Photo Collage - Chicken Mushroom

We find our chicken mushrooms (Laetiporus sulphureus) more often in the fall, but they can be found starting in the spring, though the summer, and into autumn.  Our orange and yellow chicken mushroom can be a large specimen, providing huge amounts of food when the fungus is still young and tender. When the shelves are cut, they should ooze a little liquid and be juicy. Old, crumbly and bleached and faded chicken mushroom will taste like sawdust, and no amount of cooking or boiling will remedy that.

To use the flesh, we slice or cube the shelves and meaty core into manageable pieces, and use it just like chicken. It will retain it's beautiful orange and white color, and will crisp up nicely when sauteed. We have made pot pie, skewered satay, soup, "fried chicken", stuffed bread, and a pulled meat style barbecue sandwich with this versatile fungus, along with just frying it up in a pan and eating it with a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice.

Gillian holding a pink and white chicken, cut
from the base of an oak tree

Chicken mushrooms are polypores, which means they have small holes, or pores, on their underside instead of gills. They rot the heart wood of hardwood trees here in the Northeast, growing on the upper portions of the tree trunk. A similar chicken, the pink and white Laetiporus cincinnatus, rots the roots and butt of the tree, and therefore appears at the base of a tree. We actually enjoy the taste of the pink and white chicken slightly more than the orange and yellow chicken, but both are very good edibles.

From MushroomExpert.com:

Ecology: Parasitic and saprobic on living and dead oaks (also sometimes on the wood of other hardwoods); causing a reddish brown cubical heart rot, with thin areas of white mycelium visible in the cracks of the wood; annual; growing alone or, more typically, in large clusters; summer and fall, rarely in winter and spring; east of the Rocky Mountains. The mushrooms do not appear until well after the fungus has attacked the tree; by the time the chickens appear, they are definitely coming home to roost, as far as the tree's health is concerned.
Fruiting Body: Up to 60 cm across; usually consisting of several to many individual caps arranged in a shelving formation or a rosette.
Caps: 5-30 cm across and up to 20 cm deep; up to 3 cm thick; fan-shaped to semicircular or irregular; more or less planoconvex; smooth to finely wrinkled; suedelike; bright yellow to bright orange when young, frequently fading in maturity and with direct sunlight.
Pore Surface: Yellow; with 2-4 circular to angular pores per mm; tubes to 5 mm deep.
Stem: Absent.
Flesh: Thick; soft and watery when young, becoming tough, eventually crumbling away; white to pale yellow.
Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.
Spore Print: White.

Photo Collage - Tylopilus alboater

Robert is attending Mushroom University through COMA (Connecticut Westchester Mycological Association), and the subject this year is the study of boletes. He knows the best way to learn his mushroom identifications is by photographing each species multiple times, at different stages of growth, and from many angles. Tylopilus aboater is also known as the black velvet bolete. It is very firm and solid, and from our own experiences and from those in our mushroom club, great eating. We also learned from our more experienced  club members to not handle this mushroom too much, as it will stain your hands black! From MushroomExpert.com:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods (especially oaks); growing alone or scattered; summer and fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains.

Cap: 3-15 cm; convex, becoming broadly convex or flat; dry; velvety; sometimes with a white dusting when young; black or dark grayish brown; in my experience, often darkening on handling.

Pore Surface: Whitish becoming pinkish; bruising red, then brown to black; pores angular, 2 per mm; tubes to 1 cm deep.

Stem: 4-10 cm long; 2-4 cm thick; more or less equal, or enlarging towards base; colored like the cap or paler; sometimes with a white dusting; fairly smooth; not reticulate or merely finely so near the apex; in my experience, often darkening on handling.

Flesh: Thick and white; discoloring pinkish on exposure to air, then turning slowly grayish; black in the stem base.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Photo Collage - Boletus morrisii

This bolete is a very photogenic mushroom. Its pores start out bright red and fade to orange. The color of the cap varies greatly with the age of the mushroom, starting out dark purplish-red and almost velvety, aging to drab olive green and brown. While Roger's Mushrooms lists its edibility as "unknown", Bolete Bill has been heard to proclaim it delicious. It is a dense mushroom, heavy and solid. We found it in association with oaks in southeastern Connecticut, and hope to taste it the next time we come across a good specimen.

From Roger's Mushrooms:

fungus colour: Red or redish or pink, Brown

normal size: 5-15cm

cap type: Convex to shield shaped

stem type: Simple stem

flesh: Flesh discolours when cut, bruised or damaged

spore colour: Olivaceous

habitat: Grows in woods, Grows on the ground

Boletus morrisii Pk.Red-speckled Bolete Cap 3-10cm across, broadly convex; deep smoky brown to olivaceous, becoming reddish brown at center, with orange-yellow margin; dry, finely pulverulent, then smooth. Tubes usually deeply depressed around stem; yellow to ochre, reddish where bruised. Pores small; orange to brick red. Stem 40-80 x 8-15mm, equal to slightly swollen; bright yellow with very distinct and quite widely separate bright red squamules or dots nearly to apex. Flesh yellow with discolored areas of vinaceous or dark purple, especially in stem. Odor not distinctive. Taste not distinctive. Spores ellipsoid-subfusiform, 10-15(16) x 3.5-5.5(6.5)µ. Deposit olivaceous. Habitat gregarious or even subcaespitose in deciduous woods. Rather rare. Found from Massachusetts to northern Georgia, not known from western North America. Season July-September. Edibility not known.

Photo Collage - Suillus salmonicolor

It's no secret Robert loves to use his camera and he loves mushroom hunting. Put them together and you get some lovely pictures of his favorite genus, Boletus. These Suillus salmonicolor are mycorrhizal with 2-needle jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and are found most often in the late summer and fall. We were out looking for Leccinums last autumn when we came across several scattered groups of these in an area with lots of wild blueberries, hemlocks and jack pines. We did not try to eat these until we could identify them better, but may give them a taste the next time we come across a few, taking general Suillus eating precautions of peeling the cap and removing the pores.

From MushroomExpert.com:

Cap: 3-10 cm; convex becoming broadly convex or flat; slimy; smooth; orangish, dirty yellowish, brownish, olive brown, or cinnamon.

Pore Surface: At first covered with a thick, orangish to grayishpartial veil that is baggy and rubbery, with a white roll of tissue on the lower edge; yellow to orangish, becoming brownish with age; not bruising; 1-2 round or angular pores per mm; not boletinoid; tubes to about 1 cm deep.

Stem: 3-10 cm long; up to 1.5 cm thick; equal or with a slightly enlarged base; covered with glandular dots that are pale reddish brown at first and become darker with age; whitish to yellowish or orangish; with a gelatinous ring.

Flesh: Orangish to yellowish, often salmon orange in the stem base; not staining on exposure.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Photo Collage - Black Locust

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is native to the Appalachian Mountain area, and is considered an invasive tree in other places. It grows quickly, and often in clusters, crowding out native vegetation and aggressively invading fields.  The bark of older Black Locust trees is grey and deeply furrowed. The tree can grow up to 100 feet tall, and the trunk is usually crooked. The wood is very strong and rot resistant, often used in posts. The leaves are compound with 7 to 21 oval, smooth edged leaflets. On smaller trees, a pair of thorns grow at the leaf axils. For about only one week in mid-spring, the white flower clusters droop from the trees, making the entire tree appear white. Each flower in the cluster has a yellow spot on its top petal, and the flowers look like pea blossoms. They are crispy when picked, and can be refrigerated or even frozen for later use. They are most fragrant right before opening, or within a day or so. If the blossoms are browned or falling to the ground, it is too late to pick them. The roots of the trees alter the nitrogen content of the soil. Most parts of the tree are toxic, causing digestive system problems. In late summer the tree produces flat, green seedpods that looks like beans containing flat seeds. It is only the flowers that we gather and consume.



The best way to eat the blossoms is raw from the tree, and the taste of the raw flowers is sweet like fresh peas.  Use them in a salad, or stir them into hot oatmeal. We remove the flowers from the brownish-green cluster stem and add them to pancakes and doughnut batter, or add them to an egg custard. Robert makes a sweet drink with the flowers steeped in water, honey, and lemon juice. Last year we made a peasant wine with the blossoms, and it is fantastic--floral, mostly dry, and wonderfully clarified. We have also made some black locust flower jelly and some flower-scented sugar. Robert also made a black locust blossom syrup, which we mix with seltzer for a bubbly non-alcoholic cocktail. The blossoms attract lots of bees and ants, and the trees will seem to "hum" with activity as you walk past one in mid-spring.

Photo Collage - Flowers of Edibles, Edible Flowers

Color! That was my first thought when I saw this photo collage that Robert put together. Then I remarked that that was a lot of photos, and told me there were even more that he had not included. These are photos of two things - flowers of edible fruits and berries, or flowers that are edible themselves. 

Some of these blossoms fall into both categories, like roses that are fragrant and have edible petals and produce vitamin C packed, fleshy hips, and the flowers of the milkweed that are great as capers and eventually turn into the edible seed pods to stuff with cheese and bake. Some blooms are from a more medicinal flower, like the mullein or St. John's Wort. Most are the flowers of berries and fruits: wineberries, may apple, wild plums, wild blueberries, elderberries, wild strawberries, and autumn olives. There are even a few from plants that we dig for their roots, like evening primrose, field garlic, trout lily, dandelion, and Solomon's Seal. Finally, we have the lovely lilacs that can be candied, the black locust clusters that are great deep fried in batter, linden bracts for aromatic tea, red clover that's a sweet, nectar-filled trail nibble, and delicate violets that can be used in syrups and jelly.

Photo Collage - Dandelion

The humble dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a naturalized invader from Europe that is found all over North America and Canada in hayfields, pastures, lawns, parks, empty lots and other disturbed areas. It is  an herbaceous perennial that grows all of its leaves from a basal rosette. Each leaf stalk has a lighter green midrib, and the leaf is often deeply lobed with tips that point back towards the base of the leaf. Flower stalks are hollow tubes, sometimes smooth and sometimes covered with a fine fuzzy wool. Each flower stalk carries a single composite flower head composed of many ray florets, forming the familiar yellow flower that dots the landscape. Shortly after blooming, often the next day, the white, fluffy head of seeds is formed. Each seed is attached to a pappus of fine hairs that works like a parachute to catch winds and disperse the seeds over wide areas. The taproot of dandelion is fleshy and long, becoming woody with age. It is difficult to eradicate dandelions from a lawn because the taproot is difficult to dig up in one piece, often breaking and still managing to grow back. All parts of dandelion exude a white sap when broken or cut.

Dandelion greens are a common food in Italy and France, and we can find them in our local grocery stores alongside the other leafy greens like kale and mustards. There is always a bit of bitterness associated with dandelion greens, but that level of bitterness can vary with climate, time of year, and habitat of the plant. Robert gathers the greens only in the early spring before the dandelions flower, or in the late fall. He gets them from a meadow next to a seasonally flooding river that receives full sun, and quickly boils them to wilt the greens and store them in the freezer for later use, adds them raw to salads, and cooks them in recipes calling for greens. As he will pick about 5 gallons of greens at a time and boil them in a big pot of water, he is then left with a big pot of dandelion tea filled with vitamins, minerals and iron, that he sweetens and chills to drink. When the flowers appear, we pick them in abundance to use the yellow petals in jelly, wine, and added to breads and muffins. Gillian will powder her face with pollen as she munches the flower heads fresh from the field. Robert digs the roots in the autumn to dry slowly in the oven and powder in the coffee grinder, then uses the powder as a coffee substitute. The smell of the roasting roots is similar to chocolate, and the "coffee" is bitter, but really good dressed up with sweetener and cream. Dandelions are versatile, common, and one of our favorite free, organic, and wild foods.

In two weeks, we are taking a little road trip to the Dandelion Festival in Ohio. We are looking forward to sampling some dandelion-filled foods, some music, crafts, and fun for kids. We  ordered the cookbook that Breitenbach Wine Cellars produces in collaboration with the Festival, and it is filled with fun recipes using the greens, flowers and roots.

Photo Collage - Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) might be one of the first wild edibles we tried a few years ago. It is incredibly abundant her in southern New England, and highly invasive. The flavor is indeed garlicky with a hint of hot mustard, with a bit of bitterness in the leaves at different stages of growth. Garlic mustard is a biennial herbaceous plant, meaning it does not produce flowers and seeds until its second season. Beginning in late fall, and early spring, the first year's growth of kidney-shaped leaves is produced in a basal rosette from a white taproot. These leaves are a bit tough and best suited for pestos and a recipe where they are chopped and cooked for awhile. The second year is when the flower stalk is produced, and the stalk bears triangular-shaped leaves that are more tender, but also more pungent. The flower clusters look a little bit like broccoli and the tiny white flowers are edible, with a hot bite. Shortly after the flowers pass, long seed pods called siliques grow, turning from green to brown. The seeds fall in mid-summer, leaving behind the dry, brown plant stalks.


The entire plant is edible to certain degrees. The white taproot from the first year basal rosette can be dug and grated like horseradish, or chewed raw for a sinus-stimulant! The leaves can be gathered to use like other greens in normal recipes, like a roulade, ravioli filling, or greens-stuffed bread. Using the garlicky and spicy flavor of the leaves to enhance food is done by adding the greens to a more neutral recipe like hummus, or an already spicy felafel. Some find the slight bitterness unpleasant, and that can be lessened by boiling the greens in two changes of water before using the greens. We like to eat the top 4" or so of the flower stalks, stripped of the leaves and stems, and boiled like pasta. We also like to eat the immature, green seed pods with some butter and salt. The seeds can be gathered quite easily in quantity, and we use them in a spicy mustard and dressings, and sprinkled on bread.

Photo Collage - Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed is very prevalent and highly invasive in New England. Its point of entry into the United States was through Boston as an ornamental, and it has spread into 39 of 50 states. In the early spring the shoots begin to pop up from the bases of last season's growth, as it spreads mainly through rhizomes in the ground. The hollow stalks grow quickly, unfurling leaves at each "joint" beneath a papery sheath until they reach up to 12" tall. The stalk is green, and often speckled red, looking similar to rhubarb. The leaves have an odd, flat base on the stem end and are simple, oval and pointed. Large stands of Japanese knotweed are easy to spot by the forest of tall, dead stalls left behind from last season.

We gather the stalks when they are 3"-10" tall, as they become tough and stringy as they get too much taller. At the smaller sizes, the stalks can be peeled to use raw, or cooked many ways into recipes. Most of the recipes we have developed are sweet, as the tart flavor of knotweed pairs well with sugar. Jelly, dessert bars, muffins, wine, cold soup and tapioca are some ideas for a sweet dish, and we recently tried it raw and savory in a wild food-filled summer roll. Gillian will chew on a raw stalk while we are out, and likes to sip the water that accumulates in the lowest hollow joint of the larger plants.

Photo Collage - Ramps

Robert has been putting together some photo collages with the extensive library of photographs he has taken over the last few years. In April, we look forward to the ramps (Allium tricoccum) poking up their leaves through the forest floor. Ramps are fairly common here in southeastern Connecticut, and we gather the leaves from several large patches. We don't usually bother to dig the bulbs, since that will kill the entire plant and ramps are slow to reproduce. Four years ago, we transplanted 12 bulbs into a patch of dirt outside our back door, and today 12 plants still come up. The bulbs have not yet divided to produce new plants, and all of our attempts to germinate ramps from seeds have failed.

It is the green leaves that we do almost all of our cooking with. They are tender and easy to cut into thin slices for recipes, and sometimes large enough to stuff like cabbage leaves. The flavor of ramps is a funky onion and garlic blend. We add them to biscuit and bagel recipes, soups, any mixed vegetable stir-fry, and make a pungent pesto from the raw leaves. I mixed some chopped leaves into softened cream cheese to spread over toast in the morning with a side of scrambled eggs and sauteed ramps.Our spring favorite is a Chinese-style pancake filled with ramps. The chopped greens store well in the freezer if packed tightly into a container, and we have successfully dehydrated and powdered the leaves to add to pasta dough.