Bradley

Western North Carolina at about 2800 ft elv Ive been watching these stumps for a while. Occasionally harvesting a pound or two of oysters at a time. Stopped there the other day and was shocked to see these beauties! I harvested 28 lbs of the absolute best tasting oyster mushrooms I've ever had that day. The three big clusters weighed over 24 lbs combined!!

They look like the shiitakes at my buddy's place when he forgets to harvest them! Most varieties are best 2-3 inches across before the cap begins to unfurl.

As the black birch ages it's bark changes rather dramatically from smooth to coarse. Makes it a bit tough to get to know it. It's the preferred host for chaga in my area also.

Score! Only the second beefsteak I've ever found! now I gotta decide. Beefsteak carpaccio or ceviche. Hmmmm..... And I found my biggest miatake ever!! 14.5 lbs! was a good day!

Yeah curtisii! I've always been terrible with scientific names. Ganodermas seem to be kind of tricky. I have found red reishi on deciduous trees before. They always look a little different than the ones from a hemlock but I can't quite put into words what the physical differences are. Perhaps not quite as elegant looking. With color forms and host trees overlapping so much it seems very difficult to truly know what species a particular reishi may be.

Thanks, the white mushrooms are bears beard. Similar to lions main and comb tooth. I usually find one or two of these during miatake season. I normally find them tucked away in the dark shadows of the forest. Also have found them on maples. Good luck Photo is of lions main

I have seen reishis that color growing on hardwoods before. Can't remember the name g. Kirtisi? I know that's spelled very wrong! They're usually pastel colors. When I collect reishi for medicine I've always been told the best stage to harvest is just before the first spores are released. This is judged by the color of the cap. When the growing (white) edge disappears they're ready! I have collected them just after the spores appear and felt like the medicinal benefits were the same. I saw lots of reishi today that look like yours. It may still have some medicinal value to it but it's definitely past prime. Many were growing green mold. Medicine can only be as powerful as the quality of the ingredients.

I think a,b, and e are field mushrooms possibly d as well. They're the Wild version of button mushrooms. Im just guessing on the I'd here but I will say sample A looks just like a mushroom that I have eaten, and thoroughly enjoyed, many times! No guesses for sample c.

The larger ones look very similar to some of the honey mushrooms that are all over wnc right now. Look up honey mushrooms and compare I bet that's what they are. The smaller ones could be honeys also but they appear to be ringless and they don't look like the ringless honeys that I am familiar with.

Wow! I've never seen a field hen before. They sure are beauties! I found my first one on a birch tree this year. This is today's haul, the hens all came off red oaks.

Yeah reishi wine is amazing! And much more natural than a tincture. Catching the reishi when the lips are prime is tough but for several weeks the perimeter can be trimmed off with a sharp, clean knife. If done correctly the mushroom will continue to grow although slightly deformed.

Do you know what type of tree it grew on? It doesn't look especially fresh. The white stuff may not be mold but it still looks to be too old to use for medicine. Pic is ganoderma tsugae. Grows on hemlock

Sure looks like a hen. Sometimes if the conditions for growth aren't right the mushroom seems to give up growing. Other times it seems the host tree is running out of nutrients and the mushroom isn't strong enough to make a big fruiting body anymore. I have seen them that size before I would bet that what you have is a hen.

I know what you mean about the tea. I never could figure out how to make it taste good. Although reishi wine is a different story. Fruity and delicious! The lower "button" was at least 8" wide and 4" thick. Bad pic but this is them 2 weeks later. When they're at the proper stage the sautéed tips are liked by all mushroom eaters!

Yeah! Pic 12 is ganoderma tsugae. Aka reishi mushroom. That one is at the stage where the lips are a choice edible. The mushroom in your picture could be a type of ganoderma but not taugae. Taugaes only grow on hemlocks.