Any good (mushroom) finds lately?

[Trashguy]

Matt, have you ever tried/sampled any of the "Old Man of the Woods"? Saw a few my last trip north, but didn't pick them. Just wondering if they are any good. Find any "Black Trumptets"? Found a few last trip also. Still trying to figure them out. Think they like the same areas as the Chants. I do all my mushrooming in Cass County.

Larry

[Matt Breuer]

Almost tried an old man of the woods tonight, but passed. I know guys who eat them, and I've never heard of them being considered as "choice". I had porcini in the basket, and wasn't about to compare!

No trumpets this trip. Woods seem much to dry. Chants were even pretty thin. We were near Walker...

[pushbutton]

Great pics! And congrats on crossing off a few more on the fungi crack list...... interesting on the porcini's. Only place I have ever seen them was in fern thickets.

[JP Z]

Had a bunch of Firsts on my Mushroom finds yesterday which was awesome! But I had a pretty good guide

Found my first hedgehog, lobster, Old man of the woods. It was a very good time

Here is the biggest lobster, was spored out but I was just impressed with the size of the darn thing.

[NoWiser]

It's been a bonanza for me this summer in the metro. All the chants and chickens a guy can stand to pick and clean. I went up to Brainerd this past weekend and hit an area I did very well in a year ago. Very slim pickings this year. A few chants and yellowfeet and that was about it. Nothing like last year. Lot's of hornet nests dangling about 2' off the ground, had to watch where you were going.

I've been finding Old Man of the Woods the last couple of weeks but ignored them. I finally picked a prime one last week and gave it a shot and it was exactly like I remembered. Turned everything black and tasted like dirt with the consistency of a garden slug. I may try one again in a few years.

I did find my first metro-area porcini last week, along with a handful of hedgehogs. Porcini was chuck full of worms even though it looked prime from the outside.

I may get out this week one night if I have time to see what's going on, but with the freezer stuffed with shrooms, my mind is starting to wander more towards my elk hunt coming up in September. I'll have to do some research and see if there should be any edibles to be found in the Wyoming mountains next month to supplement the Mountain House meals.

[jerkin'm]

Found a few this morning, picked a prime old man of the woods to try but NoWiser has made me rethink that plan- woods were tinder dry so I was surprised I found anything- great finds everyone- jealous of the lobsters- don't have any I those where I hunt-

[JP Z]

I'm crossing my fingers for a bunch of rain this week. I now have the mushroom bug pretty good And the Brainerd area is DDDDDDRY!

[jerkin'm]

Wow, what a difference a little rain makes- chanterelles and hedgehogs-

[Stick in Mud]

Nice finds! I was up in the BWCA for a week, and the rain they've been getting up there has things popping big time. I know it's fun pickin' when I'd rather be walking in the woods than fishing.

[JP Z]

Very nice Pickin Jerk'm I went out with my son for a couple hours on Saturday and we ended up with about 10 rather small Chant's. But it was still nice to be in the woods!

[jerkin'm]

Got out yesterday in west central mn and had some good finds-chants, chickens, hedgehogs and some unidentified- I think the purple one may be a Blewit? Some sort of a toothed polypore that was really cool I thought too-

[Matt Breuer]

Now we're talking! Outside the box/different species are the fun ones! Those do appear to be blewits, but it's hard to tell from the fuzzy pics. Were they pretty distinct purple around the edges and on the underside and gills? Very cool mushroom if so. Tasty too. If they were more burgundy or purple/brown, they were probably an agaricus of some sort...

As for the toothed poly, some sort of hericum, and probably delicious. Again, tough to tell from the pic... Any sort of mass to it like a lions mane?

I was out on Sat. with the wifey, we picked about 50 chants and 20 scaber stalks. We need rain up here BADLY. It's been long enough that I can't recall the last good downpour...

[jerkin'm]

Matt- they were really purple on the bottom gill area, not brown or burgundy- that's what caught my eye. The toothed one had a thinnish top on it like an oyster. I grabbed them from the back side of a big log and was surprised they weren't oysters. They were in a shelf type arrangement just like an oyster clump-any idea on those brown vase shaped ones?

[Stick in Mud]

Yeah, that definitely looks like a hericium, but I checked my copy of Mushrooms Demystified and couldn't find a listed species that matched it. I'm stumped.

[Matt Breuer]

Found it, and it's a new one to me. Spongipellis pachyodon or the spongy-toothed polypore. Edible, but not preferred. Turns out it's a polypore, not hericum. Very interesting!

The large cupped ones in the last photos I am pretty sure I've picked. Did you scent them? Very strong and good odor, right? Pics are tough...

[jerkin'm]

Yep, they smelled really good and were perfectly fresh...I have a few more pics I will put up later..

[pushbutton]

Really nice finds....just for the record....your starting to talk funny too

[JP Z]

Here was my find yesterday walking through my mom's flower garden.

It's a bolete from the bottom, but it seemed to have a veil...very strange

[jerkin'm]

jpz- I believe that to be a paragyrodon sphaerosporous- otherwise commonly known as leather cap bolete- that was for you pushbutton......

[Matt Breuer]

jpz- I believe that to be a paragyrodon sphaerosporous- otherwise commonly known as leather cap bolete- that was for you pushbutton......

Yes!!

[Stick in Mud]

jpz- I believe that to be a paragyrodon sphaerosporous- otherwise commonly known as leather cap bolete- that was for you pushbutton......

Another bolete with a veil is the "Painted Bolete" (suillus pictus). It's one of the more beautiful 'shrooms out there, in my humble opinion, though it doesn't taste half as good as it looks.

I think there's a dirty joke in there somewhere.....

[Stick in Mud]

The woods around my...neck of the woods....are pretty dry and shroomless. After finding a couple dozen species of mushrooms last week in the BWCA, it was a much less exciting walk through the woods this time around. I did find a few oysters and a wee bit of COW, so at least my omelet tomorrow morning won't be bland.

[Rick G]

I must just be lucky then, found some of these yesterday

[Stick in Mud]

That is one soon-to-be-dead oak tree...and a few delicious meals.

Invite me over and I'll even cook them for you. Add some asparagus hearts, a green onion, some olives, and a mixture of mayo and pesto, and you'll be hooked.

[pikestabber]

I must just be lucky then, found some of these yesterday

Same here...absolutely BONE dry up north, and I found 4-5 clusters of the most prime chicken I have ever seen a couple days ago. I mean, this thing was dripping wet and absolutely unblemished and un-buggy. After the poor season I am having, I won't complain!