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Morels and garlic mustard
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Spring mushrooming in Connecticut
and southern New England in general can be a little slow. Soil and air
temperatures fluctuate seasonally, and rain can be sporadic. The
"season" can begin as early as April, and generally runs through
mid-June. While there are many small bumps on logs and dried polypores to
examine, there are relatively few species of edibles (at least compared to the
species in summer and autumn) to be found in the spring. It should also be
noted that there is a scale of edibility to recognize: choice or great edibles,
edible (I prefer to think of them as simply non-toxic at this level; cook them
up with butter and salt, and all you will taste will be butter and salt. An
"edible" designated mushroom has no real interesting flavor or
texture that sets it apart from a basic white button grocery store mushroom),
and non edible (whether due to toxins or texture).
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Mica caps
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Deer mushroom
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Platterfull mushroom
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Three spring mushrooms I consider
"edible" but won't bother collecting due to lack of flavor and poor
texture are mica caps (Coprinellus micaceus), deer mushroom (Pleutues
cervinus), and the platter-full mushroom (Megacollybia rodmani). Mica caps can
be plentiful, but often full of dirt, and as one of the inky mushrooms, will
deliquesce if not cooked quickly. Deer mushrooms are quite flavorless and cook
up rather floppy, and platterfull mushrooms are nearly all gills. Without
extensive and involved prep using skills and techniques that the average home
cook does not posses, these three mushrooms *in my opinion* are not good
edibles in spring.
And why bother with
less-than-desirable mushrooms when there are a number of very good to choice
mushrooms to be found?
Morels (Morchella sp.) are the
spring edible that many seek, but is not nearly as plentiful here as it is in
the mid-west, Appalachian region, and on the west coast after burns. They have
a pitted cap, a lighter colored stem, and are hollow. Depending on species, the
cap can be attached or attached at the mid-pint, or attached at the top of the
inside of the cap. Depending on species, they can be delicate and small
1-2" or chunkier and taller at 3"-5". There is still ongoing DNA
studies being done on identifying morels, so their binomials are changing.
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Morchella dimunutiva
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Morchella americana
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Morchella punctipes
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Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus
ostreatus) can be found in spring; indeed all winter if it has been mild
enough. The spring oysters tend to have light brown caps, and the yellow
oysters (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) will soon be invading our geographic area
after spreading throughout the mid-west. Oysters are gilled and grow from dead
or nearly-dead hardwood, and can be cultivated at home. They offer very good
flavor and texture when sauteed, grilled, or roasted. Wine caps (Stropharia
rugosoannulata) are another gilled, saprobic mushroom, but are found growing in
wood chips of the cooler spring and autumn months, and can also be cultivated
at home. The caps can be burgundy but that color can fade; there is also a
lighter variety that has a yellowish cap to begin with. There is often a large
cog-wheel like ring on the stem, and the gills start off pale grey maturing to
dark purplish grey. Wine caps are meaty mushrooms and have a stronger flavor
that works well stuffed and baked, grilled, or cooked into risotto.
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Oyster mushroom
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Wine caps
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Two polypores that can be collected
while still young and tender are the dryad's saddle (Cerioporus squamosus) and
the chicken (Laetiporus sulphureus). Both are saprobic, growing from wood, and
will become tough and inedible with age. Dryad's saddle has an excellent crisp
texture and a stronger flavor than most mushrooms; making it ideal for pickling
or using in strongly flavored dishes. There are fine tufts of hairs on the caps
and the pore surface smells like watermelon rind or cucumber. Chicken mushrooms
don't taste exactly like chicken; it is more the texture of a prime specimen
will strongly mimic the texture of chicken when cooked well. They can take on
any cooking method and any flavors--poaching, frying, sauteing, baking, mincing
or grinding, simple bread crumb coating, BBQ spices and sauce, poultry
seasoning, ginger and garlic aromatics, and any marinade. Chicken mushroom is a
wonderful meat substitute for a vegetarian meal.
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Dryad's saddle
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Chicken mushroom
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Finally, another spring mushroom
worth hunting is the wood ear mushroom (Auricularia "americana"
group). True wood ears are in binomial flux, and the name will change. Wood
ears grow on wood, are gelatinous in texture, and have a fine coating of fuzzy
hairs on one side. Not all brown jellies are "wood ears," many are
from the genus Exidia but are still equally edible. Wood ears themselves don't
have a lot of flavor, but provide an interesting textural contrast when added
to soups and stir fries. They dehydrate and reconstitute well in water.
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Wood ears
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NOT woods ears, but Exidia crenulata brown jelly
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