Get out and Forage Wild Mushrooms! :)

I have posted my friend's video and some photos of the chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms that he found and cooked for me.... and thought I'd share for my own information, some other mushrooms for foraging in this climate zone, at this time. I'm in a temperate zone in Western Wisconsin. One of the mushrooms that are found to grow in this region is called "chaga".... they grow on birch trees, which we have in abundance, here... but I have to tell you that. so far, my friend and I haven't been able to spot any chaga.... or, of we have, we haven't been able to properly identify it... So.... I guess the first thing I will post is some information on the chaga mushroom, and then some more on the chicken-of-the-woods, though I think we are now out of that season.... I'll try to find information on things for this season and climate, if I can:

Chaga Knowledge dot com: 'Wild Forest Chaga "the king of all herbs: mushroom of immortality"'

 

 

Puffball mushrooms? Really? :)

Lingzhi mushroom or reishi mushroom: Wikipedea:

 

Video: Cooking Chicken Of The Woods, and planting Apple Seeds :) (1 minute, 1 second)

I watched my friend make this video.... am still amazed by his green thumb.

Seeds grow for this man. All he has to do is look at a seed and it will sprout for him. I've never seen anyone cause apple seeds to grow into plants.... and he made a dinner of mushrooms he saw growing on a tree. It was delicious!

Chicken of the Woods: An Edible Mushroom That Tastes Like Chicken

A friend happened upon these lovely fungi and exclaimed "Chicken of the woods!" I didn't know what he was talking about.... I didn't see a chicken... and we were not in the woods. (I was so confused :( ... hahaha) He went on to explain that Chicken of the woods are mushrooms.... he and his friends found some, one time while camping.... they cooked it over a fire and made a meal of it, as it is hearty and satisfying. The volume of mushrooms found on the tree in this picture is probably 200 dollars worth. Here is a before and after. :)

After he cleaned the mushrooms, he cut them and lightly sautéed in oil with his own blend of herbs. It was delicious! If you try this, be sure to start by testing a small amount. Some people have a stomach reaction. Here's a bit of nutritional information on mushrooms, though this is not a comprehensive list. Various mushrooms are shown to have great medicinal value: "mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more. - Mushroom Info