Hen of the Woods ID ?

[RednekF350]

Three years in a row I have had a massive fungus sprout near the base of a healthy white oak in my yard. Last year I had to use a shovel to dig it up and it was every bit of 15 lbs.
Tonight I decided to kick another one out of the ground and I am half-assed convinced it is Hen of the Woods.
I took it inside and whacked it up and washed it. It shreds and looks exactly liked cooked chicken and smells like a good, earthy mushroom.

So, before you read my obituary, are there any mushroom experts out there ? I am pretty sure Manumuskin knows a lot about mushrooms and I am looking for input. I took a microscopic bite and I am still breathing.

All images I have seen so far don't look exactly like what I dug up. Chicken of the Woods seems to be more of a bracket fungus and this one is growing in the ground within 3' of the tree base.

See pics. First is in the sink, second is after cleaning.

 

[46er]

Might take a look at this;

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/trees/quercus_alba.html

Personally, I would not eat any if I was not absolutely certain on its id.

Do you have a will?

 

[enormiss]

No idea what it is, but I HAD the same exact stuff at the base of my oak. I say had because after several years of seeing it and my wifes pestering about how the tree was going to fall on the house I had it taken down. I assumed the tree was diseased, but after it was removed there was no signs of rot or dying wood. Shame... this tree was HUGE and shaded the whole house all afternoon. Good luck with the ID

 

[Gibby]

Happy trails!!!

 

[manumuskin]

Scott,
I say it is Hen of the Woods but I am no expert.On the other hand I have a friend who is.I"ll post this on Facebook and hopefully shortly He'll give me an ID.

 

[manumuskin]

Scott I am intouch with my buddies sensei so to speak,the true master and he said it looks like hen but is interested in the tree near it.was it oak?

 

[manumuskin]

never mind I see it was white oak.I trhink you have hen

 

[manumuskin]

Facebook conversation.Felix is the sensei
11
Comments

Alfred Shumate How about you Wes?
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Felix · 2 mutual friends
at first i thought it was a turkey tail..but at a closer look it looks more like a hen.
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Alfred Shumate He said it was growing within three inches of base of tree.
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Felix oak?
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Alfred Shumate White oak a large healthy one
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Alfred Shumate He didn't say if it was oak or what.I can ask him.
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Alfred Shumate He also said it smelled very good
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Felix some hens are more grey,but others i've seen are brownish tan like this.
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Alfred Shumate I have never seen turkey tail that big and it always seems to grow on wood,this was out of the ground though probably growing from a root
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Alfred Shumate You say Hen, Felix?
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Felix yep,i think so.
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Felix · 2 mutual friends
that's what hens do.turkey tails are thin skinned..and make a healhful tea.
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[manumuskin]

My Buddy is good and so is His friend Wes but Felix has been at this for over thirty years

 

[manumuskin]

He said Hen is the cadillac of Shrooms and don't tell anyone where you found it.I told Him you already did but it's in your yard and you pack so it's safe

 

[RednekF350]

Might take a look at this;

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/trees/quercus_alba.html

Personally, I would not eat any if I was not absolutely certain on its id.

Do you have a will?

I loved the song Sixer ! My wife is still laughing ! She says I am an idiot for tasting it.

I have it in a Tupperware bowl in the fridge and am weighing my options. It looks exactly like chicken flesh when pulled apart and I am tempted to sauté a little and try another very small taste.

The only local I knew that had knowledge died years ago and not from mushrooms.

Thanks for the input Al. I wish I could show it to an expert in person but I am not going to have any time in the next few days. Funeral planning and whatnot.

 

[RednekF350]

This article advise that with all mushrooms, the best thing to do is eat a little bit and wait a day or so for a reaction.
Wow.
http://www.startribune.com/how-to-find-and-eat-hen-of-the-woods-mushrooms/218885321/

 

[smoke_jumper]

It looks like hen to me, but I wouldn't eat it. Is there anybody that you don't particularly care for you can experiment with

 

[46er]

Scroll down this link, Hen has no look-a-likes according to this site, but....

http://lifehacker.com/5818201/how-to-tell-if-a-mushroom-is-safe-to-eat

Is there anybody that you don't particularly care for you can experiment with

Perhaps the author of the Star Tribune article?

 

[manumuskin]

Scott,
You can have an allergic reaction to any mushroom and should never eat them raw.I trust Felix.I ran into Him 30 years ago and He knew his shrooms then,He's been doing it ever since. My buddy Bobby has only one bad experience and not from misidentification but He ate some shrooms that were too far gone and became the famous song"Man With the Runs". I"ve ate shrooms he's collected and cooked and never had a problem.

 

[smoke_jumper]

Ok, how long do we wait to hear from him before we get nervous

 

[manumuskin]

One to 48 hours.

 

[RednekF350]

Greetings from the ER at Virtua ! They have Wifi !
Just kidding.
My plan is to freeze it since "they" say it freezes well and try it next week. We have a busy weekend planned and I don't want to be dead or have uncontrollable diarrhea.

 

[Teegate]

They don't have Wifi when you are dead. If they do it doesn't work.

 

[bobpbx]

Scott, you may have reached this site, but if not, this statement therein should give you confidence..."Maitake / Hen of the Woods is a very distinctive species with no dangerous "look-alikes" (assuming that one discounts gilled mushrooms that grow in clusters), making it a very good choice for the novice mushroomer.".

http://americanmushrooms.com/edibles1.htm