What do you think this is

[BILLy]

Hi all,
Fungi/mushroom I D is hard when you have only pics to go from, because you don't have feel/touch, smell, die sect etc, but can you give me your thoughts on the following pics please?
It's on a big Oak, in dark damp area, on the side of a road, on a steep hill.
Cheers
Bill

 

[Geoff Dann]

Well, aren't you the lucky one! DON'T TAKE ALL OF IT!!!!!!!

And make sure you aren't one of the 5-10% of people who is allergic.

Laetiporus sulphureus

The edible bits are the soft edges. Anything old or hard will be too bitter and tough to eat. But please don't just rip the whole thing off the tree!

 

[John Fenna]

It looks like Laetiporus Sulphureus to me ...
Colins Gem says "edible" , Collins Nature guides says "poisonous, not to be eaten, can effect health adversly or is deadly" "Wild Food" by Roger Phillips gives a couple of recipes...
I am no expert though...

 

[Geoff Dann]

It looks like Laetiporus Sulphureus to me ...
Colins Gem says "edible" , Collins Nature guides says "poisonous, not to be eaten, can effect health adversly or is deadly" "Wild Food" by Roger Phillips gives a couple of recipes...
I am no expert though...

It is edible, but causes nasty reactions in a significant minority of people. There is also a question mark about its safety to eat if it is growing on yew, for obvious reasons.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Its rather nice too, if not a little 'different'

Mine tasted like chicken/mushroom/lemon. You got lucky, its growing on oak. Yew, I personally would not touch it.
Try a small section, leaving the rest on the tree. Eat a small bit and collect more at a later date although that looks just about right, so dont leave it too long.
No point in taking something you may not like, or agree with you.

I have a large bowl drying in front of me now. One (incomplete) was taken yesterday, we found 12.

 

[NetFrog]

Cluck cluk - chicken of the woods. Never found one yet As the big lebowski said, growing on Oak is fine, but yew can leach into it so best avoided from Yew trees.

Hard to tell from the pic but that might be a gnarly sweet cicely plant growing next to it too, give it a rub and see if the green stuff smells like aniseed ;-)

 

[Harvestman]

I recently found loads of it, but all on yew, and all a bit ropey, so I left them there.

 

[awarner]

Had some for the first time at the weekend, as there was a group of scouts not much to go around so I had more of the middle which I found to be more sur than bitter.

 

[BILLy]

Thanks all for your kind informative replies.
Is this the one they call "Chicken of the Woods"?
If I were to try a bit, how best to eat it? do I dry it out for how long? do I eat it raw? and what part of it do I try?
If I get the answers I will only try about the amount of a tea spoons worth.
Thanks again Very helpful.
Cheers
Bill

 

[awarner]

It looks like chicken of the woods to me which we ate as is just to try it, but don't take my word for it there are plenty more experienced members here who can confirm as I'm only starting out with forraging.

 

[Simon H]

Yeah, it's the one called Chicken of the Woods. We add it to casseroles or have had it in a Carbonara. To store it my partner briefly fries it off in slices and bungs it in the freezer (don't fry it for long as it soaks up so much butter), never tried dehydrating it as she thinks it will go chewy. She usually takes the front part of the fungus where it's soft and succulent, the part nearest the tree will be woody/chewy to eat.

 

[xylaria]

It looks like Laetiporus Sulphureus to me ...
Colins Gem says "edible" , Collins Nature guides says "poisonous, not to be eaten, can effect health adversly or is deadly" "Wild Food" by Roger Phillips gives a couple of recipes...
I am no expert though...

Is that collins nature guide by Gerrannder or some thing german if so either throw in fire or bring to meet up in two weeks time and I will rewrite the many many errors.

COTW edible by 10% can get a bit ill with it.

[edit] always cook it. Eat in moderation first time.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Take a small platelet off, cut out the woody core then slice cross grain... or along the width, rather than length.

Pan fry in oil liberally with a good sprinkle of seasoning, adding a small knob of butter towards the end. It should just look like fried chicken really. Have a slice or two and chuck the rest in the fridge for the next day.
No need to dry or anything else until you see if you like it, or you are one of the 10%. Enjoy and get back to us with what you think

I would personally cut out any bits that came into contact with the galv from the fence, especially if the COTW is discolored/reacted with the metal. Just a though!

 

[BILLy]

Thanks again,
One last Q: how long have I got to try it before it becomes no good?
It's a few miles away,
Cheers
Bill

 

[John Fenna]

Is that collins nature guide by Gerrannder or some thing german if so either throw in fire or bring to meet up in two weeks time and I will rewrite the many many errors.

COTW edible by 10% can get a bit ill with it.

[edit] always cook it. Eat in moderation first time.

Aye that is the one ... that good huh?

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Thanks again,
One last Q: how long have I got to try it before it becomes no good?
It's a few miles away,
Cheers
Bill

A week or two max really... They grow surprisingly quickly. Once the cycle has been completed, the platelets start to go thin and tough and the insects move in as it rots. Yours looks in prime condition now

When I remove some, I push gently down on the individual plate, this always leaves the root in the tree and I only remove 50-60%.
I would like them to come back, year after year. Probably one of the most visually stunning edible mushrooms, or poly-pores rather.