ghigg403 Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 I was walking my dog in my neighborhood here in north-central NC and came across a large polypore about 5 feet from the base of a small tree, growing in grass. I later went back with my field guide but forgot my camera so photographed it when i got home. Underside is light buff color continuing over edge of cup shaped edges about 5mm before turning to brown in the cup. Pores are small enough that I can't see them with my crappy magnifying glass. Smells very fresh, mushroomy. Bruises light brown as can be seen in photos. Black-staining polypore (Meripulus giganteus) is the closest I could find to it but maybe it's not in my field guide. There were a couple other small specimens growing within several feet but this was the largest. About 2 pounds, 10" across. Let me know what you think. Thanks for your help and thanks for letting me join the community. Meripilus sumstinei? Any thoughts. I want to eat it. Garrett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 Yup, it's Meripilus sumstinei, Black Staining Polypore. I was given some spicy jerky made out of this species. I thought it was really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghigg403 Posted June 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 That's a really cool idea. How do you think to make it? Marinate with liquid flavoring and dehydrate? I'll let you know how it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 Not sure how she made the jerky. The mushroom must have been marinated. She used Thai spices. It was kinda hot, but tasty and nicely chewy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYshroomer Posted June 22, 2017 Report Share Posted June 22, 2017 Dang Dave! You had me all intrigued until that photo. Hahaha. If my wife found that lying around the kitchen she would be wondering how the dog got up on the counter and why he didn't go outside. I'm just kidding, but you gotta admit..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Oak Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 How long was that out of the ground for? Any time I've picked black staining they stain deeply very quickly. That looks like it could be an immature Berkeley's polypore too maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghigg403 Posted June 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 I was looking at Berkeley's but the pore size seems to be so different you would almost certainly be able to differentiate on this basis alone. The staining wasn't super dark, kind of less than I would have expected from "black-staining" in the name so I'm not sure... Both are edible, right? I plan to start dehydrating them tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Ha! Yeah, the jerky worked really well while bass fishing out on a lake, but maybe not the best choice to bring to a covered dish party :-) Young Berkeley's usually doesn't have so many fronds. It tends to start out as a single formless mass and later spreads out into fairly uniformly-shaped semi-circular fronds. The polypore seen here shows dark staining along the margins of the fronds and on the surface of the frond that was cut off. This is probably the result of handling (bruising), and is consistent with the amount/type of darkening expected on a young Meripilus sumstinei, which is what I think this is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghigg403 Posted June 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2017 Confirming the identification. I went back to the spot to find 6-10 more sprouts around the infected tree so harvested about another 1.5 pounds and made gravy last night. Using the entire frond rather than slicing the ends yielded about 1/3 of the mushrooms in the gravy un-chewable. The flavor is good though. They will lend themselves to jerky very well with the tough texture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesna Posted July 8, 2020 Report Share Posted July 8, 2020 Hi, I found in my back yard I think black stained polipore. It looks identical to yours, and stains dark brown. The only thing , that makes me worry is - it is not typical smell of mushrooms I used to.I tried raw flesh a little bit. The taste was good at the beginning, but than It kind of tasted chemical like magic mushroom taste. Any comments, thoughts? Everything would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted July 8, 2020 Report Share Posted July 8, 2020 Photos? In general, edible wild mushrooms should not be consumed raw. Also, some edible types acquire a different flavor once they're cooked. Meripilus sumstinei (Black Sating Polypore) is not known for it's pleasing flavor. And, as has already been mentioned, it can be pretty tough/chewy. Not a highly regarded edible. But the jerky --despite the provocative appearance-- was really good. About 35 years ago I tried frying some Meripilus with onions. Seemed soemwhat like beef liver, but flavor was a bit displeasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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