South-Western Ontario · Wild Mushrooms

Oysters 1, 2017

It was the end of Victoria Day long weekend and my morel luck did not improve. My total harvest was a single morel.

The first oysters of the season showed up. At this time in spring, they create small clusters of overlapping mushrooms. I almost always find growths on dead trees or logs. Their colour is tan and smell really great, reminiscent of anise.  There is aren’t too many oyster mushrooms around so they tend to be infested.  It’s best to pick only quite young and smallish specimens. I know there are farmed oyster mushrooms available in many grocery shops, but these are much better tasting. The flesh is meaty and stays firm even after cooking.

In my last post, I mentioned the absence of the Dryad’s Saddle mushroom. Well, this time around I did find some. An interesting fact is that they were all damaged by wild animals, most probably white tail deer. Some of the giants are yet to be found. This mushroom can be really massive and can measure more than 30 cm.

Some impressive sac fungi are still around. This beautiful specimen of Discina perlata is a great example.

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