A Great Woodland Surprise! The Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Today in the woods, while walking the dog, emma and I stumbled across something great. It was there, perched on the side of a dying tree in our woods, 2 lion’s mane mushrooms in all their glory. Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus), was one the mushrooms we considered when we began our mushroom growing operation. Although we ended up deciding on growing shitake mushrooms on logs, the legendary buttery textured and lobster flavored lion’s mane was one we dearly wanted to try.

Lion’s mane mushroom growing on a standing dead tree in the wild

So, you can imagine or delight when emma saw these two white orbs growing out of the side of a tree. Our shitake logs are not yet fruiting and we’ve been itching to eat some mushrooms. We recognized the mushrooms as lion’s mane, but when it comes to mushrooms, you can never be too careful. We headed back t the house, and after consulting both the internet and a mushroom field guide. We learned that lion’s mane mushroom have no look-a-likes, and we were able to confirm these wonderful delicacy as safe and edible. This is very important if you ever consider foraging for mushrooms, the need to be 100 % certain before eating any wild mushroom.

the lion’s mane mushroom is very distinctive and doesn’t have any look-a-likes

We will be headed back out tomorrow to harvest these mushrooms, and will most likely saute them in butter with garlic, the method that seems to bring out their rich flavor the best. Stay tuned for updates, and keep your eyes peeled when you are out and about for edible delicacies!