Easiest Beginner’s Shrooms To Identify!

Easiest beginner’s shrooms to identify!

1. Lion’s Mane (hericium erinaceus)
   
   
2. Chicken of the Woods (laetiporus sulpureaus)
   
   
3. Hen of the Woods (miatake (grifola frondosa)
   
   
4. Oyster Mushroom (pleurotus ostreatus
   
   
5. Morels (morchella sp.)
   - a lot of people are worried about False Morels (pezizales sp.) but there is one test for sure that always shows the true morel - it is hollow inside!

True Morels are hollow! by Justin Baker posted Jan 7, 2020 at 11:12 PM

 

Any plans to expand on this post? Maybe pics and habitat information for the rest of your list?

 

Although it wouldn't be beyond my scope, I really intended this post to inspire a 'jumping off' of sorts for people who are interested in mushroom gathering to go and do the research. There are so many fungi in the world, I would be doing you a dis-service! These select few are just the starting point, if you will, to create an addiction to a fun, and useful hobby!

 

I understand your point. I asked because you list several, but only show pics of one. I wondered if it was unfinished and if you might post the pics/info about the ones you did not show pics for.

 

I showed that one so that y'all could get a definitive view of a true morel. Of the beginner's shrooms, it is the easiest to confuse with the poisonous variety.

 

I am convinced it takes a really short person to find lots of morel mushrooms.
To illustrate my point I'll tell a story. I have a 6 foot 6 inch tall customer and he was telling me about his morel hunting experiences. He came across a young girl and her mother hunting shrooms. The little girl had a full bag of morels. He asked her how come she was to good at finding morels, she replied she had a lot of experience, at 7-8 years old lol. Anyhoo she showed him, as they walked along she pointed out morels here and there at a pretty rapid rate. I think because she was short and as she scanned the horizon the morel showed its self. As opposed to someone taller looking at a different angle.

there ya go

 

I sometimes find myself on hands and knees to find the good treasure troves of shrooms!

 

@Sonofliberty

Lion’s Mane (hericium erinaceus)

 

Chicken of the Woods (laetiporus sulpureaus)

 

Hen of the Woods (miatake (grifola frondosa)

 

Oyster Mushroom (pleurotus ostreatus)

 

Yo, herbal guy, do ramps grow out West? I'm thinking that they do not. Wonder if a person could get them started out West?

https://www.wildedible.com/blog/foraging-ramps

Are there leeks that grow in Pacific coastal states that are similar to ramps? I don't know this stuff. I'm rather curious about this.

My Pap and I whilst out hunting small game, usually squirrel, would also gather ramps. Adding ramps to fried meat was a tradition. It's the same as adding onions or garlic to a fry.

We lived at around 1300' ft above sea level in the Appalachians -- right on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina (sometimes I didn't know what state I was in). We'd hunt often at altitude, well above 3,000 ft. (who knows? I didn't know; except hunting groundhogs in high pasture, that was 3 to 5 thousand feet; I've looked straight over to a mountain I knew was >6 K ft.).

We lived in the valley so everybody grew onions, but the divine ramps, they were in the mountain woods where you went hunting. We'd always leave some for to spread.

Pap had Cherokee in him so he was part of the woods; the man actually was some sort of woods creature. We'd get up in the mountain woods and he'd stop being my grandfather; he'd turn into something else. I'd hardly talk to him when he was hunting. Would you talk to a bear? Me, I wouldn't. He wasn't nice when hunting. He didn't give a sh## about me, a kid, when he went feral. His eyes weren't human any more. I learned the meaning of true focus from him and from rifle team.

Trust me, there are altered states of consciousness, big time. Drop into the Collective Unconscious and you ain't you. The dead will speak to you when you come loose from this world. Native Americans know this and they can "change". Beware. You gotta be right with God to navigate these waters. You gotta be in a state of prayer when in the forest or at the top of mountains, else you are out of the Sacred. The dead are up there and you are still in the Womb. Keep that in mind. They are behind you. They are beside you. Be right with the Great Spirit. Be right with those who've gone before. You need them, make no mistake. They'll come to you in colored dreams and tell you about sh## that's about to happen. They'll guide you. Ignore them and they won't -- you really don't want that. Love them. They love you.

 

I wish! I remember ramp hunting when I lived in Tennessee! - there is actually one place they grow up here, and that's on the northern side of the Olympic Mountains in Western Washington State. but it's really the only place to find them in harvest-able amounts. I remember seeing them up in Glacier too, but they were not as potent and very tiny compared to the harvests I remember in TN. And yes, they were part of the tradition of the hunt - I remember that!

 

We do have your average wild onions, about a billion per square foot, here in Oregon!

 

Thanks for that Justin. I like wild onions though, they add flavor to my squirrel and rabbits.

 

we have ramps here however they are called leeks. Every spring I pickle up several jars using vinegar, turmeric, salt and a few misc. I then dehydrate the leaves to add to soups and what not. Don't mean to go off on a tangent but leek season and morel season are darn close in my area.

 

Yummy! And they go good with grouse and pheasant too!

Now that sounds like a good ferment!