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XI those are so awesome. Well done.

Pheasant backs: 2 big ones is about all i can use for a season. They are not really a pain to prepare, just not the taste and texture that can be used in a lot of dishes. I do scrape the spongy spore underside off with knife then use a portion to make a stock. Then slice others really thin and sautee separately then add to stock with other stuff to make ramen or similar type dish.

Ungie that's awesome!

Lets say you harvest a bunch of them and cook em up but in the back of your mind you are still unsure,.. Just eat a small spoon full that night,.. if they are poisonous, a small spoon full will make you sick,.. you will know not to eat that again, but not kill you.

If no effect then you can gooble the pile down the next night or serve to your loved ones,..

Test it another words,..

So get out there!!!!

Anyone know what these are? Curious if they might be edible or if I'd wake up dead the next day. And for the record, I'm not planning on picking and eating them, even if someone tells me that I can.

Never mind, I found them. I also found Indian Pipe on my hike. I thought they were mushrooms but apparently not. Very odd looking plant.

yes MRW you can collect spores from the underside when they mature and propogate them in your own oaks. A new oak cut down/ or blow down could work.

! Found some others today that looked like mini lady slipper flowers. But the were only about 4” high and almost a translucent white. I really need to go pick up a book on these things

Odin said he will not let warriors into Valhalla for doing stupid sh&* like having a mushroom take you down. You must die a braver / smarter death to sit at his table and drink ale from the warrior's horn.

And DFA the slipper like ones you saw if they were growing in a group was probably Indian Pipe. Another non-edible but cool to see.

I have a buddy that has been doing since a child with his dad. Maybe it is time to take a walk in the woods with him. Pete

Cooked some up with butter, Yum! Goes well with a Conga IPA from Revival Brewery.

Update: Put a small amount in a skillet with butter and salt. Just ate a sliver size piece. Tasted great. So far, I have keeled over in pain. Did some reading and it appears that there are two chicken variations. And one of them tends to have a white underside. Oh, and ordered that book.

Interesting to see the bottom of yours. It looks smooth with no pores.

So glad I read through this thread. Can't wait to take my daughter out to look for more chicken of the woods. I feel good about picking those. Maybe I will take a shot at hen of the woods next.

I have a question for you. All I have read about the chickens says that if the stems are left on the tree they will grow again the next year. Well there were a couple I found last year that were last their prime so I just left them alone. Went back this year and they have not regrown. I had 5 different oaks that I had found last year and was chomping at the bit to get them early this year and nothing !!! I have been diligently checking twice a week for the past 3 weeks and there is no new growth and nothing that would lead me to believe that I missed the harvest already.

Any idea ???

Thanks a lot guys, yet another hobby in the making. I guess the good thing is that it works well with scouting.

Pete. Try them in a venison stew !!!

DeerDawg: Top pic - First - I have no idea. I'm no expert. I don't pay too much attention anymore to any cap type mushroom with gills. Yes, there are edible ones but many many more toxic / poisonous than good ones. A common mistake made is people think because an animal has eaten it that it is edible for humans. That is False. Other mammals have different enzymes that help them deal with certain species that may be harmful to us. Second - With a few exceptions, the colors red and blue are usually signifying harmful/poisonous in nature (plants, insects, reptiles.... even birds evolved to mimic this as a defense) . Third - there are other characteristics such as where it is growing, smell, etc... that cannot be attained from a picture to give you an ID from a picture. It would be reckless of me or someone else to ID based on that.

Middle pic - while it does appear to be honey mushroom - I would not ID based on the reasons I stated above.

Bottom pic - yes that is a chicken mushroom, maybe a little too far gone but I am not there to see it. This is one of the two beginners can start with - chickens and hen of the woods. Easy to ID and they taste good.

**** And someone mentioned bringing their kids above. Here is some important info if you do not know this already. We really shrug away from feeding almost all wild mushrooms to young children. As I stated above even with an edible variety certain people can have a reaction to certain ones different from I or you. Young children's gastro and immune systems are still in development and in the worse case scenario children have had a reaction and major liver and kidney damage. It's not worth it. With that said all 3 of my boys have grown up harvesting them and learning about them since they were knee-high to a grasshopper, as the event of being in the woods learning these things is appealing to children like mine :) . But.... I would not let any of them sample any type until they were 11-12. And after that only a couple of types. *That is my rule for me to keep mine safe*. Do your own research and make your own decision. Just a caring FYI. Although I am passionate about foraging as I am about hunting/fishing , I apply the same safety logic. "It's only a mushroom (insert fish/deer, etc...) It is not worth anyones health / life. "

Here is the link to a great book resource, the Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.

I sauteed it with onions and some pressure canned pork. Fantastic. Had a ton left over, like five pounds or so. I sliced them into thin strips and put them into ziplocs and froze them.

I guess I will have to learn about oysters :)