Found these guys today...pics are from cell phone...

[Burchoid]

Nice!!! I haven't been able to find one yet... They like oak trees right?

I've found pretty much every other edible shroom since I started getting into this a couple years ago.

Any advice for locating a big juicy hen of the woods?

[jerkin'm]

Yes, base of oaks. Look for mature oak stands with little light penetration and no ground cover..one of my spots is nearly a dump with mostly gravel....

[NoWiser]

Found my first one ever last night in the south metro. Delicious!!

[jerkin'm]

Went out again today and hit the jackpot-More hens than I could carry, shaggy manes, shaggy parasols, lots of chickens that were shot-will add some pics later-

[jerkin'm]

Once again, pics aren't the greatest...the last one has two hens and there were two more on the back of the tree...first time for 4 on one tree for me..

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[PEATMOSS]

How do you prepare them?

[jerkin'm]

It's what I do for a living so it's fairly easy to figure out something..I have had kind of a glut so I have been stewing them and freezing them too...With the hens it's easy they fit into pretty much any recipe you would use mushrooms for. The last batch I made a VERY mushroomy lasagna, roasted them with onions, poblano peppers, and chicken for a casserole type dish, wild rice/mushroom soup...the list is never ending...they are just fine sauteed with some butter and garlic too..I have also been giving a lot away and even trading some for beer..

[Deitz Dittrich]

are there any shrooms that look like this that are going to kill me?

[reinhard1]

i seem to see them when i'm hunting and have wondered the same think. my parents used to pick mushrooms. i whish i paid closer attention instead of just gobbling them up. good luck.

[jerkin'm]

Get a decent book or go with someone who is experienced. Its a slippery slope to say there are no dangerous lookalikes to the mushrooms I pictured (there really aren't any though). After you get a book its easy to use online resources for reference as well. I have found several varieties in the last year that I wouldn't have considered touching before. Its an addicting habit..

[Burchoid]

The wood are a' cluckin!!

Found a giant fresh maitake this weekend (hen of the woods, grifola frondosa, whatever you want to call it). The thing was so big it filled an entire paper grocery bag to the top, and that was squeezing it in sideways!!

Found a nice chicken of the woods too but it was growing on an elm instead of the usuall oak tree.

[Dark Cloud]

Deitz - old saying... "there are bold mushroom eaters but no old bold mushroom eaters"...

With that in mind err on the side of caution and experience. My dad and grandfather have picked for years but only trusted 2-3 kinds but the past 5 years or so I learned many more from reading and a good friend who is an "expert" who as taught some classes.

I have 6 books but the one I recomend first is the National Audubon Society field guide to mushrooms.

And for the reading iv'e done, the class of mushroms like hens dont have any(again that I know of) that are dangerous. The post with the three pictures - the second picture of the orangy shelf type ones - I know there are some edible and some not so good.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Thanks Darkie... just ordered the book from amazon.

[Papa Grump]

Jim Hooper dropped me off another care package today while I recover from knee surgery

[pushbutton]

Thanks Darkie... just ordered the book from amazon.

i just did as well. have not really given this much thought until yesterday when my son and i were roaming the woods looking for different types of mushrooms for his school. he and i both had a blast!!!! certainly better entertainment than cartoons. there is a 20 acre oak stand nearby.....going to have to check that out tomorrow......

[pushbutton]

jr. and i just got back and think we found some????????? any one care to confirm.....

[Papa Grump]

you got it. Take a look at my pics and you see the same thing

[pushbutton]

thanks!.....so normally how long are these going to grow before getting woody?...they are only about 10 inches in diameter and very tender.....pick them now or let them grow?

[DARK30]

So, fry in butter eh? I have not seen any of those. I did look for some puff balls but its too late.

[Dark Cloud]

Papa Gump - that is a huge hen! I found one a tad bigger once but it was past prime and rotten. A small one is the size of a softball, average seems about the size of a volleyball...

PushButton - You got! Dont know how old your son is or if the season is in but out here prime shroom season coincides with squirrel season. You can scout deer, hunt tree rats, find mushrooms, and get some nice mind and body exercise in nature...

Sautee em in butter/olive oil with some salt, pepper, n garlic. Or I really like them in stews...

Some people keep and eye on them and let em grow. My spots are a long walk so I pick them. If the ends of the petals are drying out, they are about done growing(no moisture to grow) I have also seen them old, wet, and punky...

[Papa Grump]

So, fry in butter eh? I have not seen any of those. I did look for some puff balls but its too late.

Kevin- Along with whatever else you want to fry them in. They need to cook though. Let them simmer for a while, and are best in soups, stews and hot dish type stuff. I got 5 gallons off that one sitting in the freezer now, want a gallon bag full?

[DARK30]

You cook it and I'll come over

[fr0sty]

I am lucky to have them growing at the base of two my oak trees (in town, back yard). Tasty!

[don62]

I moved up from Ill-i-noise 3 years ago and always had these in the fall, I havn't found any in the Bemidji area, does anyone know if they are this far north??