My Hydnellum suaveolens fascination

 

I’m back again with Hydnellum suaveolens mainly to show the above photo which features a longer stemmed version which nicely highlights its below the cap colorfulness. I’ve also did a bit of snooping to see what others have to share on this one.

I have dried and stored small amounts of this mushroom in glass jars for many years just to open the jar and enjoy the pleasant aroma which I find uplifting. This year I have a few dried H suaveolens wrapped in paper and tucked in small compartments in my car as an air freshener which I’m surprised my fellow carpoolers haven’t mentioned the improved scent of the old mushroomobile. I suspect these car mushrooms will only hold their pleasant fragrance for a short time though after a month mine are doing quite well.

These ones above are large mushrooms nearly 20 cm across the cap, the closest one has a conifer twig running through it which always catches my imagination and the next large cap appears to have been a nice table for someone to enjoy a spruce cone brunch comfortably atop.  Although every mycological website and book I’ve checked on the edibility of Hydnellum suaveolens has listed this mushroom as inedible, nevertheless I’ll add this link (not to promote this mushroom as a food) but to acknowledge my own wonderment of what is and a nod to that which will appear on this planet. I suspect the world famous chef who uses H suaveolens does so in extremely small quantities and as an essence and he may also have a secret process involved in this?        https://dannygregorysblog.com/2015/12/28/faviken

 

H suaveolens is a very solid mushroom which you may think would last several years like some polypores but some of these mushrooms which appeared in late Sept are already decomposing as shown in the top left corner above. I’ll include another link here as there are a few NA and European websites that list Hydnellum suaveolens as a mushroom for dye-makers. This is a subject I have little knowledge on, though I found the colors shown in the linked post well worth sharing with you.  Well that does it for this aromatic, colorful, large and somewhat little known mushroom – Hydnellum suaveolens – which tends to grow where there are still mature mossy conifer forest. ciao    riihivilla.blogspot.com/…/hydnellum–suaveolens-tuoksuorakasvrjys… 

Notice the aroma of fall

Haven’t posted in while as I’ve been busy gathering many of my fall mushroom favorites and enjoying the surrounding. Here in the scent of the sea we see the Bay of Fundy and in the rear view mirror a tall conifer tree which are famous for having nice gifts under them.

Tonight I am showing some of surprises you may encounter while out foraging for the also very scentful Matsutake in thick moss under mature conifers. This one in the above photos is my first meeting with the edible Polyozellus multiplex, quite a showy mushroom with an unusual scent.

This mushroom above I didn’t think to take a photo of in its home in the moss as I was overwhelmed at the time by the sweet scent which filled the air above it. No  local plant or tree in flower can compare with this mushroom as you are apt to suspect someone has just broken a bottle of perfume near by. Next time you smell something like this in your local maritime woods look down and you might see a few of these Hydnellum sauveolens which are not edible but a sweet find just the same.Hope you get a chance to fill your senses with all fall has to offer especially in these mature  mossy conifer areas which unfortunately are becoming rarer as of late. Ciao