Beautiful Mushroom picts.

[reese]

We've been clearning/cleaning up fallen trees and brambles around in our woods and have come across some neat mushrooms, so decided to take pictures. Here are some of the better images from 12/31/2006. We're located in East Central VA in zone 7, although it doesn't even get that cold here. Enjoy, Reese

[Alex]

Nice pictures. Do you know what type these are? Can you eat them without getting sick or dying?

Alex

[fishhead]

We've got shelf mushrooms like in the second and third photos. They get 6-8" here. Some people pick them and paint pictures on them.

[DoubleBee]

The last few pics look like what my Dad used to call Hickory Fish.
They grow on dead trees and stumps in the fall around here.
They didn't taste too bad, but not as good as Morels.

[reese]

Thanks for all that have looked; these are just a sample of what I've come across.

The first one (orange one with bright red under), I have no idea what it is, but it's very lovely, nice texture and smells faintly of sweet fresh fruit. I told dh, that it's probably toxic, it tempts you with it's lovely color and fragrance so you eat it and wham you're down for the count

The second one, again unsure of; they have a dryer texture, but it could be the time of year, and do get quite big, realitivly speaking. They have a faint woodsy fragrance, nothing spectacular.

The third I'm about 90% sure that they are "oyster" mushrooms, waiting for second opinions and spore test to confirm. It has a nice moist meaty texture and a good hearty woodsy/mushroomy fragrance. These are all over in abundance back there. Oyster mushrooms are edible and tasty. I've had them from the grocery store in dried form, so haven't actually seen one fresh from the woods before.

We also have lots of "turkey tail" mushrooms, non-toxic for eating, but not very desirable for the table other than decoration. Although research has shown it's a potential cancer fighter/treatment and is used in Asia for this consumed as an infusion.

There are several rounded cap mushrooms back there, just haven't been that far back with my camera yet. When weather isn't so wet, I'll go out back again and take more.

Reese

[tinknal]

I think oyster shrooms have a slight licorice smell to them when they are fresh.

[reese]

Originally Posted by tinknal

I think oyster shrooms have a slight licorice smell to them when they are fresh.

I've read that and the contridictory "smell and tastes like oysters". My nose must be off because it just smells like a very good sturdy fragerant mushroom. When I've eaten them from the store, it doesn't taste "oystery" to me either, just a strong yummy flavor unless I have no idea what an oyster smells/tastes like (I suppose that's very possible as well since I've not had fresh oyster either).

http://www.econetwork.net/~wildmanst...er/Oyster.html some of those pictures could have been taken in my back yard (woods), and I found the story at the end quite humorous. Reese

[suitcase_sally]

Yes, those are oyster mushrooms and are edible. They usually have a tiny black bug in the gills so clean them with a toothpick or some such. Hold them up to light and it makes it easier to see them.

Dice them up and saute with onions and garlic. You can freeze or can them after that. I can them in half-pints and serve with steak. You can dehydrate them also.

They are called "oyster" due to the shape. They look like oyster shells.