Last summer, while I was lurking about the Dope, I came across a thread about a very strange fungus called “Chicken of the Woods”. According to the Dopers posting therein, said [del]alien brain[/del] [del]chicken[/del] mushroom is not only edible, but highly delicious. Imagine my delighted suprise when I found a similar specimen growing in my backyard a short time later.
I was curious to see what the fabled Sulfer Shelf really tasted like, but first, I had to be completely sure that this was Laetiporus sulphureus, and not some vile imposter. Not that there are a ton of deadly mushrooms that look like CotW, but I had been properly drilled on “Don’t ever, ever, ever eat a mushroom, or look at a mushroom, or be in the same room as a mushroom, unless you’ve got a team of certified mycologists standing by.” I needed to find a mushroom expert.
I went to my friend the biology teacher. “I’ve got this mushroom growing in my yard. Can I eat it?”
Bio Teacher sighed. “Chicken of the woods is edible, and highly delicious, and you appear to have a classic case of it growing in your yard. But don’t eat anything until you’ve had a real mushroom expert check it out.”
“But where would I find a mushroom expert?”
“Search me.”
I had no further success in the matter, and in time the presumed chicken of the woods was cut down in an untimely lawn mower incident. (Yes, I know CotW grows on trees). But in the event of it making a further appearance, I must know: where, exactly, does one find a mushroom expert? Do they advertise in the Yellow Pages? Or do you have to be living next door to Professor Shiitake G. Funguy, PhD? What about wacky old neighbors who collect mushrooms as a hobby, do they count?
And, honestly, is there any Big Bad Evil Fungus that can reasonably be mistaken for chicken of the woods?
I’m no expert, but have been told by one that COTW falls squarely into the desirable category of easy to identify with no nasty ones of similar appearance. I collect it and eat it whenever I find one in good condition. The flavor is good, though not enough to make it a rival to morels and chanterelles.
But I’ll stop short of recommending that you do the same without consulting that expert.
FWIW, my expert was a college professor (of economics, I think) who had made a 25-year hobby of mycology.
Mushrooms Demystified is the best book I know about to help you learn to become your own mushroom expert. It’s focused on California, but quite useful elsewhere.
Look up whether there’s a mycological society in your area. That’s where you’ll find the amateur 'shroomers who will be happy to share their knowledge.
Steve of thesneeze.com has a Chicken of the Woods that grows on a tree in his yard every year. He calls it a “tree brain.” Eventually he ends up eating it.
A trail guide at a park once defined a mushroom expert as someone who hadn’t killed him by eating the wrong one… yet.
Most areas have clubs for mushroom hunters. I’ve often though it would be fun to join one, even if only as an excuse to do more hiking. In any event, some of the grizzled veterans of those groups ought to be good resources.
That, or check your local university/institute of higher education to see if they have a mycology staff in the biology department. One of my former coworkers got out of the public sector to become a mycologist on staff at the local U.
Never yet been lucky enough to find chicken of the woods - I keep looking though.
Xema is right though - CotW is almost impossible to mistake for anything harmful - however, you should not consume it if you find it growing on a yew tree, as it can contain some of the tree’s toxins, in this instance.
Call your local poison control center and ask for a reference, since they almost certainly have a mycologist on call to help in poisoning cases. My old boss was an amateur - though published - mycologist and was often consulted. He was also a mathematician, an electrical engineer, and a respected poet in his spare time.
I think he does. He sets up sort of attached to the booth midway on the north side with all the apple and potato varieties in the bins. (You miss the donuts if you are too late!)
Another possible approach for the op is to contact a local mushroom club. Here’s a state by state list with links.
Wow, that dude’s from Santa Barbara. I got kind of excited from this thread, but we don’t have a mushroom club here. I used to have a friend who picked chanterelles and he was going to take me but we failed to hook up. I was told that chanterelles are fairly unique looking, but I guess it ain’t the risk. I see what looks like Chicken of the Woods fairly often. It sure doesn’t look like it’s edible.