Magic mushrooms II. How to survive the winter in the forest of North America?

Avatar for FOODMENT.
3 years ago
Marasmius haematocephalus by Steve Axford 

Fun fact, magic mushrooms were widely abused in the United States during the 1960s when LSD was popular.

Image by Jeff Divine, USA, 1974

In the 1970s, one of the most popular shrooms was a Psilocybe cubensis because “cubes” are the easiest magic mushroom to cultivate indoors. In nature, you can find cubensis growing throughout the southern US, Mexico, Central American, South America, etc. 

Psilocybe cubensis (dried Golden Teacher mushrooms)

So, that’s how you could survive the rave party, but… How to survive winter in the forest of North America (if you are not a hunter, fisher, or smth.)? The answer is – wild edible mushrooms.

Trippy Donald Duck by ArtPal.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

These mushrooms have nothing to do with ostriches or oysters. They just get their name from their oyster-shaped cap. In the wild, you can find oyster mushrooms in the fall and winter. The best time is after the first frost of the year.

Image: Jiří Polčák

It seems, they got a room, but only one room for all of them because these mushrooms form clusters and tend to be particularly like growing on oak and beech trees in old, leafy, open forests in North America, Europe, and Asia. Maybe oyster mushrooms have the smallest "rooms" in the world.

Image: Valentyn Volkov. Clusters of Oyster mushrooms

Attention! Oyster mushrooms with red color on the cap or stem are poisonous or strongly hallucinogenic! By the way, they were first cultivated in Germany as a subsistence measure during World War I.

Oyster Mushroom kit by North Spore

Now the oyster mushrooms are frequently used in Japanese, Korean and Chinese cookery as a delicacy. It is frequently served on its own, in soups, stuffed, or in stir-fry recipes with soy sauce. 

Oyster Mushroom Soup by Love & Lemons

Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)

No, this strange beauty isn’t the tail of the Republic of Turkey and you can’t take a trip with Turkish Airlines if you have booked this mushroom. However, its shape and multiple colors are similar to those of a wild turkey, so that’s why it’s called so. Turkey tail is found throughout the world, including America.

Image: Nicholas T

This healing mushroom, known as Yun Zhi in China, is used in traditional Chinese medicine, it is supposed to boost the immune system and have anticarcinogenic properties. Also, you can prepare it as tea, put it in soup or stew.

Image: David Palmer

Crab or Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)

Image: Vladimir Mikula

Another monster of trees is the chicken of the woods. Its fruit bodies grow as striking golden-yellow shelf-like structures on tree trunks and branches in Europe and North America. A specimen weighing 4.5 kg was found in the New Forest, Hampshire, United Kingdom, on 15 October 1990. This monster hit a Guinness world record that day.

Sauteed Chicken of The Woods by Sophisticated Caveman

Many people think that the mushroom tastes like crab or lobster leading to the nickname lobster-of-the-woods. It tastes good sauteed in butter or prepared in a cream sauce served on toast or rice. The mushroom should not be eaten raw!

Grilled Chicken Of The Woods Sandwich by Wicked Healthy

Wood ear or Jelly mushrooms (Auricularia angiospermarum)

Wood Ears

The fungus can be found throughout the year in temperate regions worldwide, where it grows upon both dead and living wood. It grows on wood, especially elder. Its specific epithet is derived from the belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree.

Wood ears salad

Although it is not widely consumed in the West, it has long been popular in China. Jelly mushroom has a soft, jelly-like texture. You can put it in ramen soup, crunchy stir-fry, or make easy and popular Korean or Chinese style salad with wood ears.

In the market...

Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

Lion's Mane

Finally, the most beautiful freak in the kingdom of winter mushrooms. Native to North America, Europe, and Asia, it can be identified by its long spines, occurrence on hardwoods, and tendency to grow a single clump of dangling spines. 

Alongside shiitake and oyster mushrooms, Lion's mane is used as a specialty mushroom. Its flavor may be compared to that of lobster or crab. So, you can add this gourmet mushroom into soups, sauces, and stews or slice it into steaks and cook it slowly with butter and pepper as a piece of chicken breast. 

Roasted Lion's Mane Mushrooms with Champagne and Honey Mignonette by Chubby Vegetarian

P.S. What’s most important when heading out in the forests is to be sure of what you forage. So, take no SHIT (ake)! Download the apps with detailed information about edible winter mushrooms. 

Poison alert!

Exploring the future of food. Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/foodment_/ 

Future Fungus on the Earth by Steve Axford


5
$ 6.51
$ 6.49 from @TheRandomRewarder
$ 0.01 from @Swca.ch
$ 0.01 from @cmoneyspinner
Avatar for FOODMENT.
3 years ago
Enjoyed this article?  Earn Bitcoin Cash by sharing it! Explain
...and you will also help the author collect more tips.

Comments

Very good post, and the pictures are fantastic.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Amazing kingdom of mushrooms and beautiful pictures. There are more mushrooms in shops around. We just need to get used to cook it more often.

$ 0.00
3 years ago