Hen of the woods featured in a heavenly gravy paired with a roasted chicken makes for a perfect fall feast. The name Laetiporus means "with bright pores". Not actually on the oak tree… Within a meter of the base of the tree.. I used the first recipe I hit on Google, which turned out to be the following: Everything you need to make a vegetarian Cashew Chicken. I found it growing on a dead tree trunk and it may have been a eucalyptus tree. I’d like to find out what mushrooms these are and whether or not they’re edible. They started out a few days ago as an ivory colored fungus and today are almost neon orange. The biggest characteristic to distinguish this mushroom from the Chicken of the Woods mushroom is it has ridges on the underside (which kinda resemble gills). Please send some pictures of the underside as well as the tree it was found on. I can help you with that: How to properly cook mushrooms. Ingredients. Thank you, Cindy. Copyright Curative Mushrooms LLC - All Rights Reserved 2020. I found this at my local park on the ground. Recipe: Broiled Faux Crab and Shrimp Tartine with Microgreens, Recipe: Smoked Pulled Oyster Mushroom “BBQ”. Is believed that possibly the oil in the conifers gets absorbed into the mushroom which causes the reaction but there is no known actual toxin or anything. I’m not a professional mycologist, but I do know that there are at a number of distinct species of chicken of the woods, so I assume the same could be possible with hens. Is it Chicken of the woods? There are also supplements out there for people who just want to get straight to the source of the benefit. Here is a picture of the Hen of the Woods mushroom: The Chicken of the Woods mushroom is jam pack with protein and loaded with some medicinal benefits that most people don’t realize they have. Found this in the yard where an oak stump was. The orange becomes more of a deep red as it cooks, as opposed to the grayish blobs of chicken meat. The Chicken of the Woods did require much more oil (I used butter) than the normal chicken, as it was drier. Thanks!!! We found these in Southeastern Michigan this morning (9/20/2020) and need your help to identify them. This one appears to be Honey fungus (Armillaria). This looks like Hen of the Woods, aka maitake, Grifola fondosa. Be careful with it growing on the eucalyptus tree though because some people have reported having an allergy when they eat mushrooms growing on those trees. Folks like to use mushrooms as a healthy alternative (Meatless Monday), due to ethical reasons (Vegetarian friendly) or due to food allergies (shellfish allergy). Founds these in my yard today. Some people will marinate them and grill them just like chicken. The maitake Ari found in downtown Northampton this past Saturday was young and dense. It’s a real beauty. Distinguishing the flavor profiles of differing mushroom varieties is like describing a wine: A basic guide. I broke a piece off and it evens smells like chicken! This looks nothing like a polypore mushroom on the underside. Thanks in advance for any and all help. Last year these mushrooms were very light yellow in color so we weren’t sure if they were chicken of the wood or not. Can these mushrooms grow in North America? Your email address will not be published. Everything tastes like chicken, but this mushroom actually has the texture of chicken as well – with some benefits. Check out another article we wrote about their nutrition and health benefits: One of the cool think about this mushroom is that you can cook it just like you do many other chicken recipes and that it will taste just like chicken. If you want to be safe you could avoid it completely or possibly try to cook a small sample and see if you experience any symptoms. Gourmet mushrooms are often used as a meat substitute – for example, Lion’s Mane can be used as a substitute for crab meat, Oyster Mushrooms can be a substitute for pork in a pulled BBQ sandwich, etc. YES! I have several of them. It’s about 6” diameter . What Is it ? Not to mention that you can find this mushroom growing for almost half of the year! Chicken of the Woods Basic Facts. After a few bites, I told him it was actually squirrel meat. This year it’s clear. Instead, it is a member of the polypore family and it has thousands of tiny (microscopic) pores with a white spore print. Chicken of the Woods mushrooms don’t have gills on the underside like the poisonous Jack-O-Lantern mushroom. Aside from that, the Chicken of the Woods just looked better in the pan. Hello Oliver, The mushroom has a vast distribution throughout the United States, North America, Canada, Europe, and some areas in Asia. Check out another article we have written on how to cook and store the Chicken of the Woods mushroom: When everything is ‘said and done’, this is a great mushroom for people new to mushroom foraging to hunt for. Therefore it’s always a treat when we discover it. Even if you harvest this mushroom by accident it is not poisonous and would still be a great find because it is a choice edible mushroom. Is this a chicken of the woods that is turning old? Please post a more clear picture of the top, side and underside. Hey Oliver! Close up of COTW – Note the resemblance to real cooked chicken meat. Thanks for your help. It is also one of the easiest mushroom to find and identify because of it’s bright orange and yellow colors. Came across what looks like a Chicken of the Woods today. These are growing on a carob tree, perhaps they are Chicken of the Woods? Growing on a poplar tree . Would like your opinion. Is it? After we cleared up that joke, he did admit that the Chicken of the Woods actually tasted better than the chicken. I normally Sautee them for 10 to 15 minutes with a little soy or teriyaki sauce. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. They tend to show up summer through fall, but are not commonly found, at least in our experience thus far. What are morel Mushrooms? Thanks. Looks like chicken of the woods. Pizza, soup, casserole, pasta, stir-fry, salad, omelets, sautéed — the list goes on. The only way to know if to try a little and see. From this distance it definitely looks like chicken of the woods. 2) Chills Your email address will not be published. I always leave a little behind! However – I think I have found one case where the mushroom is BETTER than the real thing. I was hoping you could confirm whether these are Chicken of the Wood. 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