Went to our local mushroom festival over the weekend ...

[opiate69]

Got myself a lemon oyster mushroom kit and a shiitake kit... plus, one of our local licensed foragers was there with a crapload of chanterelles, morels and lobster mushrooms... apparently out by the coast, at the right elevations, it's been just moist enough and cool enough for fruiting.. definitely feeling the need to take a drive out that way...

[Curmudgeoness]

1. I love mushrooms, and wild mushroom foraging.

I have gone to a few different mushroom talks with demonstrations and foraging walks, and I have learned so much from the experts. Learn all you can and enjoy. I hope that you have good luck with the kits.

This is from the one last fall:

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[opiate69]

2. Oh, wow .. those are beautiful! Maitakes?

And thanks! I had an oyster kit last year, and it fruited like crazy, so I'm hoping this years kit should as well.. the farmer I bought them from said 4-5 pounds each was about what I should get

[Curmudgeoness]

3. That is one mushroom in my picture.

It is called a Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Mushroom. One of my favorite mushrooms. I bread it and fry like chicken, and it holds up well---most mushrooms will only have a one or two day life before eaten, and this one will last a week with no problem.

[opiate69]

4. Ah, ok.. Sulphur Shelf i think they call em out here....

That was going to be my next guess .. that or Turkey Tail... which aren't good eats, but appear to have some potentially potent medicinal value. Would love to find some that size! Another huge one we have out here us Cauliflower Mushroom.. supposed to be really good eats, and grow just massive. I think my foraging buddy/teacher says he's only run into a couple of those though in all his time foraging even though all the guides say it's abundant around here... must just be different types of forests than where he usually goes for chanterelles.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Turkey Tail would be smaller.

And they are harder. The Sulphur is firm, but not hard like wood. A Cauliflower Mushroom is good eating....a choice mushroom. I am amazed that the teacher can't even find them. Maybe someone else already knows where to look...they tend to show up at the same places....and gets to them first. This mushroom's locations is a well-kept secret. Too bad I didn't get into foraging while my dad was still alive and well enough to go out, since he had his sources.

[opiate69]

6. That's probably a big part of it...

There's a pretty big number of mushroomers here in Western Washington, and everybody's super protective of their hot spots. Of course, at $30+ a pound for say, Lobster mushrooms, I can see why lol.