Mushroom Ident Shrimp abortive)
of the
Woods (Entoloma Lobster Mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum)
Description: These look somewhat like strangely shaped puffballs. White, irregular but usually somewhat rounded, growing from the ground as well as from the roots of older/dying/fallen hardwoods such as oak and elm.
Description: Bright red/orange, ranging in size from the size of a deck of cards up to the size (and shape) of a folding paper fan. Where: Growing from the ground, usually in groups, in both deciduous and coniferous (further North) woods.
Where: Hardwood forests, particularly areas that are damp, without direct sunlight and little leaf cover.
Harvesting: These mushrooms can be dirty and often have earth caked inside the cavity on the top of the mushroom. Luckily, they also have a hard exterior surface that make them one of the few mushrooms that can hold up to blasting with water/scrubbing to remove dirt without becoming waterlogged or falling apart. Use your knife to cut off the dirty base of the mushroom in the woods, brush off what dirt you can, and go on your way. Be sure to keep these in a separate container from other mushrooms you are harvesting as they will soil and crush less hardy specimens.
Harvesting: Only harvest the firm, white fruiting bodies. Use your knife to slice off the small stem that connected the mushroom to the earth. These can bruise easily so a basket or other carrying container with a solid frame and base are recommended. Additional info: A less appetizing name for this mushroom is aborted entoloma. Similar to lobster mushrooms, this is an example of a mushroom that was attacked by another fungus species early on in the fruiting stage, resulting in the white, gill-less, irregular fruiting bodies mushroom hunters seek.
28 MAKE IT MINNESOTA
Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) Description: Brown-tan ‘leaf-like’ protrusions connected to a central white stalk. The underside of the fronds will be white. Where: Growing at the base or from the roots of mature/fallen Oak (especially white oak trees) Harvesting: Use a knife to gently work your way around the base of the mushroom. Oftentimes specimens will be so large that it is easiest to cut the mushroom free from its base in chunks. Additional info: Also known as Maitake, which translates to the dancing mushroom in Japanese because people would dance from joy when they find it.