@fascinatedbyfungi: Foraging, Butchering, and Cooking Chicken of the Woods (L. gilbertsonii). Here is a comprehensive look at the west coast #ChickenoftheWoods #Laetiporusgilbertsonii. Like other CotW species it is a brown rot (cellulose digesting) polypore that occurs on the same tree/stump year after year. They are indeterminate mushrooms (vs determinate pins) that grow out of a central point in rings/stages. This is the predominant species that grows west of the Rockies and occurs on hardwoods. This CotW species fruits in late summer/early fall all over California, even when it’s completely dry (cool temps at night beckon it forth). It is also a voracious consumer of Eucalyptus trees, which are naturalized but invasive in the California ecosystem. L. gilbertsonii has compounded the problems with Eucalyptus since it rots out the heart wood and makes them even more prone to falling over. CotW is generally edible but can cause severe GI upset for some people, it’s crucial to cook it well and caution is always recommended when trying for the first time (or when sampling a new species). . My strategy for slicing this is to go along the shelf, maximizing the “meaty” texture by show casing the rings of growth as “muscles”. I like to cut them relatively thin since a large bite of mushroom can be a bit overwhelming. The large cross sections are great as “chicken” cutlets in dishes. . For my “Chicken Parm” method I like bake my CotW for ~25m at 375F (you can smell the Eucalyptus oils coming off of it). Then I dredge and bread them, importantly I like to season every component with herbs and porcini powder. Once these “chicken” nuggets are fried off, you can use them in any way you like. Here I am dousing them with sauce and cheese, baking till gooey, then mounting on buns with arugula and fresh tomatoes. So. Damn. Tasty. Hope you guys enjoy! . #vegetarianrecipes #laetiporus #chickenofthewoodsmushroom #polypore #mushroomrecipe #napa #napavalley

Dr. Gordon Walker (FunGuy)

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Tuesday 18 July 2023 02:35:54 GMT