Monthly Archives: September 2025

_{(Note: Yes I know that the most common name for Laetiporus sulphureus today is Chicken of the Woods. I blame this on the internet homogenizing what was previously common names. Old mushroom books, that I used when I was learning over 40 years ago, (even over 50) almost always called it Chicken of the Wood. No “S”. I still have some of those books. Even the old timers I learned from called it that. I assumed it was because it grew ON wood. I imagine some people mixed the name up with another mushroom, Hen of the Woods, and the internet, and AI, has spread that around so even today’s old timers on the internet are afraid to use the name they learned as kids. Afraid to be made fun of, I guess. I will stick with the old ways. Even though the internet is successfully working to kill the old ways)}

After a couple months with almost no rain, it started raining a few days ago. So almost immediately mushrooms started jumping out of the ground. Today I found this big batch of Chicken of the Wood mushrooms. Also called Sulphur Shelf.

These are my favorite mushrooms. Very easy to recognize. Note: only gather those growing on deciduous trees (hardwoods) not conifers. A subspecies that grows on conifers, such as hemlock or pine can cause stomach upset in a very few people. Not toxic or poisonous, just a mild stomach upset. Probably from tannins found in conifers.

They grow on rotting wood. Logs or stumps. The only poisonous mushroom they might be confused with is Jack-O-Lanterns. Only similar that Jack-O-Lanterns are orange and grow in bunches. Jack-O-Lanterns have a stem like a grocery store mushroom. They have gills underneath.

THEY CAN LOOK SIMILAR IF YOU DON’T LOOK CLOSELY.

Chicken of the Wood is a “shelf” mushroom, attaching to wood on the side and growing out like a shelf. It does not have gills, but underneath is pores if you look close. Orange on top and usually yellow on the bottom, with some variations. Get familiar with both before eating.

You eat the outside “shelf” part, not the tough connecting part. Soak to get bugs out. Trim off bad parts. And slice like chicken fingers. They actually cook up to taste and have the texture of actual chicken. Amazing.

Like all mushrooms, do not cook very long. Just fry a couple of minutes. I use a little oil.

Take a look at the texture. The main difference from real chicken is the orange on one side. And they are a bit drier. A dip, like ketchup, fixes that.

Jeremiah Johnson died.

Of course I mean Robert Redford.

But Jeremiah Johnson is my favorite movie. Although I liked the character Bearclaw Chris Lapp best.

The worst thing for me personally is that I remember when Robert Redford was a top “young actor”.

Where did the years go?