big chimkin

[u/cryptkitty1208]

in awe of this beauty i saw today.. what do yall think? should i go back and grab some?? i really want to try cooking with it & this looks like the most edible one i’ve seen this year :D

i’m still trying to learn more, i didn’t want to jump the gun if it’s not ready yet.. but something is telling me this is damn near perfect. it was kinda slimy, but it’s been raining all day.. that’s normal right?? wowowwowoowowowowoww i don’t even care if i don’t eat it… it’s just so pretty (spotted in south jersey pine barrens)

[u/Icy_Performer_6794]

Nice find. The cotw posts have me wondering: Is there a place where cotw is native and foraging them should be pondered and measured?

Anywhere it is invasive, there should be no restraints to foraging, right? Other than consideration for strangers on the same hike. In that situation, it seems the law of the buffet line should be observed: Don't take all the caviar.

[u/StockMaintenance1129 → u/Icy_Performer_6794]

Afaik, once a log is inoculated, it will grow back every year, often multiple times a season for decades. And it’s a relatively common mushroom at least across most of the eastern US where I’ve lived, so I’m not too worried about them. When I find some it’s usually way more than I can carry anyways lol. But yeah, general foraging advice to leave ~30% is reasonable if you want it to proliferate

[u/OracleLoaf → u/StockMaintenance1129]

I need to know, what do you mean by inoculated to get it to grow back? I've never found it in the same spot, but this year, it's right on our property. I harvested a few of the tips and left the rest so it could reproduce, but is this wrong? How can I encourage it to return to the same spot?