eat-bolete Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 These are my first oysters (I hope it's not something else), please let me know if it's them and what else it can be, which I should look out for. cap feells rubbery, flesh thick, smells very faintly but good, found them on black birch, please see the last photo for accurate color of cap and gills in natural light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eat-bolete Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Spore color should be known by the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Smalldridge Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 They look to be oysters to me but I usually check spore print to be sure. The thing about finding oysters in winter is that they tend to dry up quickly and are subject to freeze/thaw cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eat-bolete Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 yes I found them frozen actually, but i guess the freeze thaw cycle just started, they still look and feel fresh. Is there a problem eating them if they froze/thawed a few times? spore print is lilac gray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Those look really nice, should be perfectly good to eat... as long as they don't sit around for too long. Frozen/thawed mushrooms tend to have a short shelf-life. Nice find! A versatile edible mushroom, great in soups, stir-fries, or cheesy casseroles. Lilac-gray is a typical print color for Pleurotus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eat-bolete Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Thanks Dave, I found plenty, so I'll try making different dishes with them to see how I like them best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4rum Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 eat-bolete, mine were just past prime but still cut and pinched apart ok. I soaked them just a bit in salt water. Since they were wet from that, I shook them in a bag with flour and browned them in butter with just salt and pepper. Really, really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eat-bolete Posted December 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 4rum, I sauteed some last night with onions and a bit of potatoes, nice simple meal, with a side salad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4rum Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Oysters are a new treat to me. It's very hard to contain my excitement of being able to add them to my list of continued research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eat-bolete Posted December 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Now I'm not so sure I found them on black birch, might be poplar, I need to learn my trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 The tree in the first photo looks like possibly Yellow Birch. But poplar is also possible. Oysters may appear on virtually any type of hardwood species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4rum Posted December 4, 2014 Report Share Posted December 4, 2014 I've only recently started harvesting Oysters. So far I've found them on Ash, Elm, Tree of Paradise and most often on Poplar. We've just come through a cold snap then very hard, warm rain. Oysters are coming out and having really good results. A few years ago there was a derecho (strong straight wall winds comparable to a tornado) that moved through this area. There is prime mushroom timber on the ground everywhere you look. Lots of black oak for the Chicken of the Woods too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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