Cock-a-doodle-doo!

I have been a bad blogger, life is busy. I've been out shrooming several times but can't seem to find the time to sit here and share with all (three) of you my mushy finds. My last two posts were time consuming and verbose but I'll be doing shorter posts in the hopes that they'll be more frequent.

Today I'd like to tell you about wild chickens that likely lurk in the very woods near you. They're brightly colored and come in several shapes and sizes. They're very easy to sneak up on and all you need is a knife to bag them. They're much easier to prepare than your slimy germy farm raised chicken and they're totally vegan as well. This fungus is super meaty and can be used like any other mushroom but it makes an amazing chicken subsitute, it's not just the name.  I'm talking, of course, about Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) or just "Chicken Mushroom", as some call it.

My first COW 

My second and largest COW

My first Chicken of the Woods find was in early July and was just this one lonely shelf. My hiking friends and I chopped it up and fried it with chanterelles, eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast tacos. We brought our camp grill out and ate it in front of many drooling children at our neighborhood pool.


My second COW in late July was this big beauty! Ifound it in the same neck of the woods as the first. As you can see in the second picture, these things stick out like a sore thumb (or a bright neon orange mushroom) in the woods. This is where the general population's mycophobia comes in handy for the savvy mycologist. This one was just a couple steps from a frequently traversed trail, it was even facing the trail. I'm surprised it grew this large without some kid (or adult) smashing it for sport.

This big Chicken called to me from way off

This one provided several meals. We had fried chicken (of the woods) "fingers" and buckwheat pancakes one night for fun. We put it in a breakfast frittata. But my favorite recipe by far has been beer battered boneless buffalo chicken (of the woods) "wings". We've done that one a couple times now, in fact I'm currently digesting a buffalo chicken (of the woods) sandwich.

Today's COW

Chicken of the Woods (COW) grow directly on dead (or dying) wood. Typically found in these vertical shelf-like colonies, but sometimes growing in a large round rosette shape on the ground (on buried wood or roots) or at the base of a tree. These pictured are all Laetiporus sulphureus due to the bright "sulfur-yellow" pore surface. Another variety frequently found is Laetiporus cincinnatus, which has a white pore surface and is generally paler overall, thus garnering the name "Pale Chicken of the Woods"

Baby COW

This fungus I believe to be a young COW, possibly Laetiporus cincinnatus. I'll check on it again after a few days, maybe this weekend.

Old dead COW

This is an old dead COW, such sadness. No one but the bugs enjoyed this big one. Take note of where you find all your chickens growing (dead or alive) and check the same spot next season.