Скачать или смотреть Foraging, Identifying, Cooking Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)

Despite a relatively dry summer here in Massachusetts, I managed to find a spectacular #ChickenoftheWoods #Laetiporussulphureus, a yellow and orange Polypore that generally grows on broadleaf hardwoods (like oak). It can grow in shelves or rosettes (like this one), usually the growing edges are bright yellow while the older tissue turns orange (and eventually beige/white when it gets bleached out by the sun). The underside is covered in small yellow pores (thus a Polypore), it does not have gills (be sure you understand the difference between Jack O Lantern and Chicken of the Woods).
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This is an easy to identify delicious edible mushroom, making it great for beginners. HOWEVER, be aware that some people are allergic/sensitive to CotW. It can cause some very uncomfortable GI symptoms (🤢🤮💩) in a dose dependent manner. If it’s your first time trying CotW, my best advice is to cook it very thoroughly (at least 10-15m - 5m is not enough) and try a small piece, then wait at least an hour to see how it hits your system. I love eating this mushroom, but I try to limit my portion size to no more than a pound in a sitting (just to be safe). It’s unclear what causes the sensitivity to CotW, but possibly due to oxalic acid (which can be mitigated via cooking) or ergotamine (a non-standard fungal amino acid).
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This cluster was perfect and tender all the way through, so I took the whole thing (given that there were others on the tree), but in general it’s best to cut the leading edge off a Polypore, leaving the base intact so that more can grow.
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Hope you manage to find your own chicken this summer, may all your mush dreams come true!
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#chickenofthewoodsmushroom #laetiporus #foraging #mycology #mushroomforaging #polypore #ediblemushrooms #wildmushrooms #newengland #massachusettsnature