chicken of woods
Pennsylvania
these look me right but would like another opinion?
mostly curious if there are any look a likes that i need to be aware of
it's definitely not jack o lantern or chanterelle
laetiporus cincinnatus. chicken of the woods. that on is past prime.
thanks bob
what are indicators of being prime?
Soft, plyable, and oozing with liquid
thanks bob!
this was soft and pliable towards the edges but not much liquid
Take the soft stuff & use in soup.
I picked some of those a couple weeks ago in their prime and I thought it was a little early. I also have been seeing some that look close that are growing on the trails out of the ground but I did pick those because all the sulphur shelfs I have ever eaten grew on old trees or stumps.
chicken of woods only grows on trees, stumps and logs I THINK..
do you have a picture?
When in their prime, imo, still with plenty of growing to do, the edges are rounded and puffy looking. When they grow out, the edges get thin and they've already begun getting tough so I don't take them. The toughness works its way out, so sometimes you can just use the outer portion if it's still soft. You can pinch it and give it a bend test. If it's tender it should bend far before cracking. I like the younger ones that are smaller, fat and puffy looking.
Suffer Shelfs grow on sick or dead wood. They might appear to grow out of the ground if they're on a buried root, but they'll never be found in just dirt.
thanks jeff! that is some good information and tips
Chipped venison ready for the onions, peppers & mushrooms on a hoagie roll.
Chipped venison ready for the onions, peppers & mushrooms on a hoagie roll.
I will go out and get a picture later this morning of the other ones.
Underside ribs are visible.
Underside ribs are visible.
These are completely different up close. They only look(ed) different at a distance, even the colors were closer 2 to 3 weeks ago. They grow in the soil amongst the leaves. I pulled one and turned it over so you could see the underside on the second one. Not smooth.
Art, those are chanterelles.... wayyyyyy better than sulfur shelfs. And yep, chanterelles grow in the dirt, but are often associated with certain types of trees... Hickory, oak, and hemlock to name a few. If they're good and fresh, they have a slight apricot smell to them, especially noticeable when you have a whole bag full of them.
Here's a few I found a few weeks ago.
whoa!!! yep chanterelle...
my brother just found a bunch recently
i have not eaten any but they are apparently great! go get em and do your research
here is a recipe that looks good my buddy recently sent me
My bro picked these.
My bro picked these.
First pick last week, 1/2 hr.
Cauliflower mushrooms.
Cauliflower mushrooms.
There is another smaller one we are keeping an eye upon.
There is another smaller one we are keeping an eye upon.
Went back yesterday to find another #7 of chants and these beauties:)
Looking for long term storage ideas for these cauliflowers. Most say they only keep a week or so.
We are considering making wild mushroom spicy hot sausage soup (chants, chickens, morels, oysters) using farm pork that was walkin around a month or so ago.
Cauliflower mushrooms don't keep as well as some others. They're more delicate and better if used fresh. Not necessary, just better. When I happen upon them, I like to take them home and eat them in the next day or two... like coral mushrooms, bears head tooth, lions mane, etc.
wow i only know a few, just getting started, but like it so far
made a sausage soup with that one above, was damn good
I’ve found through my SIL, who grows/sells mushrooms that Cauli’s return on average, once every 7 years. Most vids have folks cleaning, refrigerate and eat. Specifically cast iron, breakfast, breaded, cooked in good oil, as a side with eggs. Directions say as they start to cook, set in a one size smaller cast iron skillet on top of the mushrooms to flatten them and force remaining water out.
2 sites say blanch first, dry, then freeze, to which I’ll add vac pack before freezing. They are also called Queen of the Woods and are considered to be in the top 3 edibles. Great in oriental apps, pot roast gravy and just plain fried. They appear to be specifically fitted to red meat- like me:)
This guys awesome. Here’s a great link with tons of recipes.
https://langdoncook.com/
Thanks for the info guys. Glad I took the second 2 pics. I will be fetching them tomorrow! The first was found 3 weeks ago. Kind of dry maybe, but the second picture, those weren't there a few days ago.
from my research the only look alike for chanterelle is the false chanterelle..
those look right from pic (others know way more than I) but might just want to be aware
good luck!
horse, did you get those shrooms?
I did pick the youngest looking ones yesterday and took some pictures. They are pretty delicate looking. They seem a little on the dry side. I will post the pics tomorrow.
I grew picky about picking chanterelles. If they're not prime I leave them in the woods. They get buggy here often.
Cut the stem near the bottom and look for bug holes. If there are tiny holes, there are either grub worms in them, or the poop they left behind. Tear the stem in half lengthwise and you'll find them, their tunnels, and poop. Sometimes I'll cut the stem off and use parts of the top, but they go up there too so sometimes the whole thing isn't worth carrying home. I got tired of carrying bags and bags of them home only to throw them over the hill behind the house. Same with other types of mushrooms, I inspect them all more closely now before I decide whether to keep them.
I will take your advice Jeff and let you all know what I find.
Can anyone ID these? I walked around the woods yesterday and see them often. They look like animals have been eating them. They get pretty big. I also saw 8 or 10 other varieties.
I see bug holes in your chants, Art. I'm not sure what those are in the last picture.
I suspected that. I do wish I knew 2 weeks ago. Lesson learned.
Rut is coming out the weekend of Sept 8-9.
I went out and checked my best three chanterelle spots today. I know it's late for them but I've been too busy. I should have known, with all that rain we had earlier in the month. Should have kept closer tabs on them. It is a banner year. 2nd best year I've seen. I found thousands of them and most of them were too far gone or too buggy. In some places as far as I could see through the woods I could see them covering the ground. I was able to bring home two and and a half big bags of them. I have several more spots I could check but I have a lot of work ahead of me cleaning these things. The good news is I saw no signs of anyone else picking them in my 'secret spots' :^)
Look at the size of this one. As big as a dinner plate. Biggest one I've found.
Nice. Shot East Brady today and they were all over the place above Phillipston.
Don’t try making candied chanterelle ;(
Found my first Sheepshead of the year today... by accident :^)
Squirrel season came in today and sheepshead goes as perfectly with squirrel meat as it does deer meat. Time to focus. It's on!
We found a bunch of chicken of the woods at The Keefer farm this weekend. Unfortunately it was past it’s prime so we decided to leave it. : (
