For you fungi fanatics ;-)
Pennsylvania
Contributors to this thread:
Was out scouting and checking farms for 5C this morning with Smoke, and this is what we found
It was in about a 30' circle on the ground
And body know what this is?
I think the bottom pic is a chanterell. I found some today as well, no sheephead though.
I picked some sulfer shelfs Sunday morning. Brook Hershiser and son Parker camped out and kept a mess of sunnys. We had deer steaks from the buck my cousin killed 100 yards from the pond, plus the fried fish and fungi fried in butter and onions. Mmmmmmmm.
The first are Sheepshead. a.k.a. Hen of the Woods. They're just getting started now. Should be able to find them from now into October.
The yellow ones look like Smooth Chanterelles, but past their prime. They should have a fruity, apricot odor, especially when fresh. Remember the spot because they'll grow there year after year if the weather is right.(as will the Sheepshead). Begin looking for Chants at the end of June/early July. One of the tastiest, tender wild shrooms to eat. We ate some with onions on pork chops yesterday.
Learn to discern the edible Chanterelles from the poisonous Jack o'lantern. It's not difficult, but you need to know the difference. I've seen them growing 20' from one another.
Thanks guys. I thought the second group might be chanterelles but was not as confident as the Sheepshead, so I left those.
Jeff- how can you tell the Chanterelles are past prime? They seemed pretty firm when I touched them, but didn't pick any up and my allergies were acting up, so might not have been able to smell them even if I had.
Perry, see how the tops are rough and have holes (bug holes??) and they're cracking and splitting, and brown/wilted on the edges? Those are indicative of Chants well past their prime. There are actually some earlier, more subtle, past-peak indicators that you'll become familiar with as you spend time around them.
Fresh Chanterelles will be pure yellow/gold with smooth top surfaces and edges. The edges can be, and often are wavy but they won't be jagged or splitting. While your inspecting, look for bug damage too. They'll bore up through the stem and slugs will eat underneath. Give them a simple bend test by grabbing the upper part about an inch from the edge and with a thumb and index finger, bend it down. It shouldn't be brittle, and should bend a good ways before it cracks.
I'll try to find a few pics of some good ones.
Here are a few good ones.
Oh, ok Jeff, I see what you mean. Thanks for the tips!
I found some chanterelles today in the first place I found them 2 months ago. I guess I gave up on that spot too soon. They looked like yours though Rut and I pitched them. On the drive out I saw a Sheepshead up in the woods, but couldn't stop because they were working on the road right there. I'll check on it tomorrow.
This rain that's coming in the next few days could really get the Sheepshead popping up.
What about these? Any ideas? These are near Raystown Lake
Got about #6 of chickens one small coral and about #4 of young sheepshead. He picked it only because it was basically on a walking path.
Got about #6 of chickens one small coral and about #4 of young sheepshead. He picked it only because it was basically on a walking path.
Son Jared ran into these :)
Try again... Any ideas? Im thinking honey mushrooms but never hunted them before nor ate them
Jared's doing well, Dale. Those last ones don't look like honeys to me. They kind of look like old jacko'lanterns, but I wouldn't swear to it.
Honeys. Look for the veil under the cap.
I seen some of those when I was stump shooting with my Crossbow yesterday on game lands 211...
120 yerds:) And that's through thick brush in a 40 mph cross wind. I shoot that far so I can look for mushrooms while heading to the stump.
I left all the sheepshead to grow. Some were just babies. I'm going to continue to take pics as they grow.
A bunch of Jacko'lanterns.
I actually found a sheepshead today that was too old already. That's ok though cuz I found some that weren't.
See the two babies in the background?
We put sulpher shelfs on home made cheese stakes for supper this evening.
Today on the game lands I found where someone was halfway through setting up a treestand and then left. Apparently they aren't familiar with Sheepshead mushrooms. At least they didn't step on it.
Found two sheepshead today and this bearded tooth. They're pretty rare and this is the first one I've seen.
Not sure what that is , Bill.
I found this bear's head tooth mushroom this morning on the game lands. First one I ever found.
Two firsts, two species of Hericiums, two days in a row! Now if I could just find a Comb tooth mushroom tomorrow, I'd have the Hericium hat trick :^)
Happy hunting....looking like a good fall for you.
Found this one today on the way home while scouting for potential shroom hunting spots.
You're having a season to remember, Jeff! : )
Yeah, pretty good year so far. I found some awesome spots for morels and pheasantbacks in the spring, reishi and chanterelles in the summer, and am waiting for hedgehogs, sheepshead and sulfurs to spring up in the places I found last year... while also checking out new ground every few days. The best part is, I'm seeing a lot of new country, and putting the puzzle together in this new area I'm living in... getting lots of exercise too :^)
BOWSITE? Go to mushroompickers.com with yer crap.
Go back to your favorite thread then, Ropy... The Meat Pole.
LMAO! Roy knows nothing of Meat Poles! Mushrooms are cool!
Since it's so dry here, I started focusing my efforts on the big oaks in lowland, swamps, creek bottoms, etc. Found four Maitake today on the game lands... found a couple of good hunting spots too.
How cute is that!?!
Can't help but smile every time I look at those pictures. That's awesome dude.
Today on the game lands....
Justin, this is a prime Chicken mushroom. It could be left to grow a few more days, but try to compare its color, shape, and size to the ones you guys found. See how they're bright orange? ...a bit smaller, and puffy around the outer margin rather than larger, flat, and tapering to a sharp edge? When I pinched them with my fingers they were soft, like a slightly stale marshmallow from front to back. They bent and sprung back without breaking or cracking at all. This is a good condition to harvest them in as the entire thing will be a good quality edible. Some folks trim away tougher parts on older specimens and use them in soups and such, but in my opinion they still don't measure up. Keep hunting and you'll find some really good ones.
What great pics Justin! You got a couple of real "cuties" right there!!! : )
Justin, as an additional clarification regarding those in my last picture.... young sulfurs don't always have edges that are as uneven as those. They can show a more smooth curve to their outer margin. It's the puffiness, 'pouted lips look' I was trying to relay with that pic.
My house smells utterly euphoric right now. There's a pile of Chanterelles thawing on the counter and I told my wife a few hours ago that if this was the last thing I smelled before I died, I'd die a very happy man. She didn't seem to share my mycophylic enthusiasm.
Planning on some sort of Cauliflower, Chanterelle, Garlic soup.
Chickens have a strong mushroom flavor. I like them if the recipe tames their flavor a bit.
Hens? I like every way I've had them.
Chanterelles? Same. They beget a more tender touch than Hens and offer a deeper flavor complexity, but I love em. Probably my favorite.