Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken of the Woods)

This mushroom you can actually see from the car. The bright color and size are unmistakable. It is quite common and could be find anytime during the growing season (Spring to Fall).

Name

Laetiporus sulphureus refers to the yellow pore surface (sulfur color). The most used common name is Chicken of the Woods, but it is also referred to as  sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf.

Characteristics

  • grows on dead or dying hardwoods and stumps
  • creates wide overlapping shelfs that can be more than 1cm thick and 25cm wide
  • color is reddish-orange, with yellow-white edges during growth
  • pores are small and pore surface is yellow
  • spore print is white

Edibility

Young specimens are excellent edible. Any recipe calling for tofu can use this mushroom. It pickles very well (recipe). In my experience drying is not working too good. Blanched and frozen can last quite a long time.

There is a very similar species around, but in Southern Ontario it is much less common: Laetiporus cincinnatus. It usually grows on the base of the tree or stump and has white pore surface. It is also edible.

The single cluster can be over 10 pounds, so it is advisable to pick only what you can carry and actually use. I tend to pick only very young specimens and tend not to take the whole cluster. Some shroomers cut only the leading edge for the shelfs. Rest apparently survives and keeps growing. In the middle of the season, in warm weather even young specimens tend to be infested with bugs.

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