Beefsteak Polypore (Fistulina hepatica)

Season: Fall
Edibility: Tasty.  Remarkably like beef, with a noticeable tart character.
Defining characteristics:  Looks like a slab of raw beef growing at the base of a dead or dying tree.  Not much you can confuse this one with!  It has a bright red color, is a polypore (i.e. it has pores not gills on its underside), and exudes a reddish juice when cut.
Sometimes confused with:  Hunks of raw meat hanging out in the woods.  Not much else.
Recommend cooking method: Sautéed in a little butter with a dash of salt.  Just like a high quality steak.

Beefsteak polypore

The beefsteak polypore is a pretty unique mushroom.  I was rather grossed out by it the first time I ran across it in the woods (seeing as it looks and feels rather like a bloody steak), but now that I have enjoyed it's culinary qualities it is much more attractive.  This year (2011) is the first season I have seen this mushroom in Rhode Island, and sources suggest that is a fairly uncommon mushroom in the Northeast.  Time will tell, but I certainly would be happy to see it around more.

All the specimens I have seen have been at the base of dying oak trees growing solitarily or in a very small clump.  You probably are never going to find enough of these to reliably make a meal, but I would certainly recommend trying them out if you get the chance.

(Note location at base of tree, and honey mushrooms
sprouting on the right hand edge of photo)

They are the third of the edible polypores that we find here in Rhode Island (and New England in general), along with the Chicken of the Woods, and Hen of the Woods.  Definitely the least common of the three, but they make up a great family of mushrooms that are all quite safe to eat and easy to identify.

Flavor wise, it is pretty remarkably like beef.  There is a definite sour/tart note to it (just imagine a steak with a lemon marinade), but it is a pretty awesome meat substitute.

Sliced beefsteak polypore

If you find any, please post a comment as to what are you live in, when you found them, and what you thought of them- I am interested to see how often people encounter these curiosities!



















To read more from qualified sources check out: Wildman or Wikipedia.

Timeline of edible mushroom in Rhode Island

Here is a basic timeline of when I am finding which edibles in Rhode Island (and elsewhere as noted).  This is not a comprehensive list of what you might find, but rather what I find when I get the chance to forage and the weather is cooperating.  

2011 (pretty great fall for mushrooms)

July: 

• Bicolor Bolete

August: 

• Chicken of the woods
• Black Trumpet

September:

• Chicken of the woods
• Hen of the woods
• Hedgehog
• Beefsteak polypore
• Honey mushroom

October:

• Chicken of the woods
• Hen of the woods
• Painted bolete
• Lactarius hygrophoroides

2010 (not a good year)

September:

• Chicken of the woods
• Hen of the woods

2009 (decent year)

July

• Bicolor Bolete
• Chestnut Bolete

August:

• Hen of the woods

September:

• Chicken of the woods
• Hen of the woods
• Golden Chanterelle (found in Maine)

Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea)

Season: Late summer and fall.
Edibility: Not for beginners- but quite tasty.
Defining characteristics:  Honey colored cap with fine black fibers on the cap (particularly in the center of the cap).  A prominent ring high up on the stalk, and if you look closely the gills tend to run down the stalk to the ring (this can be a subtle effect on some specimens).  The stalk is tough and often hairy.  Generally growing in large to gigantic clusters, at the base of dead or dying trees.   Spore print white or pale cream (NOTE- spore color is extremely important in identifying honey mushrooms).
Sometimes confused with: Galerina marginata, Pholiota sp., Gymnopilus sp.

Young honey mushrooms

The honey mushroom is a common fall mushroom that can appear in huge quantities.  While it is a tasty mushroom (think a milder version of the shitake), there are several dangerous species that look similar and you DONT want to eat.  Please be very careful before harvesting honeys and be sure of what you have!  It should also be noted that there are many species of honey mushrooms that are all similar, but may vary in one or two of these factors.  Be careful and ID before you eat.

This basic checklist will help make sure you have a honey:

• Is it growing at the base of a dead or dying tree?
• Does it have a ring near the top of the stalk?
• Is it growing in a large clump?
• Is the spore print white?
• Is the cap honey colored with dark fibers/hairs?

If your mushroom meets all the criteria above and matches photos online (a good test is to do a google image search for the species in question and look at a lot of photos to see the range of appearances) then you probably have a honey.  Again, if you are in doubt, throw it out.

There is a latent bitter/acrid flavor to raw honey mushrooms that slowly develops in your mouth over 20-30 seconds.  Cooking well (15 minutes or more) removes this bitter flavor and makes it more palatable and safe.  It is reported that a small percentage of people are also sensitive to the honey mushroom, so eat a small amount the first time.

The honey mushroom has the impressive distinction of being named the largest single organism in the world (a single specimen in Oregon covers 2,000 acres).  It is a parasitic mushroom that spreads underground via its mycelium and rhizomorphs, attacking and killing weak trees.  The mushroom may continue to fruit for many years in the same spot, continuing to feed on the root mass even after the tree has died and fallen.  One upshot of this is that if you find one tree with honeys, you may well find more in the neighborhood.

For more information check out the following resources: Wildman Steve Brill, Wikipedia, or Mushroom Expert.

Cluster of honey mushrooms (note ring on stem and
 dark fibers on the center of the cap).

Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces floccopus)

Season: Summer through fall.
Edibility: Nope.
Defining characteristics: A medium to large bolete (2-6 inches across) with black spiky scales on its cap.  The pore surface starts off lightly colored, but darkens to near black with age.  The flesh is white but bruises pinkish-red when first cut and then slowly turns to black.

Old Man of the Woods

I find the Old Man fairly frequently here in Rhode Island once the prime mushroom season starts (mid-August).  It often appears to be solitary, but if you look around there may well be a group of them hiding nearby.  You are not likely to confuse this mushroom with much else, and it is one of the most striking and beautiful mushrooms if you find a fresh specimen in my opinion.

Unfortunately it is not supposed to taste good- one reference says that it starts off tasting bad, and gets worse.  I have included it here as it is an easy mushroom to ID, and something you will probably find on foraging trips in the area.

Wine Cap Stropharia (Stopharia rugosoannulata)

Season: Once in the spring and again in the fall
Edibility: Very good
Defining Characteristics:  Wine colored cap (possibly fading as it ages), pronounced ring on white stalk, lilac to purple gills.  Often growing on wood chips, especially when you planted the spawn yourself!  Dark purplish spore print.

This spring I decided that I wasn't finding enough mushrooms I felt comfortable eating in the wild, and ought to supplement my finds with yummy home grown fungi.  I have had moderate success with growing oyster mushrooms on coffee grounds (I am planning a big project this coming winter with oysters- stay tuned!) and thought it was time to try out some outdoor kits.

The Wine Cap Stropharia is supposed to be one of the easiest to grow and has the added benefit of simultaneously providing you  with an additional crop from the same amount of garden, and increasing the mycelial density in your garden, which is generally regarded to help out the size and health of your veggies!

As you can see from the picture above, the Wine Cap grows very well on wood chips.  I laid down a thin layer of wood chips over about a 20 square foot area in the herb garden, then spread out the kit I bought from Field and Forest Products over the wood chips, and then covered it all with another inch or so of wood chips.  After that all you need to do is regularly water the chips ( ~1 inch of water per week) and think happy thoughts!

I planted the kit in June of this year- the kit suggested that I might get a crop before winter depending on rain, early frosts, etc... and then I should get a full crop this coming May or June.  After the spring fruiting you can add more wood chips to renew the bed, or take a shovel-full of the inoculated wood chips and add them to a new pile!  Hopefully I will be able to keep the Wine Caps thriving and spreading through my garden for years to come.

Now down to the important details:  the mushroom.  I planted the kit up in Maine, probably a few weeks later than ideal (given the short Maine growing season) and as a result I only got this one mushroom from the kit- but at least I got something, and I know the mycelium is alive and growing!  It was about 3 inches across the cap, with a 4 inch stem and firm flesh.  Quite a satisfying mushroom to grow, and after I had checked my mushroom books and made sure that I had what I thought I had (always a good idea with mushrooms!) I cooked it right up.

Online recipes suggest that the Wine Cape takes well to lemon and wine, as opposed to the traditional garlic, leek and similar preparation.  Since it was my first time eating it I sauteed the mushroom in butter to better understand the taste of it plain (besides, sauteing food in butter is pretty fool-proof).  It was excellent!  It has a soft nutty flavor with a round juiciness.  Somewhat hard to pin down on a flavor wheel, but very enjoyable.

Hopefully next year I will have many more to write about and feast on- in the meantime you can read more about the Wine Cap Stropharia at MushroomExpert.com.

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus and cincinnatus)

Season: June-October
Edibility: Yummy (just get it young)
Defining characteristics: Bright to pale orange surface, bright yellow to white underside.  Pores, not gills.  Growing at the base of oak trees or on dead wood in clusters that can be spectacular and huge (50 pounds plus)

Last week I came across the mushrooms shown here.  A large dead oak tree fell over about a month ago and within two weeks these Laetiporus sulphureus started growing!  It is quite likely that the mushroom may have actually contributed to the death and collapse of the tree, but at least some good came from its death (those mushrooms are delicious).

We are lucky to have two distinct species of the Chicken of the Woods growing here in Rhode Island.  Laetiporus sulphureus (shown here) grows primarily on dead wood and has a brighter orange color, and a vivid yellow underside.  Laetiporus cincinatus has a white underside and is normally found at the base of oak trees (around my house it has been more common this year, although you tend to find just one cluster on a tree).  Taste-wise the cincinatus is reported to be more tender, which I would agree with so far.

There are reported allergic reactions in a small percentage of people who eat this mushroom (just like with most foods) so as always exercise caution when tasting it for the first time!

For more information check out mushroomexpert.com and mushroom-collecting.com.

Even my cat was impressed...

Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

Season: July-September
Edibility: Choice!
Defining characteristics:  Orange color, ridges on underside of cap that look like gills but are not, growing in spread out groups but NOT a single large cluster, odor (from none to apricot-like).
Don't confuse them with: The False Chanterelle or The Jack-O-Lantern mushroom

I have now been hunting New England mushrooms for 1 year.  I have been hoping to find the chanterelle, and finally this last weekend I had success!  While visiting family in Maine and we took a hike along an old dirt road that proved to be full of fun mushrooms.  I will try and get to some of the other species in a later post, but for now- the chanterelle.

Chanterelles are one of the most sought after and popular wild mushrooms (you can read all sorts of neat things about them at wikipedia, from mushroomexpert.com, and mykoweb).  They have resisted attempts at cultivation thus far, and while they will come up in the same spot year after year, the amount varies from year to year, and the habitat is very sensitive to disturbance.  All this means that chanterelles are not a common find, and very expensive commercially.  So if you happen to find a chanterelle harvesting ground, please treat it with respect so that they can continue to be harvested in years to come!

Chanterelles and Black Trumpets getting ready for dinner

I found them in a dark, thick conifer forest that was fairly wet and near a marshy area.  There were probably 100 or so chanterelles spread out over an area about 30 feet wide, quite a great find.  We collected about 1/3 of them and got out of the area quickly, so hopefully next year we will get another excellent crop.

There are a couple potentially confusing look-alikes, so be VERY careful if you are not confident about your harvesting skills.  Read about the False Chanterelle and Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms (which glow in the dark!) and make sure you know what you are doing.

We made up the pasta below with our chanterelles, black trumpets (to be written about soon!), and our own garlic.  Super simple, and incredibly tasty- you can't beat fresh quality ingredients!