Mushroom Hunting: Another Valuable Skill Set

Dangerous mushrooms are everywhere... I want to know which ones we can eat because some look so delicious while others look like the could kill you the minute you even think about trying a piece.

But how can we tell?

I will not tech you how to tell the difference in this post, I don't know it!

All I know is that if you're not 100% sure what it is, don't eat it.

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Today I learned a little something about an edible mushroom...

This one goes by the names of Pheasant's Back or Cerioporus squamosus aka Dryad's Saddle.

This cap is roughly 12 inches wide. Apparently a very old mushroom

Here's a view of the underbelly:

And a wider shot:

On the Edible side of things, from our trusty Wiki:

Young specimens are preferred, as they can become infested with maggots and become firm, rubbery and inedible as they mature. Cookbooks dealing with preparation generally recommend gathering these while young, slicing them into small pieces and cooking them over a low heat. Some people value the thick, stiff paper that can be made from this and many other mushrooms of the genus Cerioporus. The mushroom's smell resembles watermelon rind. Polyporus squamosus has a mild nutty flavour.

More than a few people, on my various identification platforms, have identified this mushroom as Pheasant's Back and eating it while young, before it becomes too much like rubber. However, some say that small ones sometimes are also tough while bigger one may be just right.

Here's a trick for finding out which ones are tender, from Forager Chef:

Take a look at the underside of the mushroom, if the pores look open it's probably gone through maturity amd will be tough to eat. On the iyher hand if the pores look more smooth, like they're still closed, these mushrooms should be young and tender.

You see how the pores are pretty much closed and somrwhat smooth? Image source

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And here the pores have opened up to drop the spores. They kind a honey comb pattern.

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On dangerous look alikes... Well, I couldn't find anything on the subject, so I won't be eating it today! They were all too tough anyway.

I try to give you guys that proof of me when I remember to... so here it is!

Happy Steeming and until next time...

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