Massive Harvest of Chicken of the Woods: How to Identify Mushrooms, 1 Year of Mushrooms

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and as always....
Stay in the Woods,
Dan

[@lukemeck]

Dan, can you do a video about all the different poisons in the woods? Like ivy and what not? Would love to see an in depth video on these and how to handle them

[@mrhalfstep]

Two years ago I found a huge bloom of these things growing on a dead Oak stump outside the therapy center my wife was attending after knee replacement. It's a great mushroom to cut into strips, bread and deep fry just like you would for chicken tenders. They even taste a lot like chicken and definitely have the texture of fried chicken when cooked this way. If you don't tell anyone what they are, they will probably think it's chicken strips, but don't do that, because you should first eat a small amount, wait awhile for a reaction before pigging out on them. All edible mushrooms have the potential to upset some people's stomachs, so go easy until you know you get along with your fungus. As Dan said, they are easy to identify and only a very young child would mistake them for the poisonous orange mushroom you might encounter, once you've seen some photos. They will keep in the freezer until you find more next year, usually in the same spot, when the conditions are right.

[@dandesrochers363]

Tried this it's really tasty .

[@halabujioutdoors]

Great find! Chicken mushrooms are not only edible but also medicinal as well. Tender parts to cook; harder parts for tea or tinctures. Easy to make tinctures out of them with strong vodka.

[@dereinzigwahreRichi]

If you say for medicinal purposes, what are they hood against or for?

[@jw-k5663]

@@dereinzigwahreRichi they're good to help lower inflammation, and have a lot of antioxidants, this particular type is very high in protein, too.

[@dereinzigwahreRichi]

@@jw-k5663 thank you! I'll try to find some...and to find someone who can confirm it's really chicken mushrooms. Better be safe than sorry. ;-)

[@jimcy1318]

Or just drink the vodka, trust me you'll feel better.

[@GeorgeBobeck]

Another key trait of the jack-o'-lantern mushroom is that it glows in the dark.

[@TNBushcrafter]

But only part of the time and during certain s tr ages of development, usually not after being harvested.

[@gobigrey9352]

Has anyone witnessed this with their own eyes?

[@TNBushcrafter]

@@gobigrey9352 yes, I have. This is the reason they are called omphalotus illudens in their latin nomenclature.

[@ROE1300]

👍 Educational video. Just FYI, anything cooked with bacon grease and onion tastes good. 😂😂😂

[@Sam-lm8gi]

Who says you need to cook anything with it? Bacon grease and onion is a delicious meal all on its own!

[@ROE1300]

@@Sam-lm8gi In his video Dan recommends cooking these mushrooms with bacon grease and onions for a tasty meal. I was simply replying to that comment.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

@@ROE1300 Haha, I know, just making a joke.

[@ROE1300]

@@Sam-lm8gi 👍 😀 👍

[@Hkpirate11]

Including poisonous mushrooms!

[@fredbustin3788]

Was missing my Coalcraker fix! Glad you posted .

[@deborahasher176]

I took your advice and found pictures of the jack-o'-lantern mushroom. Thanks for putting out this vid.

[@blocksmithing]

OMG, Dan! Because of this I was able to spot, harvest, cook, dry and share with neighbors about 10 pounds of chicken of the wood!! I just finished dehydrating them. Got tons of mason jars for the winter. Can't wait to make soup! Thanks!

[@cliff9057]

Would have liked to have seen a closeup of the underside. Still a good video. Thanks

[@chrishayden3854]

There is plenty of information online and close up pictures

[@jw-k5663]

COW is so delicious, a few friends told me how to find it recently and I've found one decent batch

[@Mike-gt1cs]

Dan puts the 'fun' in fungus! Great information.

[@raycicin1794]

Always an exciting find! 😋

[@jayburke1601]

I found a hen of the woods last fall and I chopped it up and ate part of it it weighed over 5 lb lol... It doesn't have gills because it's not a mushroom lol it is a fungus but not all fungus are mushrooms... This one is one of the foolproof four just like you said my friend if no gills you are good to go you came up with the humongous cache there !!🙂

[@TNBushcrafter]

Hen of the woods(grifola frondosa)is quite different then these laetiporus sp. You are splitting hairs with the fungus vs mushroom statement. In all of my foraging groups we(even mycologists)refer to many species as mushrooms and fungi interchangeably.

[@leefury7]

I would suggest dehydrating them and storing them in vacuum sealed jars in a dark, cool place. Just to freeze them takes up a lot of room in the freezer. Also, after cleaning, set in direct, full sun for 10-20 min. Mushroom will store vitamin D2. Setting in direct sunlight you can double even triple the amount of vitamin D in the mushroom. In one way I'm happy people are learning about the benefits of mushrooms (even store bought button mushrooms) but on the other hand, we mushroomers don't like the competition for what's out there! LOL

[@gobigrey9352]

They taste like chicken skin. Delicious. I inoculated an oak log and have some growing right outside my back door. Gonna pick it in a few days.

[@mr.fisher3973]

Chicken of the woods is an amazing mushroom when found early and fresh!!!! Another good identifier is that the cap is a little wavy in appearance. They go perfectly with a nice juicy steak!!!! Great find.

[@GrumpyGrunt]

If you can catch them early enough, they are amazing. If you find them after they get fibrous and tough, still good to dehydrate and pulverize to add flavor to dishes or for medicinal use. Thanks and stay well, Danno!

[@earlshaner4441]

Hi from Syracuse NY brother and thank you for sharing your thoughts and adventures and your family and everyone else

[@chrishayden3854]

, there are three subspecies of chicken of the woods mushrooms and one of them causes me great distress so I don't touch them anymore period maybe if you're eating them for the first time just have one bite

[@KaylynnStrain]

a fellow Iowa KZbinr found 2 HUGE clumps of this mushroom during a June camping trip,those were as big as our heads !!!!!! that bucket should last you a couple days

[@denvercriss78]

You should always slice or tear them length wise to the base . Look inside the torn portion and it should be white inside if there are teeny black dots those are beetle larvae. The dots are the head of a teeny maggot. Also it's a good one to learn getting a spore print. They print white. Thanks Dan!!

[@fyrebugg9354]

I'm new to this so excuse my ignorance. If there are worms then should the mushroom be discarded or just cut around the worms? I also sound some and cooked them and they weren't right. They were chalky, crumbly. Did I over cook or were they to old? Thank you for any info

[@denvercriss78]

@@fyrebugg9354 first thing I would recommend is getting a national audubon field guide to mushrooms. It will educate you a lot. I usually just discard the pieces that have insects or sign of insects activity. If they were chalky and crumbly I'd say they were a bit too old. If by chalky you mean there was white residue that was spores and it was getting old. The spore print is white with chicken of the woods.

[@fyrebugg9354]

@@denvercriss78 thanks, I ate my first chicken of the woods this year and yes it was much younger thanks for the info

[@denvercriss78]

@@fyrebugg9354 no problem glad to help. I'm a big mushroom enthusiast and glad to share any info I may have

[@fyrebugg9354]

@@denvercriss78 thanks a bunch it's hard to get clear info from the internet. Just to clarify, my first COTW taste smell and texture was chicken, delicious. Next COTW I sauteed same, high heat for moisture for a few minutes then sauteed with a little olive oil and butter, seasoning. Smell like chicken, taste meh, texture crumbly and dry. That's what I meant like chalk.

[@stevenfreeland5622]

Please do more mushroom videos and foraging other things

[@TNBushcrafter]

Learn your land with Adam Haritan does a great job on foraging videos. Also she of the woods.

[@MaineGirlOutdoors]

*WOW! That's quite a harvest!* I just found your channel today! I love it! Thank you for sharing with us!

[@annpeet4334]

Thank you. Will try to find some at my daughter's this weekend. See you next month at Uitwaaien.

[@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234]

Nice find Dan. Thanks for showing us

[@impcgaming6560]

Great video thanks for sharing!

[@barryadkins2909]

Hey Dan great video thanks for what you do. Have a great day

[@allenabercrombie591]

This is a great video! It helped me identify these edible mushrooms and I was able to collect a bit to try.

[@troybranaman316]

Wow Dan !! That was a mother load of them !! Great find and informative video!! Thanks for posting!! Take care and stay safe my friend!!!

[@mgsilverhead9636]

Hey hi! Born & bred in Pottsville, now I live in MA but was just home this past weekend for my summer camp reunion in Bear Creek near wilkes-barre. Found a big old bloom and just wanted to double-check my ID and found this video! So glad to hear about a business like this flourishing back home. Checked out your website and I'm a fan.

[@davidc4233]

I just learned about these couple weeks ago and this past week I just went looking for some for the first time and found some the first 5 minutes!!!! I'm in Indiana and found a bunch of it on old dead oak that was down. I put several lbs in the freezer and been eating some about every other day. I fry it in egg and flour until golden, about 5-7 minutes. Tastes great!

[@GreenBeeExplorer]

Omg I just found some too. I made a video of how I harvested and cooked it up. I am still on the hunt for more.

[@philipnelson4692]

Fantastic!!!

[@The_Crow_Flies]

great find!

[@JudyandSpirit]

Very informative, thank you so very much. God Bless you

[@alainlefebvre9860]

Awesome haul! My favourite mushroom!! 🤤🤤🤤

[@keftonbrown1460]

These are a great find. Show a video of you cooking them up bro

[@RandomCommentHandle]

@Coalcracker, You're a good man, glad I found your channel. With the Great Reset here I'm addicted to your channel, learning life saving tips. Thank you.

[@FidoHouse]

Excellent! Thank you!

[@prekomoravskiput]

Very good!

[@mudsslinger]

wow you found a bunch Dan , nice haul

[@CeriousCyprus]

Love your content! Just picked up a couple hoodies and hats from your shop. Keep it up!

[@kurtbaier6122]

Thanks

[@wkuadkins]

wow!!!!!!!! those are going to be sooooo good

[@HoosierDaddy304]

There ok ;)

[@timberliftersurvival1836]

great video dan picked my first COTW this year and it was super tasty 👍🏻👍🏻

[@MiscMitz]

What a harvest!

[@j-man4559]

Dude you hit the mother load!!!

[@ravin747]

Great harvest

[@jacobmclendon4387]

I just found some chicken of the woods here in ne Ohio a few days ago!!

[@westonfurman3833]

I just found a bunch of those,and was wondering if they where edible. Then I see this video. Now I know. And now I will try them. 👍💯

[@jackpineembers]

Found a ton myself the last two days. 👍

[@evanstowers8529]

My favorite mushroom right there. Delicious.

[@Crafty.Veteran.Survival]

That thing is a beast!

[@flyoverkid55]

Good stuff. I have always wanted to go out and pick wild mushrooms, but I know next to nothing about which are safe or not. Now I have a place to start.

[@johnnybushman651]

Thanks Dan, I MUST go out and get some, I got ROOM in my freezer . I know , a bad joke 😞

[@patrickdobbels2342]

You should do a harvest clean and cook.

[@cee8mee]

Unfortunately, mushrooms bother my stomach raw or cooked. Have never found a mushroom that didn't cause GI distress. But good info, if I need to feed others. Thanks Dan.

[@gobigrey9352]

Chicken, hen of the woods and morels give me the bubble guts but oyster mushrooms and pheasant backs don't bother me at all.

[@kdavis4910]

I dehydrate and powder my chicken of the woods. It's incredibly versatile.

[@TimTrOn3000]

Great idea !! 💡

[@billyaitken1713]

🤠👏👏👏 nice one Dan! I find the easiest way to identify the shaggy ink cap mushrooms is look for one in the clump already disintegrating and getting 'inky', if in doubt because there's no 'inky' one - come back in a day or so🏕👍.

[@manfrombritain6816]

thanks cowboy cerrone!

[@ziongrovehunting]

hi Dan..... next we look for stumpys and rams heads !!!! I might be coming down in a few weeks....

[@resolute123]

Nice haul. My understanding is they are also worth a lot of money to chefs.

[@larryeddings3185]

Chicken of the woods is one of my favorite mushrooms.

[@dragonslayer7587]

Omgoodness that's a lot of mushrooms! YUM!

[@FarmersSON55]

Awesome

[@CampingwithSamBananas]

I think I followed the directions correctly but why is the wall moving?

[@cillaloves2fish688]

Thx Dan Too bad we don't have thoz in the desert...

[@SgtVictory]

I did some research on Jack O Lantern mushroom after watching this. They are much more similar to and confused with chanterelles than chicken of the woods, especially the Eastern variety which is what grows in North America. I also read that you should avoid picking chicken of the woods from the stumps of coniferous trees since the resin can have gotten into the mushroom.

[@TNBushcrafter]

Not always the case, omphalotus illudens can look much more like laetiporous sp. then cantharellus sp. in many cases. Either way with just a little research and experience they are easily distinguishable.

[@tm5aw357]

Nice

[@saraskold9631]

wow the jack pot

[@russelrogers2540]

Don't have those in Oregon. In the Coast Range and Cascades, when I see that color, I most usually find them to be chanterelles. Fellow I know was elk hunting. He found a honey hole of chanterelles and brought home around 150 pounds of them. He canned his and I have pickled them. DELISOUS! Collected boletes in Colorado. Those also have no gills on the bottom sides.

[@jonhelzer5317]

We DO have in Oregon. Found them numerous places, but mostly north coast hikes.

[@russelrogers2540]

@@jonhelzer5317 Learn something everyday. Was not aware they were here.

[@ivymike2691]

Best part is the mushrooms are really just the fruiting body of the organism, so you aren't damaging the fungus and it'll come back quick.

[@sandrabhicks]

What a fun guy lol

[@shannagarroutte7829]

I just recently misidentified bondarzewia berkeleyi as chicken of the woods. So heads up for that one

[@Rooster72]

Perfect timing on this video. I'm not a mushroom man myself but just happen to stumble across a couple of these yesterday and was wondering if they were edible. Good to know for survival purposes. Thank you.

[@Glad2BGolden]

Where were you when you saw them? I’ve never seen them.

[@Rooster72]

@@Glad2BGolden Driving down my road. A someone had 2 big ones growing on 2 trees in there front yard.

[@goodun2974]

@@Rooster72 Here in Southern New England I have found chicken of the woods in 3 or 4 places and they always seem to be fond of colonizing an oak tree stump that is still rooted in the ground and snapped off about 10 to 20 feet above ground level.

[@squintartwork]

If you collect mushrooms in a basket it helps spread the spores as you walk. Also tapping them with you fingers or fucking them where you collect the releases spores in the area you know they will grow. I like the idea of both myself.

[@goodun2974]

I suspect you meant to write flicking the mushrooms rather than fucking them 😳.....

[@Scarywoody]

If you can find some Chaga Mushrooms they sell for a lot per pound.

[@mikes7446]

Damn taking all the Chicken

[@greedygringoprospecting6941]

i had mushrooms on my pizza sausage mushrooms extra cheese. (als new york style cafe) costa mesa calif. just like when i was living in NJ

[@thorson7842]

I've been trying to find some out on the state land near the town I'm in.

[@CHITOWNDEECON1]

Nice to see you doing this. Check out sam Thayer's books.... you'll find almost 90% of the stuff outside your door is edible at some point in the year... true freedom in my opinion

[@vickanic]

Cool

[@mehmetkupeli8611]

I am in the north west Oregon. You think they maybe up here this time of year also?

[@yellowboot6629]

Pure Beauty 😂. 👍👍👍

[@jackchellew8441]

Hey thanks, please discuss other editable mushrooms as you answered most of my questions. Please evolve into other edibles.

[@danielkutcher5704]

Mushrooms = gout for me. Have a bunch, those who don't have this cursed condition.😊 The affliction is caused by the body not being able to rid itself of excessive purines, a protein present in mushrooms, organ meat, red meat, turkey, and shellfish, as well as some vegetables and several species of fish.

[@jasondunlap4942]

The ones I find I soak in water to debug them first.

[@Rudi7801]

Wow

[@annelawrence9127]

Have you ever dehydrated them for soup/stew?

[@Collin_Calling]

Please leave some where you harvest them. Never forage 100% of something in the wild, because there might not be any next year! Also, use a bag with holes to carry them, like mesh or burlap so the spores (babies) can float off of them while you harvest and hike out. Thanks for the video, man. Also search Paul Stamets if you want some really crazy cool in depth mushroom knowledge. He literally wears a hat that is "mushroom leather".

[@24karats4you]

I grew up with Chicken of the Woods in Alaska. What state are you collecting these in?

[@tgiere9082]

Homemade blade your using?

[@smd482000]

I was allways taught to leave some for seed what your thoughts?

[@TonyTooTuff]

I found some mushrooms in the woods once and tripped for 3 solid hours.

[@dmtnw4480]

Could you show and inform about poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, what they look like; how to avoid; different looks during seasons, how to or what to do when accidentally come into contact with them

[@fatherly-wisdom5683]

Recently found a 12.5 lb giant puffball mushroom! It had started to spore though 😔

[@jonhelzer5317]

Thanks Dan! Stuff you may add, is consistency when cooked, and sustainable and moderate harvesting.

[@bamascubaman]

It's a fungus. So long as you only take the blooms, it will continue producing.

[@goodun2974]

@@bamascubaman, Last year I found one chicken of the woods flush in late summer that was still fresh and bright orange, but after we had several frosts I found several other flishes elsewhere that had degraded and gotten brown and mushy. Should these be left on their own in hopes of them fruiting again, or would it be helpful to cut off the dead and degraded fungus near the base of the tree or stump so that you only get fresh growth next summer and fall? And if so, now that Spring is here is it too late to cut off the old dead fungi? Also, if I should find a fresh flush this fall is it OK to take it all or should I leave some behind in hopes of promoting its fruiting the following year?

[@glennfyfe1357]

Where do these grow? Canada?

[@thewildernessphilosopher]

Did you leave any to propagate?

[@HoosierDaddy304]

He used a knife to cut them off, so yup

[@harmonicamanrandy]

Mushrooms are awesome. So are chickens.