Article & Video: Nowhere is Safe

With the explosion of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, many mushroom farms in the area have been affected. Japan eats a fairly large number of mushrooms per person compared to citizens of the states, so it is a significant issue for their population. Here is a quick look at some of the stats:

Normal radiation levels in Shiitake from Japan are 1.3 to 6.4 Bq/kg in fresh product and 6.7 to 73.9 Bq/kg in dried product (from 2001). The legal limit is 500 Bq/kg. A farm 250 km away from the plant was recently found with levels of 2,770 Bq/kg in their cultivated Shiitake. Due to these high levels of radioactive contamination, many of the outdoor farms in that region have been shutdown. There was even an indoor farm that tested above 1500 Bg/kg for their Shiitakes.

I looked briefly in the scientific literature and found a couple neat things. Average levels of Cesium are about 30 times higher in cultivated Shiitake than Oysters in Japan. But a study in Ukraine after Chernobyl found the highest levels in Oysters growing on Pine (Above 32,000 Bq/kg). As might be expected, levels in Shiitake are a function of Cesium levels of the rain and dry fallout. The levels also seem to be inversely correlated with atmospheric temperature. Shiitake grown in logs tend to accumulate more than those grown on sawdust blocks. (This is probably due to indoor vs. outdoor cultivation.) Finally, Matsutake accumulates more Cs than Shiitake, Grifola about the same.

There is only a limited amount of research that has been done regarding the accumulation of radioactive cesium into cultivated mushrooms. I only found about 5 or 6 papers on the issue. Much of the available information was already coming out of Japan, so expect to see a lot more research being presented in the upcoming years.

This is yet another advantage to locally grown produce. You can be sure not to get mushrooms that glow in the dark!!

Went out for a little over an hour this morning at Griffy Woods. Took the trail that goes up the hill on the NW side of the lake. Found several things that I had not seen before, so it turned out to be a pretty good walk.  One of the first things I came across were some Brick-Tops (Hypholoma sublateritium). They get the name for the color of the cap. These were growing in a cluster on a large downed log.

Most of these were fairly young, and when you find them at this phase and look at the veil, it looks very cobwebby, very similar to members of the genus Cortinarius. It should also have dark colored gills with some age. This next mushroom is of the genus Cortinarius:

I have not taken the time to try to ID this mushroom down to species yet. The genus Cortinarius has well over 500 species, possibly over 1000, and many are notoriously difficult to ID. The final picture shows the “cortina” – the cobwebby veil which the genus name is derived from.

Next we have a crust-like fungus.

This one is somewhat special as it grows teeth.  As you can see in the first picture, this crust fungus has little spines that elongate from the body, and it does not always grow flat against the log as a “crust”. It will sometimes grow little shelves away from the log. The common name for this one is Milk-White Tooth (Irpex lacteus). Next are a couple of polypores.

The first one is fairly common in our parts. It is called the Mustard-Yellow Polypore (Phellinus gilvus). You can see the outer edge is a faded yellow, and it is much more vibrant when it is fresher. A drop of KOH turns the surface dark black. The second picture is the Thin-maze Polypore (Daedaleopsis confragosa) who gets its name from its maze-like pore surface. They can even sometimes resemble the gills of the “Gilled Polypore”  Lenzites betulina. On to an edible:

Continuing on I came across some Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphereus). These were a little past their prime, so they were not collected for the table. The younger they are, the better they would be to eat. Another edible:


A couple Pear Shaped Puffballs (Morganella pyriformis).

This little mushroom above is fairly boring until you get to know a bit about it. It grows in little clustered shelves out of the sides of dead logs and has gills on the underside. What makes this an interesting mushroom is that is has bioluminescence – it can glow in the dark. It is called the Luminescent Panellus (Panellus stipticus).



This final mushroom of the day was the most interesting to me, as I had never found it before. You probably also wont find it in many of your field guides. I am calling it Amanita longipes.



It is going to have free white gills. Slight remnants of a partial veil. Also most of the stem has a powdery surface texture. Especially near the base.



The surface of the cap has several remnants of the universal veil left as patches.

Ill end this blog post with the final cool feature of this mushroom. It has a root that goes into the ground. There is a slightly bulbuous base and the root extends down into the ground and sort of flattens out as it gets deeper. This root also tends to bend under the surface. As with most new mushrooms you find, dont just pick it at the ground, but be sure to dig up as much of the base as you can.

Hope you enjoyed this blog post of Indiana Mushrooms. Have a good one.

We are going to have quite a busy year with The Hoosier Mushroom Society. We will get together nearly every month for a foray somewhere in the state. A tentative schedule for the upcoming year follows. Please email us at steve@hoosiermushrooms.com with your input, as some small changes are likely to occur. This schedule should allow those interested in the organization from different parts of the state to have an event they can attend nearby, and will allow others to get out and see the many special places Indiana has to offer.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (THERE WILL LIKELY BE CHANGES)

Hoosier Mushroom Society Events

Month of April – Will be heading out into the woods nearly every afternoon in the Bloomington area.
April 9 - HMS Presentation – Tom Nauman from Morel Mania in Bloomington.
April 16 – HMS Foray – Morel Search at Brown County State Park – Nashville, IN
May 21st – HMS Foray – Yellowood State Forest – Bloomington, IN
July16 -  HMS Foray – Salamonie Reservoir – Andrews, IN
Aug.  27 – HMS Foray – Northwest Indiana Foray – Dunes State Park
Sept. 3 – HMS Foray – Yellowood State Forest – Bloomington, IN
Sept. 24 – HMS Foray – Brown County State Park – Nashville, IN
October 8 – HMS Foray – Lafayette, IN Area
October 22 – HMS Late-Season Foray – Eagle Creek – Indianapolis, IN

Other Events of Interest

February 19 – Winter Tree ID workshop – Brown County State Park – 10am to noon
March 28 - “The First Morel” — a mushroom presentation by Don Ruch, Biology Professor at Ball State – West Lafayette, IN
April 30 – May 1 - Morel Festival in Mansfield, IN
May 7th - Morel Festival at Brown County State Park
August 1-6 – Mycological Society of America Meeting – Fairbanks,  AK
August 5-7 - North American Mycological Association Foray (NAMA) – Western Pennsylvania  *Recommend*
August 11-14 – North East Mycological Federation (NEMF) Foray – New York
August 18-21 – Telluride Mushroom Festival – Telluride, CO
September 17-18 – The Hoosier Outdoor Experience – Fort Harrison SP – Indianapolis, IN

We generally plan on camping out at each of these HMS Foray events that occur in reasonable temperatures. The poor weather replacement day will be on the day after the scheduled foray listed.

If you attend state parks often, or are considering attending several of our events, I would suggest purchasing a DNR annual entrance permit.

Also, if you are looking to go out into the woods on a more frequent basis. There will be numerous afternoon opportunities to go out into the woods in the Bloomington area. Just send an email, and let us know that you are interested.

We are going to be taking several days off during this holiday season. Our online store will remain open, but we will not be shipping any orders for the following dates:

November 25th – 28th

December 17th – Jan 2nd

If you place an order during these times, it will ship shortly after the period ends.

Thanks for your continued support. Should you need any technical assistance on any product, someone should still be answering the phone.   877-730-MYCO

-HMC

Despite the continual lack of rain here in Southern Indiana, the few drops that have precipitated have produced some Chicken of the Woods, a choice edible fall mushroom.  We were fortunate to find this bright orange fall mushroom, the ‘Laetiporus sulphureus’.

This is a great edible wild mushroom and an excellent one for beginning hunters to start with due to it’s distinctive features. Chicken of the Woods, as it is commonly called, is a orange polypore, meaning it does not have gills, rather tiny pores on the underside, with soft flesh.  The fruiting body is found growing above ground on standing or fallen rotting hardwood trees. ‘Laetiporus sulphureus’  has the distinctive orange top and a bright yellow underside.

‘Laetiporus sulphureus’ Image by Connie Clause

Another variety, ‘Laetiporus cincinnatus’ has a whitish underside and is found growing near or at the base of decaying hardwood trees, commonly oak .

‘Laetiporus sulphereus’ – Bright yellow underside

‘Laetiporus cincinnatus’ – White underside

Chicken of the Woods, both varieties, usually grow in clusters in late summer and fall.   The mushroom matures quickly and it’s edibility is best when young and the flesh around the edges is preferred.  A single tree can produce up to 50 lbs of fungi!

Now it’s time to eat!  There are many ways to prepare Chicken of the Woods.  It is always important when cooking with wild mushrooms to properly clean them by removing excess debris and soaking in salt water to remove and bugs.  It is NOT recommended to eat wild mushrooms raw and be sure to cook thoroughly to remove all parasites. Here is a great recipe that plays off of Country Fried Steak- all who enjoyed said it tasted better than chicken!

Country Fried Chicken of the Woods with Basil Cream Sauce

1/2 lb fresh Chicken of the Woods
2 eggs
1 tbsp. hot sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. paprika
2 cups vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Basil Cream Sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
Aprox 5 stalks fresh basil
2 tbsp. flour

Soaked the Laetiporus cincinnatus mushrooms in some cold water with salt for about 20 min.

Make an egg wash with 2 eggs, 2 tbsp. water, and 1 tbsp. hot sauce.

Mixed 1 cup bread crumbs with 1 cup flour and 1 tbsp. of paprika.

Pat dry the Chicken and coat with egg wash followed by bread crumb/flour mix.

Heated up about 3 inches in vegetable oil in a deep pan until it sizzles when water hit it.

cooked on each side for 4-5 min. adjust for temp.

Sauce

Started with 2 cups of chicken broth brought to a boil. Remove from head and added 1 cup of sour cream and fresh basil chopped.

Lower heat and keep stirring.

Slowly sifted in 2 tbsp. of flour to thicken up sauce.

This is what I call country fried chicken of the woods. a Play on country fried steak. Served with mashed potatoes and green beans with a basil cream sauce.

ENJOY!