Used anywhere you might use chicken it is a most welcome bright yellow fungus (a few people have a gastric reaction to this one so have a small portion the first time you eat it). Often found in large amounts if not cooked on the day, it keeps well, and freezes perfectly (after a quick frying or sautéing to kill any bacteria). The common name is referring to the cooked chicken like texture and flavour of this bracket fungus. Unlike the bright yellow we see in the stems of the 3 poisonous members of the Agaricus family, this yellow is on a highly prized mushroom. As its scientific name suggests it is a bright yellow, this time on its underside, which is good for us as its usually to be found 1.5m or more up a tree trunk. Not quite as tasty or as good a texture as the Scarlet Elfcup but easy to clean.Ĭhicken of the Woods, or Laetiporus sulphureus. Seen in the autumn it likes the edges of paths, be it soil or gravel and is often found in abundance. This is Orange Peel Fungus, like the Scarlet Elfcup it is a member of the cup or Pezizales order. A quick glimpse at a few metres might have you trotting over to remove the litter, but a closer inspection will reveal a thin, often ruffled, sheet of bright orange. orange peel, and the colour is not a sign to use caution. Beefsteak Fungus is another easy to ID red edible with deep red flesh that bleeds a thin red liquid, resembling raw meat. We see these on many of our early spring walks cooking them where we find enough. They make excellent eating with a great mushroom flavour, retaining their meaty texture during cooking. However when you see one Scarlet Elfcup you usually see many more in the same spot. Despite their bright colour they are often hard to spot as they tend to be tucked away in piles of sticks or deep in bramble patches. This is usually between 1cm and 8cm in diameter. It then sends up a stem, that when it reaches the surface opens out into a fantastic pillar box red flattened cup. The mycelium digests a stick until it senses a drop in temperatures indicating winter has arrived. It hides away in the untidy spots growing on sticks and twigs that have been buried in soil or organic debris. As bright as Santa’s outfit, this one’s a winter stunner. To lay that misnomer to rest here is a list of some of our favourite edible fungi that will take us through the colours of the rainbow. People coming on our courses will often say that a brightly coloured mushroom must be a poisonous one, or that nature makes things red to tell us it’s not edible. With the bright lights of Christmas beckoning here are a few insights into the multi hued world of edible fungi. A Rainbow of Edible Mushrooms 10th December 2019
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