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This is a delicious batch of edible mushrooms. We found them during the autumn season when we were staying in Wisconsin. We were hiking in a state park and getting tired, but we had to fill several grocery bags with these and carry the load back to the car. It was a very productive hike. After cleaning the mushrooms, we froze most of them and took them back home to Florida. |
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On a trip with one of our canoeing clubs, we were camped on the Fawn River in Indiana, where we found these beautiful mushrooms growing next to a stump right next to our campsite. There are only a few species that we are familiar with, and we only pick those that we feel safe with. The names we use are "buttons" and "stumpers." We do not try to identify them according to our reference books and spore prints. |
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We gather mushrooms in plastic bags in the woods during the fall season. We do not use the traditional rattan baskets. When we hike back to our vehicle, we spread them in boxes to transport them home. Next they go into plastic buckets and dishpans to be thoroughly washed. Then they are boiled in salted water, when they are greatly reduced in size. Then put in plastic bags, doubled or tripled, and frozen, so the mushrooms are available throughout the year. Delicious prepared with broiled steak or country fried chicken. |
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This mushroom is called "sheephead" or "hen of the woods" (Polypilus frondosus). It varies in size and color, and is best when it is not very old. Some get very large in size, sometimes in a very short time. When prepared in slices, breaded and fried, some people say the taste and feel are like veal or chicken. Our most recent hunt was in October 2002. |
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