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Some nice spring foraging southern ontario


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Sue, do you use the Tree Ears while they're still fresh? Or do you dehydrate them first? I have been under the impression that Auricularia is best used after dehydrating/rehydrating. 

Also, I'm not saying your ID is incorrect. But, I'm wondering if you had considered Gyromitra leucoxantha as the ID for the "Tree Ears"? Honestly, I can't tell from the photo (which is a good photo). But, I believe there is reason to pose the question. Auricularia tends to fruit on wood that's not very long dead/decayed. Some sources list conifer wood as potential habitat for Auricularia (of which there are several recently documented NA species), although in my experience it typically fruits on recently dead branches or trunks of hardwood trees. I have found what I believe to be Gyromitra leucoxantha on well decayed logs https://mushroomobserver.org/364338?q=nFnr . Here's another G. leucoxantha observation, this one supported by microscopic analysis   https://mushroomobserver.org/275687?q=nFnr .

https://www.mycoquebec.org/bas.php?trie=G&l=l&nom=Gyromitra leucoxantha / Gyromitre blanc-jaune&tag=Gyromitra leucoxantha&gro=86  

Nice ramps! About 8-10 years ago, my wife and I transplanted some onto our property, shady area near a small stream. Now there's a couple patches there from which we may sustainably harvest a few each year. 

 

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Dave, here is a photo of a young example. They were growing on and around cut down red pines. I don’t think they are gyromitra just from the colour being a deeper brown and appearing velvety than wet. They went into the soup, sliced, being used more for texture, no mushroom flavor or scent. Ramps that are gathered each year are from an incredible vastly covered section of forest which i frequent. No one knows about it! Ramp heaven.

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And ...

gazillion ramps!

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If some of them were growing on the ground (near the pine wood), then it's unlikely these were Auricularia. Field guides don't mention comparisons between Auricularia and the disc-like Gyromitra species, probably because --from a mycological point of view-- the two types are very different. Auricularia is a basiodiomycete; Gyromitra an ascomycete. Microscopic details easily separate the two types. But, there are some obvious physical similarities. Sue, if you can collect some spores on a piece of foil or wax paper and mail it to me, I'll look at the spores and post some photos. 

Looks like quite a few ramps growing along that path. 

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Dave, the fungi were definitely growing on pine and some pine logs were already covered by moss close to ground so i would not say they were terrestrial like the false morels. Unfortunately i have none to spore print. If gyromitra, should i be concerned about consuming these? Nothing bad happened to me, boiled in soup, toxins released?

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Discina perlata is very similar to Gyrmitra ancilis, and these actually be the same species (which is what is asserted in Ascomycete Fungi of North America). In many field guides D. perlata is listed as a good edible. California Fungi lists it as edible (under the name Gyromitra perlata) https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Gyromitra_perlata.html. I have no information regarding the edibility of Gyromitra leucoxantha. I know of no reports of problems associated with the consumption of these "disc" Gyromitra mushrooms (which some mycologists still place in genus Discina). 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi you southern ontario foragers!! I’m new to foraging and shrooming, glad to have found this page and others like it! I had no idea what ramps were until a friend brought me along for some casual bush whacking and found some dryads and morels🤤 Is there a southern ontario specific page on this site? Just trying to learn as much as I can in the area I live in! 

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https://wildmushroomhunting.org/index.php?/topic/229-ontario-mushrooms/&tab=comments#comment-202920

There ya go. There is only a handful of members from Ontario who actually post here and that thread doesnt get used much these days. You can of course fix that by using the thread.

If you are in Toronto then you should seriously consider joining the mushroom club. The club is called the Mycological Society of Toronto and in spite of their pompous name they are a good bunch of folks. The club organizes forays in spring and fall (and sometimes does a summer chanterelle hunt). I think these forays are a 'must attend' for anyone wanting to learn more about mushrooms.. The forays work like this... The group meets at a preselected location in the area of the foray. Sometimes this will be right where the group will look for mushrooms but sometimes the foray leader will take a quick scout around several nearby forests and select the best spot for that day. Once the group gets to the final destination they get organized and everyone spreads out into the woods (generally around 9:30am) . Ideally you want to find an experienced member to tag along with. Around lunch time everyone meets back at the starting point. The idea is to collect specimens from as many different species as you can and yes if you find a big fruiting of edibles go ahead and pick them. When folks get back to the starting point their catch is arranged on tables and when everyone is back the foray leader will identify every species found (hopefully). You can ask questions about each mushroom, learn about edibility, and how to identify it. You can even fondle them if you want. Typically the spring forays are morel hunts and the fall forays rack up big numbers of species. The most productive fall foray that I attended had almost 50 members head into the woods and when they returned they had collected 150 different species. The spring forays are a different deal. there isnt much fruiting and the group either finds morels or they dont. The forays are held basically every weekend both saturday and sunday in various significant forests withing about an hour drive of Toronto. You can expect to find decent numbers of species in all the fall forays but you have to understand that the forests are selected for their ability to host a pile of people (including parking for 50) and these are not the secret hotspots of the members. And the existing members wont be eager to tell new members where the very best spots are located until they get to know them and maybe they still wont. Still you can learn a ton from the forays which are free to members. Family membership last I looked was $30/year which is the bargain of the year. The club also puts on an identification course, hosts a gourmet mushroom dinner, and has other member benefits. Their website is www.myctor.org

The photo is the id table at one of the club's forays.

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  • 3 months later...
On 5/8/2019 at 9:59 PM, shroomersue said:

Wood ears, and ramps! Perfect in an asian soup recipe! Wood ears found on old pine logs.

 

 

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In our mushroom class they did something very cool with these. 

If you kinda rehydrate them in warm cherry juice with some sugar, then refrigerate them they actually taste like a dessert. They were sooooo delicious! 

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