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Hen of the Woods


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Hi guys...and gals...

I have been stuck down here in the heat and humidity all summer with little rain and few mushrooms in order to have surgery on my hand and do my therapy etc. Now that summer is nearing the end...(another month here to go), I am desparate to get out and find some mushrooms and my quarry is specifially hens. I'm planning a road trip up north just for hens so any ideas of where, when and I'm assuming the trees I want are oaks? Anyone want to meet up this fall for some hen hunting? I'm going to say I can do this anytime from right after Labor Day through Oct. but it all depends on when you think is the best time. I've only ever found one hen on my own, back in 2005 while driving from MT to PA passing through Wisconsin I found a massive hen and chicken in the same park around Sept. 6th or so. That's pretty far north for me so I'm looking at PA/MO or south of there. Any ideas on this?

Mary

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Sorry, Ladyflyfish. I've only ever found and harvested two... and that was in 2009. We have tons of big, old oaks in my neck of the woods, but hot, dry falls as well. The year I found the hens, it was unusually wet for the season. I hear that Ohio is chockers with them. I met up with a fellow forager this past summer who told me that she found over 200 lbs. of Maitake in Ohio last year. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

What I can tell you about the ones that I have found is: A) one was on a large, healthy looking oak, south side of the tree, south facing hill in October; and B ) the other was on a scrawny (10" in diameter), well rotted oak stump in November. The biggest cluster of Hens that I have ever seen was last Fall, on a trail that had been closed (while it was in its prime) due to forest fires. Very disappointing to find it after it was beyond edible; however I found it in October, which leads me to believe that it fruited in September!! Perhaps it fruited earlier than the others I have found due to the dryness of the weather and the heat from the forest fire downwind from it???

You see, we want to share! For my part, I just don't have any concrete advise due to my sketchy luck with these beauties. I'll keep on keeping a journal and may figure them out some day. Time to check the forest fire spot, I'll keep you informed!!

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Hoping to see some here by mid-September or after ... but we have had at least two months

of almost completely rainless weather near Saint Louis, with the exception of a few fast

storms that left almost no rainfall. That situation will hopefully change in the next

month -- if so, should bring them out in good numbers. Last year was also fairly dry,

but I found a four nice ones on two separate hunts. Just scratched the surface in a

new hunting area then, so I'm hopeful for this year. Mid-to-late September into

October is generally good hunting around here.

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Ok, thanks everyone. I'm thinking right now of a road trip up to Maine where there seems to be tons of mushrooms and lots and lots of black trumpets right now. New England seems to be pumping out mushrooms like mad so that really appeals to me. I have friends in Maine and it would be a fun place to spend a little time photographing, eating lobsters and finding mushrooms so that is on my priority list right now to get me out of this place for a bit before work gets crazy busy! All I need now is to get my kitty and chicken sitters in order and I'm outa here as soon as Labor Day is over. If you live in the NE give me a shout and we can forage together.

Of course what this really means is as soon as I leave, my banana will put out a big flower and make babies while I'm gone which it should be doing any minute now...this will just insure that will happen! And of course while I'm not here to take photos!

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Ok, thanks everyone. I'm thinking right now of a road trip up to Maine where there seems to be tons of mushrooms and lots and lots of black trumpets right now. New England seems to be pumping out mushrooms like mad so that really appeals to me. I have friends in Maine and it would be a fun place to spend a little time photographing, eating lobsters and finding mushrooms so that is on my priority list right now to get me out of this place for a bit before work gets crazy busy! All I need now is to get my kitty and chicken sitters in order and I'm outa here as soon as Labor Day is over. If you live in the NE give me a shout and we can forage together.

Of course what this really means is as soon as I leave, my banana will put out a big flower and make babies while I'm gone which it should be doing any minute now...this will just insure that will happen! And of course while I'm not here to take photos!

Sounds like great trip. Always wanted to shroom in Maine and/or New Hampshire. Glad to hear it turned out you aren't allergic to shellfish. That would be a cruel fate in my book.

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easternWa, yes, I'm in SW FL and have been stuck here this summer having hand surgery and now PT on hand. I'm skipping out on therapy to do this trip as I need a break from the heat and humidity. By the time I get back it should be a very short time before the weather turns to absolute perfection for the next several months and I'm ready. By Oct. 1st the humidity should be gone as will the hot weather and then it will be garden season again as well as open windows and sitting out on the patio sipping drinks and grilling. I'm ready. Summer here is like Winter was in MT!!! (only in reverse) We're also coming into our really great fishing time of year with redfish and snook so that will be good too.

Tasso, I've eaten shrimp a few times since my scare and I've been fine. I haven't tried crab or lobster and the only shrimp I've eaten are Key West Pinks...(local product). So far, so good. I haven't ordered shellfish from a restaurant, only what I've cooked at home with no problems.

I went to summer camp as a kid in Maine (4th and 5th grade) and I haven't been back since, so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm ready to photograph some cool lighthouses, play with some HDR images, find and photograph mushrooms as well as eat them and lobster, lobster, lobster!!!

easternWa, my intention is to spend a few months in the summers back in MT but it wasn't possible this summer due to hand surgery.

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I was trying to see when I found my hens last year and I guess I didn't take a picture. Either that or it was lost in the great apple crash. What I can tell you Mary, is that we have had an awesome year for mushrooms here with all the rain we got. Things are in the midst of change now. October is beautiful here with the color of the leaves. I would like to get out and do some major hen hunting this year so if we can figure out the best time you are welcome to come here for a weekend of hen hunting. Last year was the first I found them and I only found two but I didn't go out and really hunt. Meaning I didn't walk the woods like I should of. So if you want to come out and do some major walking, let me know.

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That sounds great, Zora. I recall you posting something you found while horseback riding that had stained black from your saddle and you ended up cooking it and deciding it was a hen but an old one. Let me see if I can go back and find that date on that. At any rate, I'd love to come back to visit you and walk the woods...as long as you promise not to take me on any more hikes from ######!!! lol no matter, we (Madison, Maggie and I) had a good time there. I know your area has had good rains. Thanks for the offer. I'll go find that post.

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Found 2 today in S.W Michigan, and normally pick as many as i feel like, this is a little earlier than normal but thy are out in good numbrs already it appears, f you make it this way I would be glad to show you a few spots where yu can pick a bunch! Found a big patch of trumpets today along with lac. volumes, and sweet tooths also.

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Wow, cool you guys...I'm so ready to get out of this hot house and find something besides Chlorophylum molybdites I could scream! I guess there is a lot of wet weather heading your way Zora...this tropical storm Lee is heading up to the NE this week so that should be great. Zora, I'll call you.

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This is only my second year finding hens, so my timing isn't there yet. I am wondering if that rain will blow them out or start more of them. Here are my pics from yesterday. I put up a couple of bags and I took all my mushrooms in waiting and made kind of a mushroom stew to go over rice.

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post-4-0-55138300-1315233426_thumb.jpg

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This the first I've visited the website since we lost electrical power after Irene. Generator ran the chest freezer, fridge, some lights, and the TV. Got power back last Thursday. But there's been so many thunderstorms... seems like every time I try to get online. I turn off the compluter when there's bad storms.

Mary, if you're in NE PA any time during September, and you'd like to hunt some Hens, then as long as it's not raining, we can probably find some. They're out here now. I ran into somebody today with one. With all this rain, though, they may all come on at once and blwo out quickly. I'll start checking my spots soon.

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I'm watching the weather because I don't want to have to drive all the way in pouring rain. I decided to come to PA instead of Maine...(not as long a drive). I'll do Maine next summer.

Dave, I was wondering where you've been. Glad to hear your power is back.

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WOW. I can't believe you guys are already finding hens. With all the rain we've had here, I should go look. I'll have to check the woods at work some day this week and drive through my usual spot.

Dave, glad to hear you guys have your power back. I was wondering about you with all this weather that youv'e been getting.

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