Wild mushrooms-Hunting the Oyster mushroom

Toward the end of the Morel hunting season and after a couple days of good rain. It is usually a good time to start hunting oyster mushrooms. Although Morel mushrooms have to be the most popular there are many good wild mushrooms to be picked though out the summer and fall. In the early part of the summer one of the first to appear are the oyster mushrooms. These can pretty much be divided into 2 groups. The most popular being the summer oyster ( Pleurotus populinus), And the darker fall version (Pleurotus ostreatus).

One advantage to hunting the fall oyster mushroom is you don’t have as many problems with insects destroying the mushrooms before you can get to them. As far as look a likes- there are not many. Most of them are so tough or thin you can’t eat them anyway. I find the summer oysters growing mostly on dead or dying poplar trees, from ground level all the way to the top of the tree. Which can get kind of frustrating if you are a short person like me.

This mushroom can get pretty large. Cap-2 ¼ to 5 ½ inches.

Color-Brownish white to white or grayish- in the shape of an oyster shell as the name implies.

There is a very short stem if any. The flesh is white. The spore print should be white to lilac.

The oyster mushroom is classified as an excellent edible.

This article is written for educational purposes only. If you are not sure what you are picking- don’t eat it! If you are new to mushroom hunting purchase some good books. Consult a professional for positive identification.

If you are not comfortable picking wild mushrooms there are many mushroom growing kits on the market. You can purchase a kit. You can also purchase spawn and start from scratch.

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