Hen of the Woods Growth

[caddisfly]

Found a baby hen growing on an oak that produced a nice maitake last year. Thought I'd keep track of its growth with some photos.  

Day 1:

[caddisfly]

Day 2:

[Stick in Mud]

Cool idea to get photos of it.  It's kind of amazing how quickly they can grow.  I've never documented it by photos, but I've found they're a bit like cucumbers...take a day or two off and pretty soon they're too big.

[caddisfly]

Day 3:

[caddisfly]

Day 4:

[caddisfly]

Day 5:

[TigerBlood]

Cool idea - thanks for sharing.  As I wrote in the other post, watch out for bugs and debris.  I try to clear loose leaves/twigs etc. away from the babies otherwise, it will all be part of the mushroom when it's harvest time.   

[caddisfly]

I'm glad you're liking the idea.  I just hadn't seen anything keeping track of the growth, so thought I'd give it a shot.  I'm thinking I can use it as a bit of a guide for figuring out how often to check on (and when to harvest) future maitake finds.  Regardless, it's fun to check on it every day.  

Day 6:

[caddisfly]

Day 7:

[caddisfly]

Day 8: A bit rainy and dark by the time I stopped after work.

[caddisfly]

Day 9:

[caddisfly]

Might have to grab this one soon.

Day 10:

[caddisfly]

Decided to harvest this one today.  Weighed just about 6 pounds.  Still really tight, and probably could have left it a few more days, but thought I'd process it today while I have some time.

Day 11:

[TigerBlood]

Nice one!  Yeah, it's tough to pass on a nice shroom like that.  If it's clean, that's a lot of mushroom!  Let us know if it cleans up/tastes.  I have nothing growing in my woods as of today....so, I'll be mushroom free for another week or so.  Your pics/stories help me pass the time.

[caddisfly]

It was a real beauty.  Super dense and had barely started to branch out.  Probably had a bit more growth potential, but it was nice and clean at this point.  Not much went to waste.  Made some great soup with chicken thighs and veggies, and almost can't tell the difference between the mushroom and the chicken.  Drying the rest so we can enjoy it all winter.