Summer, mushrooms and change

Chanterelle is a mushroom I started gathering around 35 years ago and the mushroom in front of the 2 chanterelle mushrooms in the photo Lactarius lignyotus, the Chocolate Milky is one I have recently began to gather for the table.

Still undecided whether I’ll add this one to my Wild Edible Mushroom page as there is little info on its edibility beyond a few sources from Quebec Canada. I know I can eat this mushroom with no problem so far though I’m not sure how many folks have actually tried it in NA and worldwide.

The cap and stem of this mushroom are almost black in color when they first appear, then the cap and stem gradually fade to light brown. The gills start out almost white and start gradually darkening up to also become light brown, so when very mature the mushrooms cap, stem and gills are shades of light brown. I’ll keep eating and experimenting with recipes before I make a decision on this guy.

These Chocolate Milkys are common under spruce and other conifers so they can be gathered in good numbers though the are fragile and crush easily in your basket if layered. In conifers these mushrooms often grow where Hedgehog and Chanterelle are so it will be convenient gathering if this one becomes a wild mushroom I can trust as a safe edible long term.

 

Last photo is my first sighting of Craterrellus tubaeformis the Winter Chanterelle, hang in there summer. ciao

Little Hedgehogs and Chocolate Milky

Gathering lots of mushrooms lately with all the rain recently and haven’t posted or viewed much in quite awhile so time to catch up on things here, the little mushrooms above are Hydnum umbilicatum, the (little hedgehog) which I usually do not noticed till Oct though this year they are common in mixed woods with mossy floors. They are a tiny mushroom and quite tasty with a nice crunchiness and usually grow in large groups.

Here the spike-like teeth are noticeable under the mushroom’s caps.

Chocolate Milky (Lactarius lignyotus) is a mushroom I’ve admired for many years though I just recently found out they are edible as many field guides I’ve read over the years never mention their edibility.The Mycoquebec website here in Canada rates Lactarius lignyotus as a good edible and I agree after having a few serving this week.

Here we see the white to cream colored gills which stands out against the dark brown cap and stem. This is another small mushroom which takes plenty of picking to make a meal though they to are often in large groups in mossy conifer woods.

This is a photo from last Oct showing the white milky latex which appears when the gills are touched, at that time I was simply enjoying the beauty of this mushroom as its edibility was still unknown to me.

I’ve been gathering some larger mushrooms as well, here are some Lobster mushrooms.

Boletus subcaerulescens

You also see some small white Miller mushrooms Clitopilus prunulus which indicate the size of this bolete which weighed a pound and a half.

A basket of large Chanterelles.

 

Lastly a mushroom I suspect most Maritime mushroom pickers are unaware we have here, at least I was surprised to see so many Tree-Ears (Auricularia auricula) around this year. ciao