1shotwade Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 It's been a while but I finally got some mushrooms today. Found them on a drive so shot a couple pix then a couple more when I got home. Hopefully Y'all can confirm the ID> I'm thinking these are a winter Oyster. Haven't printed any yet as I just got in the door. These were growing on what appears to be an old Maple stump. Please forgive the festive background. It's the wifes place mats. I wasn't thinking, ,,again!LOL! What do Y'all think? Thanks, Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 They look like young Pleurotus mushrooms to me, although with caps darker than I'm used to seeing. I'd guess that the dark caps are due to both the level of maturity of the mushrooms and the late-season occurrence. I see the gray-brown ones in late fall or winter. The late ones usually also have the smoky grayish-lilac print color. Nice to see you got out and collected some mushrooms, Wade. Has it been a lean year in Indiana? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 Yes Dave. It's been extremely challenging here all year! Terribly wet and cold spring then when the rains stopped we got nodda! Nobody had a good garden unless they were growing under cover or irrigating. So of course this effected the fungi growth also. I ended up with a broken rib that kept me down for a while also but overall the weather doomed our harvest. I had a tree that I found 9 hens under last year. I didn't haevest any because they were too old. This year there has only been one! That's the way it's been all year. I've very thankful to find this little flush of oysters! Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendan Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 The only thing that got me through this mushrooming season was seeing how hard it was for everyone else haha. What a bad year. I’m so thankful it wasn’t my first year in the hobby, I might have come to the conclusion I’m just no good at spotting them! Your hen story was right on, I drive by a tree every day on the way to work that produced ten hens in a ring around the trunk last year, and not one this year. Good flushes of chanterelles in July were the only highlight. (Ok I did find one very impressive lions mane a few weeks back) i have read that many temperate mushrooms are severely threatened by climate change, any reason to believe that’s at play here or just a bad year by coincidence? Earlier this year I spoke with someone on the forum who mentioned they were seeing bug eaten chanterelles on the west coast for the first time in their life, which also sounded ominous to me. I’m very interested in the Colombian exchange and it seems like there is a lot of research to be done in terms of its effects on fungus rather than mammals and birds and insects. Anyway sorry for ranting to the moon haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 I believe it's well-established that at least some fungal species have been imported into NA, mostly unintentionally. For example, it is believed that Amanita phalloides has been imported on the roots of trees that are mycorrhizal partners. A few weeks ago I submitted collections of Inocybe mushrooms for research, and one collection turned out to be I. sindonia, which is suspected to associate --perhaps exclusively-- with Norway spruce https://mushroomobserver.org/390989?q=13G2Z. As for correlation of fungal species distribution with Climate Change, I think this will follow two pathways. First, as forests change in character --ie. tree species diminish in number and are replaced by new species-- fungal species that associate with the trees will follow suit. This will presumably occur over the course of decades. Second, as new weather patterns evolve, saprobic fungal species that thrive where temperatures and precipitation are most favorable will appear in places where they traditionally have occurred rarely, or not at all. Also, it seems reasonable to expect that some saprobic species will disappear from areas where favorable conditions are replaced by unfavorable ones. I would expect changes in geographic ranges associated with saprobic species to evolve more quickly. Here's something I found on my property last spring https://mushroomobserver.org/367877?q=13G8D Flammulaster caprphilus --which may include a few distinct species-- is believed to be a mainly western NA species. I'm sure there are people out there striving to study this type stuff, and I can't say whether my suggestions constitute viable scientific hypotheses as opposed to just being brain-stormed conjecture. Study of fungi presents particular challenges, partly for reasons such as mentioned in this discussion. Is this year's meager Grifola fruiting related to large-scale global change, or is it merely a reflection of this year's weather? Or, perhaps after a banner year like 2018 --here in PA as well as many other locations east of the Rockies-- the fungus needs a few years to recoup energy? I think it can be argued that "this year's weather" is influenced by Climate Change, and that extremes in precipitation --or lack thereof-- promote a "feast or famine" fungal landscape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 Thanks Dave. As a beginner, I appreciate these deeper discussions. My area is notorious for picking milkies. I’d heard that, and it tracks with every mushroom hunter I talk to around here. Most, that’s about all they hunt. I’m working on a Milky spreadsheet for my own use, and currently have about 50 species that occur around here. That’s from four guides (Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America by Roger Phillips, Mushrooms of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, by Timothy Baroni, Appalachian Mushrooms by Walter Sturgeon, and Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic by Bill Russel). Of those, I see 14 which are edible and four listed as posionous. Just trying to do my homework before I pick any. I also don’t eat anything that I haven’t verified with a knowledgeable mushroom hunter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 Kevin, you may want to consider getting a copy of the Bessette field guide, Milk Mushrooms of North America https://www.abebooks.com/MILK-MUSHROOMS-NORTH-AMERICA-Format-Hardcover/3654373772/bd?cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade-_-new-_-naa&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq7KotYmk5gIVS9yGCh290woVEAQYASABEgLYBvD_BwE. It's a bit pricey, but you may be able to find a used copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 I asked my wife to get me his guide on boletes for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Hoover Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 I understand that he is scheduled to speak at the Central Pennsylvania Mushroom Club’s Bill Russel Foray this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 Alan and Arleen Bessette are regular participants in many of the the big forays here in eastern NA. This past summer they served on the faculty at the NEMF foray held in central PA. There are two different Bolete field guides co-authored by the Bessettes. The second one incorporates some of the newer genus/species names that have been adopted over the past 10 years (but still uses a lot of old names and/or names that are likely to be replaced, if they already haven't been). I think the first book --North American Boletes-- contains more information. Bolete taxonomy is currently in the state of flux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 FYI, I got a nice lilac spore print! I'm happy! Thanks for the help guys! I'll be eating good tomorrow, and I left plenty in the field! Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Nice! As long as there hasn't been any real adverse weather in your neck of the woods, these should still be in prime condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendan Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Thanks Dave lots to think about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Ya, we've been going down into the 20s lately but expect the teens this week. Wondering if that difference will effect them? Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendan Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 I have definitely harvested frozen oysters before, I'm sure repeat thawing/freezing would eventually damage them but in my experience they seem to hold up well to frost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 I'm thinking maybe I should go pick the larger oysters out of that flush before the cold temps set in. How do Y'all put them up for long term storage? Dehydrate or freeze, or does it matter? Thanks, Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 I haven't had a lot of success preserving Oysters. Dried, they lose their original texture when rehydrated and the quality is not nearly as good as when fresh. Probably blanching and freezing would be best. Or maybe prepare some sort of casserole and freeze in individual portions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Thanks Dave! In that case maybe it would be wiser to just eat fresh! Think I need to look at recipies posted and go from there! Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Oysters a versatile edible type; work well in a variety of dishes. If you end up with more than you can use immediately, then maybe some experimenting with a small portion of blanched/frozen material would be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Thanks Dave, I'll try that if I get back to pick more. Wind and rain will keep me inside today so maybe later. I would suppose to blanch you are talking about 2-3 minutes in boiling water? Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted December 9, 2019 Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Yeah, boil for a couple minutes. Or maybe even better, steam them for 2-3 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2019 Got it! Thanks again! Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diana Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 On 12/8/2019 at 7:25 PM, 1shotwade said: I'm thinking maybe I should go pick the larger oysters out of that flush before the cold temps set in. How do Y'all put them up for long term storage? Dehydrate or freeze, or does it matter? Thanks, Wade I made the mistake of drying oysters in the house once. That has been the ONLY time that they have smelled like seafood (fresh smell like ironing linen to me). The whole house smelled. I've had good luck cooking and then freezing to be used in recipes later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1shotwade Posted December 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 Thanks Diana. I haven't gotten back to pick more. Life got in the way. Happens a lot. Wade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendan Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 Oh that's interesting, I've dried oysters a few times and never had any odor, I'll be wary of that in the future. Now, there was the time I left a milk mushroom in a paper bag in the back of my car for a few days in July by accident, and WOW I may as well have just left a dead fish back there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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