I returned to one of my favorite forests this weekend to continue my search for morels, and although I did not find any this time (not any real ones that is), I did not leave the woods empty-handed.
After an hour or so of being taunted by false morel after false morel, I made my way to a portion of the forest I was less familiar with near a pond. Just a few yards from the pond's edge, a series of felled trees laid decomposing at the edge of the wetlands. On two of those trees are where I found a few fantastic fruitings of golden oyster mushrooms in all their glory.
This is an interesting find for me since golden oysters are not native to this continent. The golden oyster mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) is native to eastern Russia, China, and Japan where it is a well-known and highly desirable edible mushroom. According to mycologist Andi Bruce of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, as Americans developed a taste for the mushroom over the last few decades, State-side specialty cultivation of the species increased, ultimately leading to the escape of the species into the wild. The earliest confirmed sightings of wild golden oysters in the United States date to the early 2010s.
Andi Bruce's wordpress: Tracing the Naturalization of Golden Oysters in the U.S.
https://andibruce.wordpress.com/golden-oysters/
Not wanting to take more than my own fair share, I cut two of the clusters off to take home; that's more than enough for me. I'm glad that I decided to do so since, only a few minutes later, I was greeted by a local forager, basket in hand, who had come to harvest from the very same log. I pointed him towards the second log, since it was tucked further back in the woods away from the waters edge. In return, he pointed out where I could reliably find chicken of the woods when the time came. Thanks Blake 👍
Apart from the golden oyster, the false morels I came across all seemed to be of the same species, Gyromitra brunnea. This is a relatively large false morel species with a yellowish-brown to cinnamon brown cap that possesses many folds and ridges. It has a thick stalk and a chambered interior made up of brittle white flesh. The species easily falls apart when handled.
Reports are mixed on the edibility of this particular species, but it is generally considered to be toxic like other false morel species. I don't feel like playing poison guinea pig today, so none of these are coming home with me today. As a side note, they do make for a fun Spring-time substitute for a snowball; their brittle flesh makes for a satisfying explosion of soft mushroom tissue when thrown against a tree trunk (or the back of your unsuspecting fellow forager if you are the mischievous kind 😉).
I also spotted a large polypore species I believe to be Willow bracket (Phellinus igniarus) based on its size and coloration, though I am much less confident with this identification without being able to study it more closely.
Feel free to offer your suggestions if you think I am incorrect.
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