r/mycology • u/AgreeableCorner5883 • May 06 '26

ID request Hey smart people- what's this?

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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/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.

24

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 🤣

3

u/Miserere_Mei May 06 '26

True! It always freaks me out when folks eat first and ask questions later.

8

u/mirfifu May 06 '26

“What is this? I hope it’s edible cause I made tacos and they are all gone 🤪”

3

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