# Maitake or yours?



## kc rm hunter

It's gettin close folks,and even though we are 5" plus behind in rainfall (here in the KC region)they WILL be here.Mother nature proved that to me last year....just a little more walkin is all.GOOD LUCK !!!!!!
I think youins in the southern part of the state will have an abundance!!!!!
Veronica..........please take pics!!!!


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## scott c

Look early and often KC RM Hunter, people I know including myself are walking up to 2 week, too old hens, in SW and Central Ohio, tricked by an early cool spell and horrid droughtlike conditions. Fortunately it rained today and is going to cool off and none of my "local" trees have fruited yet, checked them all twice or more over the past 2 weeks. Vacation was great for looking at henless oaks but did document one on ash with Julie, check a couple pages back on Ohio message board for video. Turned Latt on to his first lobster find labor day in the middle of this mess, 75% were fresh. :roll:


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## kc rm hunter

sounds like great advise Scott!!!!! They are saying rain here next week.......I so hope they are right!!!Congrates on the Hens!!!!


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## vibrantenergies

Well after the incredible success for me with chanterelle hunting early this Summer, the late Summer has been the opposite! There has been no rain for a couple weeks now and the fungus is non-existent! KC, I hope those forecasts are correct for next week though! The last shrooms I was finding were ringless honeys, and a lot of them at that! Usually thre regular honeys are right behind them, but not this year! Now it's cooling down and Fall is almost upon us, so all we need is some RAIN and we're in business~ Corals, bluets, honeys, hens and chicks - GET READY!!


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## kc rm hunter

Good luck vibrant energies!!!!Nothing like the earthy smell of a fresh Maitakes to bring in the fall!!!!
don't know how I did without them all those years!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxVlN-LzIks


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## pedro

KC, it is good to see you, still posting.


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## kc rm hunter

Thanks Pedro,great to see some old regulars on here such as myself.I learned more on this board than any other through the years....from seasoned hunters like you and several others,and met some great people in the process!!!


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## veronica

I have found a few polypores as of late, reishi, chickens , and some black staining maitake wanabee's.
Oh and Inonotus dryadeus (yummy)

On a "normal year" ...mid October would be prime time for several choice edibles in my area. And all signs point to a normal fall. 
Fingers crossed of course !!


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## kc rm hunter

Sounds good Veronica....I'm a believer and had 1/2 inch of rain this morning....WOO HOO!!!!!!! :-0


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## kc rm hunter

No Hens my way,a few other mushrooms.......Jacks,Meadows,and a high roost Chicken :-/


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## scott c

Nice KC RM Hunter about the same boat as me nice the agaricus fruited here breifly, cheching hen trees exery 3 days, no egg are laid.


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## kc rm hunter

Should be any day now Scotty....rains tomorrow hopefully,will send them your way after they pass through here to help with your Maitake season  Hope it's a good one for you buddy!!!!!


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## sustainable forager

definitely a weird end of summer/early fall, really getting anxious to get on them hens, but mother nature just wont fork over any water!


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## veronica

I found three today and plan on more tomorrow.
The season has begun in the southern part of the state.


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## vibrantenergies

Hey Veronica, what area are you in? I'm hoping to use your location to gauge the most likely time for hens in my woods, which are in South Central MO.


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## veronica

I am in Southern central Mo. 
Hens should be up weather it rains or not as they feed moisture off the deep Oak roots to grow. 
Its time to look IMO
Good luck!!


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## vibrantenergies

So 
I had my post disappear again!!!

V - I live in South Central MO also, about 25 miles South of Rolla. Thanks for the moisture info, I like to learn details like that as much as possible.


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## kc rm hunter

Hens have just started this week in the KC area as well


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## kc rm hunter




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## pedro

Good eyes!!!!


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## jetcar

Nice! I went looking for hens this weekend and didn't find any. Found a nice flush of chicken of the woods and some giant puffballs, however. The puffballs looked OK but were a little over-mature once we sliced into them.


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## mushroomsarah

No hens yet (St. Louis area), but checking frequently. Did find a nice big comb tooth, first one for me! Took a little home to try, it wasn't half bad! May have found a mushroom I can tolerate.


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## clwstl

Went to my reliable hen spots in St. Louis County today, and there was no sign (in fact I found the black, dried remnants of one of last year's I somehow missed). We only got a little rain the last few days, but hopefully with the temp falling it might trigger some flushes. 

Missouri posters, please keep posting, it helps.


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## shroominsara

Found a couple baby hens today and a bunch of chicken a few days ago. <a href="//i1012.photobucket.com/albums/af244/shroominsara/BabyHen2_zps86ee9a10.jpg[/IMG][/URL]">&lt;img src=&quot;


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## shroominsara

<a href=""><img src="" alt="" /></a>


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## kc rm hunter

Sara,use the HTML code


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## shroominsara

Ok thanks, I'll see if I can get it right.


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## shroominsara




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## clwstl

Good flush of chickens!

What general area are you in?


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## kc rm hunter

Nice sarah,I like your foraging buddies!!


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## shroominsara

CLWSTL, I'm approx 50 miles South of Kansas City. Thanks KC, they don't help much, but at least I don't have to split the find with them lol.


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## shroominsara

Found a hen big enough to pick yesterday!


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## clwstl

Shroomin Sara, that gives me hope that my spots will have some soon...


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## mushroomsarah

So as I'm still new to this wild edible mushroom game, I wanted to ask some questions to the experienced out there:

1. Chicken of the Woods- I've found one in a park in spring this year with all the rain while jogging. At base of a white oak. Didn't get to taste as I watched a dog pee on it......eww. Do they prefer oak trees? If so, red oak, white oak? Should I be focusing on living trees or fallen trees more than the other? 

2. Hen of the Woods, Chicken of the Woods, Shaggy Manes all fall mushrooms, what other kind of fall edibles are out there that I don't need a PhD in mycology to identify. ( I am very careful regardless and check several sources and post pics of anything new to me on this site as well as another site before even considering eating anything I find.)

Any advice would be wonderful! Heading out to look around today, wish me luck!


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## kc rm hunter

he "Money Shot" lol


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## kc rm hunter

Should have read "the money shot",this one I will let grow for 2-3 more days before harvest.Chickens are less particular I think on where they roost than Hens are.Both will live on dead trees but I find Hens more on big live damaged oaks.Hens live in the heart of the trunk...the bigger the better IMO  Plus Chickens will come spring through fall,but Hens only in the fall.Oysters are abundant in fall as well as Blewets,never seen any in this area.Veronica has harvested the Blewets I think


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## kc rm hunter

I know the pic is small and sucks,lol..but if you click on it and click on the lower right hand magnifying glass it gets really big


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## shroominsara

Nice one KC!


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## veronica

2 types of Hericiums , honey mushrooms, hens, sulphur shelf, oysters,lobsters, corals,meadow mushrooms and possibly Parasol's might be found in the fall. 

Every year is different so you never know


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## jetcar

Found a bunch of buggy looking Blewits at Landahl park. The only time I've had them in the past they were a bit strong tasting to me - I'll give them another chance one of these days.


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## hoosier1shroomer

nice hen peeps i have found 6 of them today sold 1 gave 1 away.2 big ones and the rest are nice 5lb's they are just starting here in indiana..


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## kc rm hunter

Interesting jetcar,I have been there a few times for other interests.I have never found them and am interested,not particularly for that spot but for observed habitat and timing.Do you remember an approximate date??


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## veronica

The Maitake season has been very sluggish so far in my area. Only 5 trees have fruited but one did make 7 hens and another is in the midst of doing 4 perhaps. 
3 of the five tree's were deadwood and so far the fruitbodys have developed way to fast for good flavor (IMO)
So far I have found 14 hens and all grew out in less than 6 days

Hopefully with the forecasted lower temps they will slow down in the future. 

It is my opinion that the sluggish season is do to the lack of a real trigger to get them sinked up, even though conditions are perfect nothing drastic really has happened to "trigger" fruitbodys 
Last year the trigger was the long hot drought couple with a well timed monsoon period and temperature drop at the end of August, and perhaps a well timed full moon early in October 

The result this year (again in my opinion) will be a longer hen season extending into November with some more flavor-able mushrooms. The other result will be extra trips to catch the things at the right time for harvest .

Good luck everyone


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## vibrantenergies

Thanks for the thorough update3, Veronica! I have had no luck at all finding hens! I have looked all around my oak/hickory woods, as well as watching state forest from gravel roads as I am driving by. I have looked in a few parks as well, since people are saying the trees in the open are fruiting now, whereas deep woods oaks are still bare.

Does anyone have any basic tips? What size oaks do you look for? Is it only big ones that make hens?

For some reason my little patch of woods doesn't produce much in the fall, even after spring and summer being so awesome!

Good luck, all!


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## veronica




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## veronica




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## veronica

Baby hen



Boletus pallidoroseus



Boletus pallidoroseus


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## kc rm hunter

Nice Veronica,I have only harvested one up here but have another ready.Watching many more and was hoping to a good rain(like the weather dude said we gonna) but it fizzled....just like it has been for the last three months . But I think it is still going to be a great year up here for the Hens!! Good luck guys and gals!!!!


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## turick

Hi all -- first post here, and first year hoping to score a Maitake in about 15 years. I live in Wentzville (just outside of St. Louis). I've been out a couple of times so far with no luck, just some Jelly Fungus and a Bearded Tooth. I'm super excited about the rain today and I'm planning on heading back out on Thursday and again this weekend. 

It's hard just getting started again -- when I was younger my dad and I had tried and true places we could go every year. Starting from scratch, I don't know if I should keep going to the same spots that have been empty this year or if I should keep changing my location.

I also found this interesting article that has some tips on how to find them... has anybody else shared the same experience as this guy?

http://thewildwebster.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/tips-on-finding-hen-of-the-woods-maitake-mushrooms/

Good luck to all!


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## jetcar

KCRM,

Regarding the Blewits - I believe September 29 is when I was there. We covered many miles of trails looking for mushrooms and found a single nice patch of the Blewits in some nice leaf covered ground. Too bad they were in such poor condition.


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## kc rm hunter

Thanks Jetcar,we need to have a look next year in the beginng of September since everything is so late this year.Don't forget and I can meet ya there if interested,I have other interests there as well that I would like to check on plus we could hit another close public place with similar habitat that I'm sure you know of.I never found Blewits so I'd be willing to drive a little just to have the experience


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## morelseeker

Though it's not always possible try checking big oak stumps for maitake. Or get the ones on the tree and not the ones fruiting on the ground. They are much cleaner, not full of debris. I use a soft nylon scrubbing pad under running water to clean mine and really have no loss. I have to ask you all here; aren't maitake second best to morels? Some people I know say they are better.


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## clwstl

Lots of rain in St, Louis County yesterday. Went to see if I could find any hens starting to come up, came across some HUGE chickens--and two "hippie" gentlemen who had gotten there first. They let me share:



They said they hadn't seen any hens yet either.

Will check my maitake spots starting tomorrow.


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## turick

I was going to head out this morning, but woke up to find it raining again. Hopefully this weekend will be a good one...


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## veronica

I harvested 6 more today and am up to 14 harvested off of 4 tree's to date. There are still a few small ones to get this weekend ,and am waiting on a bunch of other spots to produce.


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## turick

I just turned completely red with envy! I'd kill for just a small find! Wow, very nice. I found several rotting today


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## shroominsara

A couple of years ago when I was just starting to learn about other mushrooms besides morels, I came across this article about hens and shingle oak trees. http://missourimorels.blogspot.com/2010/10/hens-and-oaks-tip-for-tracking-them.html In the last two years, 5 out of the 6 trees I've found hens on have been shingle oaks (the other one is a stump so I can't say for sure what kind it is). Just wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience to mine?


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## turick

Very interesting... thanks for the link about the shingle oak. Something I'll have to start looking out for...


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## vibrantenergies

I found a few nice reishi yesterday growing in a park. Also found a huge patch of resinous polypore growing inside a hollow sycamore that is still standing. It is about four or five feet thick and it was really a lot of shrooms! I had no idea they were edible and only brought one home for identification. 

I have a few questions. Has anyone eaten the resinous polypore? Is it worth the trouble to go back and harvest them? They were young and juicy/soft!

Also, does anyone know the best way to process reishi for tea making or encapsulation? A good link would be perfect!

Thanks!


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## kc rm hunter

I hunt the Shingle Oaks,and yes they produce very well.I think Stan made that post a year after discussing it right here,and on the MHunters site 
I have never tried the resinous polypore.... 
I like to dry the Reishi,slice with serrated knife(be careful) then grind the slices in my coffee bean grinder.Comes out the consistency of cellulose insulation and requires much less steeping time IMO.


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## kc rm hunter

Here's one of the Hens I harvested Thursday.


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## turick

Wow... that looks absolutely perfect.

All you guys that are finding them so far, would you mind sharing what kind of areas you're looking in? Parks, open areas, densely wooded areas, etc?


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## shroominsara

I figured the shingle oak thing was probably old news to some, but I thought it was cool and hopefully it's helpful to some others. :-D
@ turick- In treelines on the edges of pastures and in fairly open woods.


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## veronica

Lobsters, coral, Laccaria ochropurpurea, honeys, and 4 more hens today. I love the fall season


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## sb

Vibrantenergies -- Reishi is the essence of simplicity. Boil for an hour or so, sweeten, drink, live long. 

Below are some Red Reishi I found fresh this late summer and made into tea -- also dried some for later use.



Cut into very thin slices, maybe 1/8". I always sharpen my knife before this. If cutting fresh it is easy. If the mushroom has already reached the really hard stage or has dried then this will be more difficult.



How long to boil. You will find many times from others: from 10 minutes to 2 hours. I boiled this for an hour and it was fresh. The longer times pull out more of the beneficial molecules.



For this "tea of immortality" (Japanese name) I sometimes will drink it hot from a wine glass. Don't forget to sweeten. I use stevia or honey.



I haven't tried making it into powder (yet). Blessings of adventures and joy and thanks for your comments on mushroom dinner pics.


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## vibrantenergies

KC - Thanks for the help!

SB - Thanks for the excellent reishi info - with pics even! Awesome! I have severe Crohn's disease and I'm always looking for any healthful path which I have yet to try. I know that the medicinal shrooms, and probably the edibles as well, all contain potent compounds that are known to help folks with auto-immune disease, which is what Crohn's is thought to be. 

I love the fall!! The honeys have arrived very late compared to the last two years, but they are coming up strong! I found two separate areas yesterday with giant clusters that were so fresh they werestill really slimy from the frost/dew! I think the clear, cold mornings have killed off or slowed down a lot of the bugs, so they are almost all bug-free and clean! Even the stems are tunnel-free! Any recommendations of a good recipe with <em>Armillaria mellea</em>?

Enjoy this great fall weather - we know it is fleeting!


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## vibrantenergies

Here's some photos of my latest finds. I foresee a whole lot of honeys in my very near future! I just need to find that darn hen! None of my woods that I frequent often have old enough trees, I suspect. I know of a few more mature stands, but I haven't been able to check them yet.

Does anyone know if a small hericium will grow larger if the tips have browned a little, like the one in my pic? Is it as big as it will get? 

These honeys are the nicest, bug-free honeys I've yet to find. The vast majority of them are completely bug tunnel-less and they almost all still have their veil attached! Mmmm...



The big one in this shot is about 4-5 inches wide and even the stem was totally bugless!!



At about 5 inches, this was the biggest and nicest Reishi I found.



These were the pale, slimy ones I found first thing in the morning yesterday.



This is the Resinous polypore I found a huge patch of a few days ago, Has anyone tried this one? Apparently the softer, more tender tips are good when cooked like chicken of the woods.



Here's that small brown-tipped <em>Hericium</em>. Sorry the pic isn't great. The flash doesn't help much sometimes!



I'm going to enjoy this nice batch of really fresh honeys today!



Happy hunting and thanks for posting your finds Veronica, KCRM, SB, and others. Send a few hens my way!


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## veronica

My experience has been once the hericiums brown they are done growing. 

I find most hens in the city and suburbs, parks and such. Anywhere that a lawnmower has damaged the roots of oaks and allowed spore to get a foothold on the tree basically. Look for tree's that have limbs dropping of one side , or holes in the base.


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## pedro

KC I do not see many Shingle Oaks in Ohio but today, I spotted one about seventy yards off the road I was driving on. I thought I spotted a hen. I turn around and got permission to check out the tree. The were eight Hens on that one tree. The unfortunate thing is they were too mature and had poured out so I left them.


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## veronica

We found around 50 different types of fungi over the weekend. Most were in a state of decay or dryness due to dry air. 
I did find a couple of new Maitake yesterday and one was a new tree in a new area. Of course I found it very near where I parked ..after I had spent hours in the woods looking lol. It may be time to move on to oysters by the river next week , even though I sure there are hens still to come by live tree's.

Polyporus radicatus


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## kc rm hunter

That tree will be calling you next year Pedro! 
Nice mushrooms Veronica and vibrant energies!
I harvested another Maitake yesterday and have 9 more that are ready.....
...well I don't really need 9 so they probably won't all be picked 
Here is the bird I cut yesterday!


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## jetcar

I'll try to remember the blewit hunting idea next September, KCRM. I went to Monkey Mountain the following weekend and had no luck finding much of anything there. 

Anyone else finding big flushes of giant puffballs out there? I've seen lots of huge ones this year - seeing a whole hillside scattered with a dozen bright white orbs ranging from football to beachball-sized is quite a sight.


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## kc rm hunter

Sounds good jetcar,they might have been the Laccaria purpea or no????
Here is a couple of birds I picked in the dark this morning before work....lol...


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## kc rm hunter

Season is winding down here :-(


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## kc rm hunter

I believe that some of these Maitakes are older than I am...not the fruiting bodies,the fungus inside the tree.
I have to think that the ones on dead trees were most likely there before the tree died.I think it's reasonable to say they could live a hundred years or more in the heart of the trunk!!!
Anyone else have thoughts on this.....Veronica???


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## veronica

Hard to say, 
30 to 60 is feasible for sure
Personally I think the "Maitake" fungus would open up the door for some other invader after time, or more than one. 
With all that going who knows. 

I do know that a dead tree will make a hell of a nice hen stump that will last a long time , as opposed to the tree falling over on its own and pulling up the rootball and killing everything


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## veronica

But
There is a man in my neighborhood that had a Laetiporus tree. And it did fall and uproot partially.
He was able (or we were) to determin where and when it was first inhabitated with spore on a cut limb. 
That point of entry was 35 years ago, and that stump, or partial stump still flushes every year. 
So if that tree had not of fallen it would easily have gone another 25 years probably (or possibly) or longer

100 could happen I guess


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## kc rm hunter

Well I think that's pretty cool,who'd of thunk a fungus could be that old.....is an interesting thought to entertain...
...more entertaining if you have a mouthful of Maitake I recon :-D
And this frost this morning will surely "nip" them!
I found three small babies yesterday but with the current forcast,and the freeze tomorrow night,
I am thinking the season just may be DONE :-0


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## clwstl

I am hoping my hen season isn't done before it is started; I had no luck this year in STL.

I went to my prime, reliable spot on Friday--nothing. I have found hens there in the 3rd week October before.
Either they didn't fruit this year, or someone else got them...however I found another old one on the south side of a massive oak. It was so old that it thumped when I tapped on it. I assume this one of last year's that got missed somehow. I don't think this year's could be that old and hard already--what do you think?


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## veronica

I think there will be more Hens this season. 
My oaks usually fruit till leaves fall off, and so far MY leaves are still green . I will be checking for new ones on live tree's. 

Plus I still have 5 little babies growing hither and yon


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## jetcar

Wow! Some gorgeous Maitakes.

Now that I've looked more closely at pictures of Laccaria purpurea, I'm pretty sure that they're what I was looking at rather than Blewits. The gills just weren't as compact as they should have been for Blewits. They were so buggy that I didn't pay enough attention to what I was looking at.

Still no MO hens for me, but I found a nice patch of young shaggy manes today. I always either see them when they're too old or only manage to find one or two at a time, so it was nice to stumble onto a good patch of them for once.


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## morelseeker

I've found a new place to pick maitake and you could do it also. I'd like to tell you where but I don't want trouble. All I'll say it's in a place where you can drive from Oak to Oak and when you see a maitake just get out and pick it. It's not in a park or game area but it's a public place where people don't want to go but will always end up there. Think about it and you'll know where I mean. On Sunday I picked twenty pounds in two hours just driving from tree to tree.


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## vibrantenergies

I am really jealous of all these beautiful hens! I still have never found one, but I think I'll try Morelseeker's recommendation, which I never thought of 

Veronica - I hope you're right about there still being maitake! The woods are starting to feel pretty barren in the mornings, though. There have been a few frosts here in lower spots. How late do you find mushrooms usually? Until the oak leaves are ALL gone? When the average is below a certain temperature? Thanks for all your help!

Jetcar - That's a common mistake, but those two purple shrooms taste much different, so a mistaken ID would be disappointing! I'm not a fan of the Purple Lacs, but my son liked them. They have a weird texture too! Blewits are more squat and bulky and the gills are really different, as you mentioned. Blewit purple is just different too! And the Lac's gills are really bright, and tend to stay that way until the shroom is really old, even when the cap is strongly faded. 

I hope we can all still get a few good finds before the cold really hits!


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## veronica

Not all the leaves, but enough that I find fairly fresh hens hiding under them. They can stand brief temps down to 26 or so, but a direct frost will damage part of the mushroom. 
There are no leaves falling in my area so I feel it aint over as far as new hatch-lings are concerned 
Time will tell


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## kc rm hunter

I prefer not to look there morelseeker....but not sayin I never have


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## kc rm hunter

I guess it's cool....just remember to pay your respects


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## clwstl

Morelseeker--I look there quite often. The residents don't mind. No hens this year, though!

Veronica--let us know if you find anymore this year.


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## morelseeker

Yea I've never heard any complaints from the residents there and I hope I never do. I'm going to try again next weekend as it's supposed to warm a little and get some rain here. This week has been a little cool but I may go out to another one of those places, I haven't been to before, for a while and see. Next weekend I'm going all out and hit some big cem......


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## veronica

Cemeteries have great patches of Oysters sometimes on Maple and Elm this time of year. Don't forget to look up as well as down.


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## veronica

Still finding new hens in various stages of growth.
I found 5 new , picked one that was growing from last week (by the coffee cup) , and had 2 hatchlings get bit by frost from last week. They were by a lone tree with to much exposure to air wind and frost. 
The other trees in more wooed areas with a good canopy survived just fine. 
I still expect more from live tree's as that's what I've seen this weekend


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## mushroomsarah

Here in STL, I've been to all of my trees that produced last year but only ONE tree has produced anything. However the one that did was still in baby stage and dry as a bone, what's up? Did the season not happen here? Did I just miss it, is it yet to come? Very dry out there, I'm not even seeing LBMs.


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## lgb

Sarah I had the same exact experience to a tee down south of StL. I have some spots here right across the river from StL that I wanted to check but its on public land and there were several deer hunters in the woods already so I didn't check them. I went back to the baby hen I found a week later and it didn't even grow. I am going out to my friends property in Pocahontas IL Sat to prospect and hopefully mark some trees. I am hopeful this mild weather and three days of rain might miraculously pop some up. :mrgreen:


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## treii28

Thanks for the link! I was wondering what spiked my hits until I checked referrers. If I had to pick a second to morels, I would have to asked, 'based on what'? Each mushroom has it's own appeal. I liked the flavor of shaggymanes but they are so hard to keep from going mushy in the pan and can be difficult to find before they start to ink-out unless you frequent the areas they grow a lot.
My second to morels would probably be a non-mushroom, in that I like fresh asparagus often found about the same time. But I've enjoyed wild oysters, sulfur shelfs, maitakes, and even jewelled puffers are pretty good. Another I like a lot are pink-bottoms or meadow mushrooms.

Be sure to also check out my 'list of 8'
http://thewildwebster.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/michigan-mycology-list-of-8/


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## shroominsara

Well hens may be done, but shaggy manes are out in full force. I found 68 today in two different patches (one patch had 53)! Of course, some were inked out and some were tiny, but still a pretty good bunch of em to eat.


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## lgb

Sara how do you prepare shaggy's? Do you saute them? I find them every year but they seem to fragile to cook.


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## veronica

A Halloween Hen
and a November hen coming soon I think.
I am hoping for Blewits this weekend
I am sorry that some had a bad hen season, hopefully things will change next season for ya


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## lgb

Where are you located Veronica? Seeing that gives me great hope all is not lost. I hunt two areas. St Louis metro and a little farther south around Iron and St Francois county.


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## kc rm hunter

Wow,that Maitake is SCARY!!!  Shaggies Shroominsarah!!!!!
My very first November Hen!!!! 
Kinda funny lookin due to the cold I recon!!
...good luck on November shrooms everyone!!!!


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## morelseeker

I've only found a few oysters two weeks ago and today only a few. Two nights ago I had some left over hens and decided to heat them up for a late night snack. Just before they were done I added a little soy sauce. Best thing I could have done. I finished browning them they were very tasty. Yesterday I fried up about 2 cups of chopped hens and added about a tablespoon and a half of soy sauce and a good tablespoon of grape seed oil. As they started to brown I put in two tablespoons of cooking sherry stirred a little then added 1 tablespoon of ketchup and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce. I then put pieces of ground chuck on top (about 1/3 pound) and let it cook. Turned it over to brown the meat on the other side and added some cracked pepper. When it was done I put it together with about a cup of shrimp fried rice from the Chinese restaurant. That tasted very good. I'm going to try for some more hens this Saturday.


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## kc rm hunter

Mmmmm Morelseeker,sounds GOOD!!!


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## veronica

I am in South central Mo.
Hen season is not over . Almost all my tree's have done something , but not in a typical sequence. 
Some are just getting around to fruiting. 

I just keep checking them till it happens.


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## veronica

And that's a very pretty hen KC R&amp;M


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## shroominsara

Glad the hen season is still going for some of you! Maybe I was to quick to say it was over, I better get back in the woods! @ LGB, what I do with shaggy mane is, rinse them, cut in half, discard stem, dip in egg and then cracker crumbs, (I like saltine or ritz) fry until crispy, salt a little and enjoy.


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## veronica

Today I found 3 more little ones that should grow out , and several that were a bit past prime . 
Several were on new tree's and that's always a good thing. 
The heavy rain last week pretty much ruined the medium hens I found.
I would drather have not had the rain cause it will shorten my season. A dryer and colder weather pattern would have been better IMO
Hope you all find a few this weekend!!


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## lgb

Hey Sara that's my favorite way to eat shrooms! They seemed to fragile to do that but I can't wait to try, thanks. I did check a local spot for hens but found nothing. I am going down to winterize the camper next weekend so hopefully I will find some down there. Im getting ready to go for oysters in my oyster spot. Usually very productive this time of year. I'll let you know what i find. :wink:


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## jetcar

Still no hens - but I managed to find about 10# of black chanterelles on Saturday about an hour south of St. Louis. What I thought was a Maitake ended up being a chunk of old charred wood, but it led me right into a patch of little black trumpets. Quite a surprise, as I didn't know they were still fruiting past late September or so.


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## clwstl

Jetcar--

I agree that is rather late for trumpets.

All--

I went to my spot for Hens on Saturday and really poked around. I found a new trail I went down -- with three or four too-old hens (couldn't tell if from very early this season or from last.) Poked further and deeper into some parts of the area--found more old hens, including one that was at least 10-20# at its peak. So now I am unsure if I my mushroom hunting skills are lacking and I missed these earlier, or if there were no flushes this year, but either way I was batting .000 on hens this year.

Maybe next year!

Time to focus on oysters.


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## morelseeker

Went again this weekend to same place I hunted last weekend. Struck out only found about five pounds. Also found alot of old ones probably from last week. Started back and decided to drive on a different road. I started to pass a park that was no more than a small rest area and looked over at some oak trees and they were loaded. I couldn't believe it. I parked and walked to the first oak, there were hens all around it but most were old and moldy. From five oaks there I managed to get another fifteen pounds. Now I have a new place to harvest that I need to walk no further than twenty yards. I'll be checking back there after the next rain. I gave my friend ten pounds. I'm going to try drying them now to make into soup later.


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## jetcar

Morelseeker,

Sounds like a good day! What part of the state are you in or were you looking in when you found all those hens? I'm just wondering if I should still be looking for them up here by KC or if I should be looking higher up the trees for other things at this point.


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## kc rm hunter

I'll bet with this rain and the frosts a guy might be able to find some nice fresh oysters down in the river bottoms on cottonwood and willows......dead or alive(like Bon Jovi) :lol:


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## veronica

The last hen of the season, not real big but a true November bird for sure. I don't expect any more.
Hoping for some real good oyster flushes soon
And ready for the leaves to hurry and fall off also


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## morelseeker

Not meaning to throw anyone for a loop but I'm from Ohio and hunt near Cincinnati and north of Dayton. Today went to a favorite oyster stump but only found a handful again. Has been a lot better year for Maitake for me than oysters. I'm going to fry the oysters together with the Maitakes and mix in with some Yu Shaun shrimp and fried rice tomorrow.


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## jetcar

Someone finally gave me a hen out of pity - delicious! 

Very good day for oysters around KC if you count the ones 25' up in the trees. Could only reach a few of the oysters and found a few reishi, but what a beautiful day.


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## kc rm hunter

Oysters.....didn't make it there ....:-/


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## jetcar

Last year an elm tree fell on my property and I inoculated the logs with plug spawn. They're currently putting out their first oyster mushrooms, which are still just the size of a thumbnail - if even those picky things are finally working out, then the river bottoms are probably about ready to go!


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## kc rm hunter

I was going to go at lunch today but it got cold.....brrrrrrrr :~0


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## veronica

I found a few oysters last week ( about enough for a pot-o-soup) and have seen signs that the cold snap has triggered more activity.


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## vibrantenergies

Hey, Veronica, are there any shrooms besides oysters that are still out this late and after these cold temps we had just recently? The woods seem so lifeless and I haven't seen any near my place in a few weeks! Where can I find some oysters? And are there still chickens or other polys out there, or any Hericiums maybe? I have never hunted this late and I would like to, so any info is greatly appreciated, as always. 

Everyone feel free to add any tips you have!


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## veronica

I find oysters near water this time of year, and on dead or dying willow , maple, elm , and or cottonwood( if its in your area). 
Another hot spot in the past was on live Maple in cemeteries. 
One might still find Blewits in leaf rows and mulched walking trails
and maybe some Pluteus cervinus around decayed stumps or sawdust piles. 

Hens are usually the last of the polypores , and I suppose a lone Hericium might be found if your lucky because I did find one once in late November with an inch of ice on it...


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## vibrantenergies

Thanks for the advice, Veronica. Sounds like I need to walk a few creek beds looking for downed trees!


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## veronica

Larger bodies of water will hold higher temperatures than the air at times and especially at night. That creates a wet environment in the evenings, thus helping the oysters to thrive at a time when you would expect the opposite.

In other words, 
November and December can be great for picking Oyster mushroom's


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## vibrantenergies

Hmmm... That makes sense! Like a type of thermal swing! Same concept used in the heating strategy for my house! The earthen floor will soak up the Sun from the south-facing windows and release the heat when the air cools in the evening. Now, if I could just get some Oysters to grow in here (I guess I could pretty easily now that I think about it, but the wife may not approve)!


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## veronica

Here is a basket ball sized cluster from a few years back. Found next to a river in December


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## vibrantenergies

Awesome! It's comforting to know there's still some fungus out there. Thanks for the pic!


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## veronica

Found a lot of wild oysters yesterday. Most were not yet mature enough to harvest, but several clusters had some nice thick and wide caps. 
I suspect that the next cold snap will freeze them but wont shut them down. 

I could be wrong , fungi are hard to figure out sometimes in freezing temps.
Hope you all find a few before ole man winter sets in for good....Happy thanksgiving to all !!


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## jetcar

The freeze really put a stop to the oysters that were fruiting on my property - they were almost big enough to pick before it got so cold out. There's no body of water and not much protection from cold wind where the logs are sitting though. 

Next time they're fruiting I'll post about it. I can check every day so they should make a fine indicator of when the river bottoms are looking good for oysters.


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## kc rm hunter

A friend and I went to the river bottoms yesterday for Oysters.We saw Oysters in several stages of growth....some were too high to get but we did find some at the perfect stage on a downed Willow Tree,perfect for the picking
.Fun to pick mushrooms in December and a great day to be outside


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## morelseeker

With this little rain and warm spell there ought to be some good oyster foraging on Thursday. I've still got Maitake in the refrigerator. I like to chop up about 3/4 pound cook them in butter and then get some fried rice and Garlic shrimp dinner from Chinese restaurant and mix it all together. I've found a little over 100 pounds of Maitake this year but have only eaten 12 pounds in five weeks. I wonder if any Maitake will come on during this little warm spell?


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## kc rm hunter

Good info jetcar,we only found a half pound or so that was table-worthy.Could be some out tomorrow Morelseeker for sure.The Chinese food and Maitake sounds great!!! I really think the Maitakes are done for the year,although I pass one on the tree every day(by the road) that may still be good but is surely a little stale.I guess I could pick it for a December Hen but I know better  Those are some beautiful Oysters Veronica!!!!!
HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!!!


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## veronica

I've been picking Oysters for about 15 years and this was the shortest fall season ever. 
I would say its over -------no doubt 

Happy holidays to who ever is still reading this long winded thread..lol


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## kc rm hunter

We found some yesterday....quite a few actually.They had just a slight nip on them but pretty fresh and definately frozen


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## morelseeker

I was able to get 3 pounds of oysters just before the weather changed. All on one stump beside a pond. Something else I've been noticing the squirrels seem to love Maitake. Today as I was frying the last of my oysters I saw a squirrel walk right past the bird seed on the cement pad and dig into the snow and pull up one of the maitake I tossed out there. He was eating it up.


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## morelseeker

Go to Ohio message board if you want to see my new recipe for oyster mushrooms. It's on page 32


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## veronica

I intended to say "my" season was probably over not everybody's lol. 
There are still some frozen mushrooms here, and pretty much everything else is frozen here at the moment to.


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