I have always wanted to learn more about foraging for mushrooms.In New Hampshire I’m told there is probably nothing that would kill you but you could eat something that would make you so sick that you’d wish you were dead. I’d really like to avoid that feeling!

chicken of the woods

As it turns out, an old friend I ran into at my class reunion has a growing side mushroom business and both grows mushrooms and collects wild ones so I’ve been emailing him photos of my finds after I try to figure out what they are. And that’s how we discovered this mushroom growing about 20 feet from our driveway is chicken of the woods. We cooked some up a couple times this week and it really does taste like chicken – only better.

chicken of the woods – top view

I brought a piece of birch home that was cut a couple years ago as part of a selective logging operation in town that has some turkey tail on it. It’s supposed to be very good for one’s immune system. I’ll have to do some more reading and how to make some tea with it. It feels quite leathery and is not a culinary mushroom. This is a different specimen that’s still out in the woods!

Turkey Tail.

This beauty below I believe is Amanita flavoconia. This family of mushrooms is apparently hallucinogenic but in an unpleasant sort of way. I ran across some references that there are ways to process them for eating but I think I’ll leave that to the experts! I left that one right where I found it and won’t be going back for it. 🙂

Amanita flavoconia