Chickens ?

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Found these today in area that last fall had hens and what I thought were chickens. The color on the pics is bad and they are a nice muted orange color.

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Jr. and I hit the woods again and about a couple hundred yards away we hit the motherload....dozens of these monsters ....looks like we will be eating good for a while!

[reinhard1]

LOL love that picture. i'm no mushroom expert, not even close. i remember when i was a kid my parents took us to wisconsin, not that far from duluth to pick orange colored shrooms such as these. dont know if they were the same but we sure ate em up. love mushrooms. i do you keep these [cook them, freeze?] thanks good luck.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I looked all over, but not in the right spots the last few days. saw a huge one in a persons yard though.. I did however score a couple pounds more Oyster mushrooms..

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DD.....I can't find an oyster. The spot i am finding these is a 20 acre remnant of the big woods comprised of mainly oak. The undergrowth is sparse and more sandy. A good portion of this stand is lower with heavier soil and has a much denser undergrowth, but no shrooms.

RH1....Just started this gig last fall and did not find/feel comfortable enough collecting enough mushrooms to have to worry about freezing. Have read two different methods. Some cut up and directly freeze, while others cook before hand. I will have plenty to try out both. Have not seen much info on dehydrating this particular variety, but will try to do so. As far as cooking....my mind is spinning.....going to marinate and grill for garlicky/balsamic vinegary/cheesy/crusty bread sandwich, thinking about a pizza that has caramelized onions for the sauce and the shrooms and goat cheese for the toppings, also going to try use it as the predominant base for a vegetable lasagna.....anyone else feel free to chime in on how you prepare them!

[reinhard1]

i think i have to get some book on shrooms so i know what i'm picking. i take walks every day almost so a walk in the woods would be a bonus. thanks. good luck.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have 4 shroom books. Each shroom is different. Some you can freeze, some thats not a good idea. Some you are supposed to dry.. while others your supposed to cook first then freeze. I added another to my list I have collected, found some Crown-Tipped Coral... tasty.. Oysters are still my fave. I have been finding them on logs/sticks on the ground, and or dead trees near water. They prefer cool wet areas. My guess is they will dry up this week with all the heat.

[reinhard1]

thanks. since i do all the cooking and love to do so, mushrooms are a favorite of ours and not only would it be great just to be out in the woods or outdoors in general, the knowledge of what shrooms are edible and so on would make them a great addition to the menu. wild has got to better than store bought. good luck.

[Deitz Dittrich]

if your going to take this up, I would say its a must to own National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. Great book with lots of pictures and such. Next my other fave is The Complete Mushroom Hunter by Lincoff.. and also have read Edible WIld Mushrooms of North America by Fischer/Bessette This one has a lot of recipe in it.

[JP Z]

Mushrooms Dymistefied is another good book. This is the "bible" for many mushroom hunters.

[reinhard1]

thanks to both of you. going to a book store this weekend. good luck.

[JP Z]

No Prob.......I highly recommend Amazon for Mushroom books. Good prices and a great variety. And if you get 2 books you are usually over the $25 free shipping limit.

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Not only has the "cooler" weather turned on the fish, it has started to bring back the chickens. Again these are a great shroom for the novice as there is really nothing out there that is poisonous that looks similar. I have found all of mine in an old growth oak stand on newly fallen timber, better yet where there tops have been blown off. This was the only one I found tonight but is a good sign of things to come.

[Matt Breuer]

I agree with JPZ, Mushrooms Demystified is the bible. For local 'shrooms, the DNR just came out with a pretty full list of "what-to-watch-for" 'shrooms in MN....

[TonkaBass]

Matt, is this list on there HSOforum or a book they have?

[Matt Breuer]

My apologies... I got it from the DNR, but it's actually put out by the USDA and is apparently new. http://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/gtr/gtr_nrs79.pdf

[Deitz Dittrich]

Great link Matt.. thanks for sharing.