Dave W Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Spotted these on an aspen tree while searching for morels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Nice, Dave! Just found these on the stump by my porch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastwx Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 Very nice Dave!If you don't mind, I'll piggyback on your post. I had the chance and my knee is good enough to walk my area. The poplar that produced well last Dec had one decent oyster cluster yesterday. Not as young as yours, but ok and enough for a meal. You were correct. It's been 9 days since the 3-4 inch rain. After finding this cluster, I'm in the back yard and three of my shiitake logs were covered. Small shiitake, but around 20. No spore print on this one, but caught my eye because it was growing on mostly decomposed oak or poplar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastwx Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 Wow, looking at Dave's picture again and those are beautiful and bug free!Good motivation for another walk in the woods a bit later this morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 Actually, there were a few beetles just beginning to infiltrate those Oysters. I convinced them to move on. I can't quite see the gill attachment for that grayish wood-inhabitor. But I think it may be an example of Megacollybia rodmani, a common springtime mushroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastwx Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 It does fit the description Dave. I'm not going to eat, but do see Megacollybia rodmani is edible, but maybe not prized.Tried another park yesterday and found a better cluster of oysters. They had some Beetles, but take it that as long as the mushroom is in decent shape the fungi beetles won't harm the edibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastwx Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Yes, gills are attached to the stem. I guess Pluteus cervinus is similar, but gills not attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Pluteus cervinus has gills that start out white but become pink as the spores mature. The gills of P. cervinus are generally more closely spaced than M. rodmani. The stem of M. rodmani is more fibrous than P. cervinis. But the most reliable field ID difference is the gill attachment... completely free for Pluteus, attached for Megacollybia. In older manuals, M. rodmani is listed under the name Tricholomopsis platyphyllum. As long as the bugs have not infested an Oyster and bored lots of holes leaving behind a lot of sawdust-looking residue, and the bugs are removed from the mushroom, then I think the mushroom is okay to prepare to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DufferinShroomer Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 I dont concern myself with the little black beetles in oysters. I find that if the mushroom is fresh ie not past its best before date that the beetles dont really do much damage and if they have done some damage then I likely wouldnt want to be eating that mushroom anyways. They can be sort of flicked out with a pocket knife pretty quickly. Nice to see a mushroom named after Rodman. The Bulls wouldnt have been so successful without him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Yeah Dufferin, but you'd think the Megacollybia should at least have a few piercings. I agree about the beetles. But one should also check the fleshy parts of Oysters for worm holes and related damage. I just used the ones seen at the top of this thread. I ended up using about 75% of what is pictured. I made my favorite Oyster Mushroom dish, Oyster Mushroom and Scallop Soup... a milk-based soup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyflyfsh Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Lots of people are already finding chicken of the woods right now as well as oysters, Dryad's and morels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Oak Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 When I find oysters I usually whack the top of the mushroom a few times. This usually knocks out many of the bugs...at least the ones at the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.