Sunday, August 02, 2009

Free from the forest

I stumbled across an assemblage of mushroom geeks today (prior to our local audubon chapter's summer meeting) and showed them this pic of a day-glo orange cauliflower shaped mushroom I'd found in the woods in Michigan...

They all looked very excited and started licking their lips...

It would not occur to me to eat anything this flourescent, honestly.

But Chicken of the Woods, as it's known, is quite tasty according to those in the know.

Can anyone here recommend it? Have a nice recipe to share, just for fun maybe?

9 comments:

KGMom said...

You know what they call people who don't go eating the first mushrooms they spy?
Alive.
Sorry--it's just that when I see interesting fungi, I don't think...lunch.

ReluctantChickenFarmer said...

Chicken of the woods ? Really ? Doesn't look like chicken. Does it taste like chicken ? It must. I wouldn't try it unless I wanted some out of body experience or something.

Hey, ask the mushroom geeks if they have every seen a "Penis of the Woods". Not the official name mind you, just the name that I am going to be using from now on since reading your post. It's real name is "Phallus impudicus" or "Stinkhorn Mushroom". I see these little nasty orange fungi peckers growing all around my yard in the mulch after a rain. I guess rain is nature's Viagra or something to these little "wieners of nature". Really funny to see for a guy with a third grade sense of humor, like me. Never know whether I should weed out the little wieners or let them grow. They have a sticky top too that attracts flies. Really nasty and funny at the same time. I guess when nature has a design that works, it gets carried forward into other species as well. They pop up in a stiff breeze too, BTW. Not really, I just made that up. I think they may be poisonous. I certainly would never eat one. I would not know how to prepare or serve it. Do you slice them (ouch) or cook them (ouch ouch). It would make for interesting dinner conversation at the holidays though.

ReluctantChickenFarmer said...

I need to have my head checked for posting that.....

Patrick B. said...

I think Birdchick might have posted about these or maybe Julie Z. It's supposed to be delicious. Who were these mushroom enthusiasts? A club of some sort?

Beth said...

Sliced and sauteed in butter or just rubbed with olive oil, dusted with salt and pepper and roasted in the oven next to the chicken. Yummy!

Beth

Susan Gets Native said...

OMG.
Your brother said "Orange Fungi Peckers".

MevetS said...

On our field trip this past Saturday, where I found the ducks head orchids, we found a mushroom you could write your name on under the cap. This led to a discussion of among other things an orange colored fungus you could just break off and chow down on.

No one on the trip had actually tried it.

@ Patrick:This Sunday the NJ Mycological Association (aka mushroom geeks) will be at the Rancocas Nature Center hunting for fungi of all kinds. (I think someone from Scherman-Hoffman might be involved as well.)

NCmountainwoman said...

I know two things about these edibles. 1.) Go very easy if you aren't used to eating them or they will do a number of your digestive system. 2.) Make CERTAIN you can identify the tree (or stump) upon which they are growing. If, for example, they are growing on Hemlock they are poisonous.

I love your brother's sense of humor.

dguzman said...

Birdchick posted some stuff about this, like Patrick said. Check her out. She also did a recipe with those puffball mushrooms--it looked kinda gross to me.