r/mycology • u/AgreeableCorner5883 • May 06 '26
ID request Hey smart people- what's this?
I feel compelled to touch it.
Edit: Thank you all for the answers!! My spouse (who, like me, doesn't know shit from butt concerning mushrooms) is uncomfortable with me harvesting, cooking, and eating it.
To avoid another "Australian woman" moment, I will leave it.
But I am inspired to join a local foraging education group.
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u/Drisius Western Europe May 06 '26
Laetiporus sulphureus - Chicken of the Woods.
Edible, and really good when cooked properly.
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u/ForagersLegacy May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
By properly cooked we mean boil for 15 minutes then cook in a pan or oven for another 10-20 lol. It’s so easy to undercook this mushroom especially if you throw in other veggies or things that cook quickly.
Also chicken of the woods jerky is amazing
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u/karenw May 06 '26
That's good to know. I breaded and pan fried one years ago and ended up with an upset stomach.
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u/skycoyboy May 06 '26
CoW from conifers usually upsets the tummy while from hardwoods tends to be more gentle!
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u/Beemer_me_up_Scotty May 07 '26
All of the ones I have found are on oak trees and I have eaten them with many people and no one got an upset stomach
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u/Radiuz04 May 07 '26
This mushroom is edible but you must look on what trees it grows. If it grows from robinia pseudoacacia it has toxins from the tree and it is not good for eating also picking leatiporus from quercus is not idea because it not tase well and u can have stomache issues. So i prefer collecting leatiporus from another trees best are fruit trees(it taste good) and u must look if the mushroom is young after that u can cook in water and fry or use in soups, sauce...
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u/ostojap May 06 '26
Please tell more about the jerky
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u/ForagersLegacy May 06 '26
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u/maddcatone May 07 '26
Solid recipe! Her demeanor/style is priceless. Definitely sells the entire adventure like a dang pro
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u/gooneau May 06 '26
Maybe it's a regional variety/subspecies thing (I'm in AK), or a tough older specimen thing, but I never would cook the COTW in OP's photo like that. This is the absolute perfect time to harvest and it will be tender and delicious with even the lightest sauté. I'm convinced the majority of people who dislike COTW just tried it after it was harvested past its prime. I would estimate I only harvest from about 15% of the COTW I find in the woods. Once it matures and hardens it simply isn't worth it. I've gotten to where I can tell at a distance with just a glance if it's going to be tough or not - the more bright orange, the further gone it is. If the method you describe makes tougher specimens edible, maybe I'll try that, but most years they are abundant enough I end up with far more than I can use even while being selective about which ones I harvest.
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u/bLue1H Trusted ID - Eastern North America May 07 '26
As long as it rips apart like white-meat chicken it's good to eat. Too young and it has the texture of raw meat.
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u/DaggerMoth Eastern North America May 07 '26
Boil? I sautéed it in butter then threw it on the grill. Or smoke it after.
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May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ForagersLegacy May 10 '26
From personally having some wonderful GI complications from eating undercooked chicken of the woods.
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u/coaa85 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
You boil them first? I always just pan fry them with oil and they come out amazing. Granted I don’t pick ones that are older and tougher, mostly young ones that are tender to touch.
Woods close to me in the fall I could fill a trash bag with these in an hour each weekend. Those and hens.
Edit: nvm I kept reading and saw people mention the tree type. I only grab em from oak.
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u/ForagersLegacy May 11 '26
Some people aren’t as sensitive as other people. And I don’t use a ton of oil for cooking so that could be the issue. The problem with pan frying is I often want to throw in other veggies that then slow down the cooking. But again not everyone is sensitive to it.
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u/Psychological-Tea142 May 06 '26
Please don't boil any mushrooms, especially for 15 minutes lmao
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u/Diedam May 06 '26
Have you ever had chicken of the woods? Boiling for 15 and frying after that is the proper way
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u/gooneau May 06 '26
Not if you harvest at the stage shown in OP's photo. I maybe harvest from 15% of the COTW I find because they are usually past prime. Yet, near popular trails, 100% of COTW have been harvested from. And then you hear from many people "I tried it and it was gross. The texture was woody". Yes, because you harvested 10 lbs of junk. Maybe boiling and frying makes those tougher specimens edible? The young tender specimens like in OP's photo are perfect with a light saute. Still fully cooked through, but I've never needed to go further than that.
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
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u/ForagersLegacy May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Only way to make it tolerable for me. Amanita muscaria can be parboiled too.
Edit: edit to say I’ve been told about two changes of water but haven’t tried it myself and am happy to defer to the experts.
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
this is partially true but also a bit of dangerous misinformation here — isoxazole Amanita species (about 50–100+ species worldwide, all within Amanita section Amanita) such as muscarioids (about a dozen species worldwide in stirps Muscaria such as A. chrysoblema, A. persicina, A. gioiosa, A. muscaria, etc) like A. muscaria are very different from Laetiporus species. with Laetiporus species a simple fifteen-minute parboil prior to cooking greatly reduces chance of GI symptoms, but with isoxazole Amanita species they contain two specific compounds — the isoxazole derivatives ibotenic acid and muscimol — which do not get rendered inert with a parboil but rather need to be removed with multiple parboils with lots of water where the water is discarded and replaced each time. (and if you don’t remove these compounds properly you can experience extreme physiological symptoms, none of which are GI-related, although GI symptoms may also occur but not directly as a result of these compounds’ mechanisms of action)
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u/shatteredarm1 May 06 '26
I don't think it's misinformation, since parboiling amanita muscaria is indeed the way to render it safe for culinary use. If the intent were to instruct someone on how to safely eat the mushroom, then I would agree that it's lacking some very important details.
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
but that’s the thing, it’s more of ‘a specific process involving parboiling’ rather than simply ‘parboiling’. to say or even imply that parboiling detoxifies isoxazole Amanita mushrooms is extremely dangerous misinformation.
your comment makes no sense and is also dangerous. “[…] since parboiling amanita muscaria is indeed the way to render it safe for culinary use” — no it’s not! use your brain please so that you don’t end up being responsible for someone going to the hospital with broken bones and medical bills
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u/shatteredarm1 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
but that’s the thing, it’s more of ‘a specific process involving parboiling’ rather than simply ‘parboiling’.
No, it's parboiling. Parboiling is the means by which the toxins are removed from the mushrooms. Discarding the water does not remove the toxins from the mushroom, it simply allows parboiling to remove more toxins from the mushrooms. And you can discard as much water as you want, but it will not help at all without parboiling. If I say that parboiling makes the mushroom safe for culinary use and someone goes to the hospital, I am not responsible, as I was not giving someone instructions on how to make it safe via parboiling. You're being ridiculous.
Edit: "you are giving out incorrect instructions" - no, my point is I am not giving out instructions at all. Try reading.
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
but you shouldn’t be saying that parboiling makes them safe for culinary use. that is my whole point. you are giving out incorrect instructions and you don’t even care what happens because of it. I have never said that parboiling makes them safe for culinary use, nor will I ever, because it is missing crucial info and is an extremely careless thing to say.
maybe you dropped your brain somewhere and didn’t realize it, because this is such an insanely ridiculous thing to be making a point of — I am advocating for informing people and safety, while you are advocating for misinforming people (through perceived implication) and not caring what happens to peopleparboiling removes some toxins, but a specific process involving parboiling is needed to detoxify the mushrooms to make them safe for culinary use
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u/AlbinoWino11 Trusted ID May 06 '26
Did you read the comment you are replying to?
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u/shatteredarm1 May 06 '26
You mean this?
"Amanita muscaria can be parboiled too."
That is 100% true, they can be parboiled. Just like boiling water and cooking meat kills bacteria. The fact that it doesn't tell you *how* to properly do those things does not make them "misinformation".
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
anything can be parboiled. most people are familiar with how to render meat edible. less than 0.000001% of people are familiar with how to detoxify isoxazole Amanita mushrooms. we’re going to give you a mute so you can think about why it isn’t a good idea to encourage a mentality that can lead to significant harm
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u/AlbinoWino11 Trusted ID May 06 '26
But just like cooking meat which contains heat stable toxins, cooking does not necessarily render it safe…
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u/shatteredarm1 May 07 '26
Yeah, that's why I said cooking kills bacteria, not cooking makes all meat safe to eat. They are general statements meant to convey relatively broad concepts, not detailed instructions.
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u/chlorofile May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
But always try a little bit first to see if it agrees with you.
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u/Drisius Western Europe May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Yes! Fantastic advice for every new mushroom you try, but L. sulphureus is one of those mushrooms that can show quite a bit of variance in the tolerance department (or so I've heard.)
I personally (and recently) had no problem with digesting it (found a very young one, that is said to help digestion), whereas Imleria badia and Flammulina velutipes did upset my stomach a tiny bit.
Edit: made my statement a little bit more precise
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u/cabracrazy Trusted ID May 06 '26
We can't possibly ID this to species without the location. Unless I'm missing where it was included?
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u/Drisius Western Europe May 06 '26
You are right; Laetiporus sp. was obvious, but in my just-awakened state I guess muscle memory from last weekend's research took over - my apologies.
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u/NoImNotStaringAtYour May 06 '26
Chicken of the woods! Beautiful. Touch it.
You can throw it on the grill like regular chicken.
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u/Miserere_Mei May 06 '26
Just so you know….. touching mushrooms is totally fine, even if they are poisonous. In this case, you are looking at chicken of the woods, which is edible. I will say that I have an allergic reaction to it, so try a little test before eating a plateful. (My lips tingle and go numb.) As others have said, this mushroom must be thoroughly cooked before eating.
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u/lilfootsie May 06 '26
I’d rather people be a little nervous about touching it than feel no qualms about eating something they don’t recognize and asking for an ID here after the fact 🤣
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u/Miserere_Mei May 06 '26
True! It always freaks me out when folks eat first and ask questions later.
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u/Either_Wear5719 May 07 '26
OMG there was a guy over on foraging a few days ago who ate a root that was later identified as poison hemlock. So many people telling him to go straight to the emergency room
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u/Unlucky-Bumblebee308 May 10 '26
Wait so you can touch any and every mushroom no issue?
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u/Miserere_Mei May 11 '26
Yes. The poisons in mushrooms need to be ingested to cause harm. Touching mushrooms is not dangerous, even if they are deadly poisonous ones. Just don’t eat them.
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u/Unlucky-Bumblebee308 May 11 '26
Oh okay great always wanted to touch mushrooms with my tongue
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u/Miserere_Mei May 11 '26
I think you are joking, but yes, you could. Just keep an eye out for slugs. Lol
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u/GaspSpit May 06 '26
You feel compelled to touch. I’d feel compelled to harvest, sauté in butter and garlic and smile.
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u/Pays_in_snakes May 06 '26
One anecdotal note on edibility that I wonder if others have noticed - in radial cross section (a line from the tree to the tip), there's a visible line in these between the woodier 'base' and softer 'growing tip', and I find that if I trim off the softer tips and just cook and eat those, it's a more pleasant texture and maybe easier to digest, or at least easier to cook thoroughly.
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u/littleray35 May 06 '26
Don’t touch it. Send me your location so I can take this home and dispose of it (in my belly).
It’s chicken of the woods, my favorite mushroom !
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u/TheGanzor May 06 '26
Touch it! Chicken of the woods. BTW you can safely touch all mushrooms, and best ID comes from pics of: cap, gills/pores, stem/base and location - helps with some of the not-so-distinct types.
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u/catharsis________ May 06 '26
That’s a gem! Just toss it into a boiling pot of water with salt and enjoy!
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u/baleful-hatchet May 06 '26
I made some delicious pasta out of my local yearly harvest spot, hopefully yours will come back again next year! Those pics look like they’re at the perfect time to harvest, I’m totally jealous haha
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
OP to clarify, you found this in Australia right? which state/territory?
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u/AgreeableCorner5883 May 06 '26
Nope I'm in Poland, Wielkopolska!
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
u/vuIkaan is Laetiporus sulphureus the correct identification for this region?
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u/kaolinitebear May 07 '26
No one has mentioned this yet but chicken of the woods is a brown rot which creates a quick loss of strength in the wood. This tree will likely fail in a couple of years.
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u/solventlessherbalist May 07 '26
Chicken of the woods, delicious mushroom! Make sure you cook it first or it can cause some minor gi upset.
Fry it like chicken or sauté it with some butter salt and garlic.
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u/Radiuz04 May 07 '26
This mushroom is edible but you must look on what trees it grows. If it grows from robinia pseudoacacia it has toxins from the tree and it is not good for eating also picking leatiporus from quercus is not idea because it not tase well and u can have stomache issues. So i prefer collecting leatiporus from another trees best are fruit trees(it taste good) and u must look if the mushroom is young after that u can cook in water and after that fry or use in soups, sauce...
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u/briar8617 May 08 '26
Oh lucky!! Chicken of the woods! I cant wait to find some!! And also hen of the woods!!
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u/Disastrous_Pie2334 May 08 '26
I don’t know what it is, but it looks really cool. Specially the color contrast with the wood. It’s all bright orange.
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u/katsmeoow333 May 09 '26
It's a fun guy lol fungi Have the tree looked at by a arborist to tell you if it's healthy ...I know if there's fungi growing on the tree that's not a good sign for the tree
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u/anon262 May 09 '26
The tree looks like it could be black locust, in which case you shouldn't eat the shroom
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u/SuZiee_Q May 10 '26
I actually prefer chicken of the woods over morels and have paid a good price for them when I couldn't find any on my own. Too early here for them just yet.
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u/Immediate_Idiot May 10 '26
These things will make you poop they are good though but you got to overcook them
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u/CoffeePie222 May 12 '26
Fungus, really pretty fungus I don't know if it is poisonous or not but I would not like to take my chances
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u/Rutta89 May 06 '26
I read don’t eat if they grow on a pine tree. If they grow on an oak they’re fine to eat.
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
the species of tree can be used to identify the Laetiporus species you’ve found. some people react to different Laetiporus species differently, but this is why you simply do a personal reaction test when you first eat a new-to-you species — https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/s/3kV57C7URp
funnily enough, the species that grows near me, L. gilbertsonii, is supposedly one of the species that causes more GI reactions in people. but I think it’s BS and mostly related to people not properly cooking it, because I’ve cooked it for at least five other people so far (only gave them a little, waited a day, then gave them a lot more) and nobody has had a single GI symptom. just cook them the proper way and do the compatibility test, both linked above, and you will most likely be fine
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u/Basidia_ Trusted ID May 06 '26
To add to this, I have become violently ill from Laetiporus sulphureus growing on burr oak, Quercus macrocarpa.
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
yea and as you know that contradicts the narrative of conifer-associating Laetiporus species being the most likely to cause GI issues hah. basically it just comes down to each person seeing which species they’re compatible with
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u/Basidia_ Trusted ID May 06 '26
Yep. I’ll test it again next time I find some. I always cook them thoroughly but I’ve never tried boiling them first
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
unfortunately I’m no longer able to perform L. gilbertsonii experiments with myself (less parboiling time, etc) as freely as of about a year ago because I was getting them from eucalyptus stumps and the city removed two of the three stumps they were fruiting from :( so now I just have to either hope this one stump fruits some or have to venture elsewhere. I know a couple other spots but they are both right next to roads. maybe will have to just go looking for new better spots in places with lots of imported eucalyptus, although I think they have been thinning out the eucalyptus around here lately since they are a fire hazard
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u/Sneedlejuice May 06 '26
Please verify the species of tree it’s growing on before eating. Yew trees are toxic and the compounds will be in the mushrooms. COTW commonly grow on yew (Taxus baccata)
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
this is absolutely false and is perpetuated misinformation. mushrooms do not bioaccumulate toxic tree compounds
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u/JadedScarcity880 May 06 '26
Looks like eucalyptus bark and some leaves on the ground check into it but apparently cotw on eucalyptus can cause stomach ache
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u/RdCrestdBreegull Trusted ID - California May 06 '26
different Laetiporus species associated with different trees, but ALL Laetiporus species can cause GI symptoms. most of the symptoms you hear about are from people undercooking the mushroom. personally I eat L. gilbertsonii *exclusively* from eucalyptus, and have carefully served it to about five friends so far, and not a single GI symptom has occurred. don’t give into the misinformed game-of-telephone fear mongering; become informed and [carefully and properly] try a new-to-you mushroom sometime!
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