Poor Man's Chicken
Ann gets the finder's fee for this one. She spotted it high on the side of the gravel path that is our "high road" out of the valley here. What she didn't provide is a skyhook for getting the picture. This brilliant orange mushroom colony is more than two feet across, growing from a fallen ash tree, just at the lip of a twenty foot drop-off (which I darn near did getting the picture).
The common name for this "polypore" (it has pores and not gills underneath) is "Chicken of the Woods". When young and tender (as this one was) it is supposed to have a "lemony chicken" flavor and is classified as "edible", with the caveat that it causes GI upset in about half who eat it. I was tempted. Ann, on the other hand, said she'd "stick with wings and thighs of the real thing at 30 cents a pound, thank you very much." Chicken.
Larger image is here.
Comments
How long did it take you to get that bigger shot, Fred? The clarity is stunning; exactly the right point of focus, which fools the eye/brain into thinking the depth of field is even greater than it already is. Remarkable!
Posted by: andy | August 11, 2004 6:27 AM
Fred--it is delicious indeed, sauteed in a little butter, or in butter and garlic if you like. After cleaning, it freezes fairly well for later use, too, so you don't have to eat it all at once. Sometimes we make a main meal of such polypores as this.
Posted by: Tom Montag | August 11, 2004 8:44 AM
It is not just edible, it is choice! We saute it, as Tom mentioned, and I have frozen it for winter soups. Like Ann, I was reluctant to try it because I have mushroom allergies. So I tried a tiny bit as an experiment. No problemo. Heaven on a plate.
Be adventurous Fred! Give it a try.
Posted by: Deb | August 11, 2004 10:00 AM
I'm w/Ann on this one!
Posted by: Marie | August 11, 2004 5:45 PM
I've found that taste can vary, as with oyster mushrooms. Chicken mushrooms work well in stir fries, and will pass for chicken or turkey in any dish with a thick sauce, e.g. tetrazini.
Posted by: Dave | August 13, 2004 4:31 PM