# (Chicken of the woods, not) look like oysters?



## mcmich (Jun 30, 2012)

I typically stick to morels. Happened upon these this morning. Look like chicken of the woods?


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## bobberbill (Apr 5, 2011)

Looks more like oysters.


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## bobberbill (Apr 5, 2011)

Chicken I found at the golf course Thursday afternoon.


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## mcmich (Jun 30, 2012)

bobberbill said:


> Looks more like oysters.


Yes BB I think you are correct, now that I look up some pictures these look like golden oysters. Not brave enough to try them though lol.


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## bobberbill (Apr 5, 2011)

They're excellent. You can buy oysters from the store. Meijer's carry them. Those are free. That's a really nice find. Oysters are some of my favorites.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Always do a spore print until you can positively ID the mushroom in question. Especially if you're just starting to branch out from morels. There are lots of poison shrooms that grow in Michigan.


You can read more about Laetiporus mushrooms using the link below.









Laetiporus - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

PunyTrout said:


> Always do a spore print until you can positively ID the mushroom in question. Especially if you're just starting to branch out from morels. There are lots of poison shrooms that grow in Michigan.
> 
> 
> You can read more about Laetiporus mushrooms using the link below.
> ...


Luckily, there aren't any poisonous that look like oysters and grow on trees.


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## mcmich (Jun 30, 2012)

Well I decided to go out and pick them, well half of them. Here are some pictures. Need to look up the spore test mentioned.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Look like oysters to me. If you want to do a spore print, lay the mushroom on a surface gills down and cover with a glass bowl. Let them sit for a couple of hours or overnight. The spores will be left on the surface and you can compare the color.

It helps if you have a neutral color surface. Spores can be a variety of colors with white, brown or black being common so if you're expecting a white spore print, don't use a white surface to detect the spore color.

Using two or more contrasting pieces of construction paper layed out will help.


When attempting to ID a mushroom any reliable key will list the spore color.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Here's a link for more about Oyster mushrooms 









Pleurotus - Wikipedia







en.m.wikipedia.org


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## mcmich (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks for the info Puny Trout. Recommendations for freezing them. I see on youtube recommending boiling for 30 seconds drying and freezing. Can you eat the stems? I will try the spore test, thanks.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Petronius said:


> Luckily, there aren't any poisonous that look like oysters and grow on trees.



To the untrained eye, there are plenty. 

Jack-o-lantern mushrooms come to mind for one.

If someone hasn't spent time studying mushrooms it's not easy to decern subtle differences or key identifiers. 

It's best to error on the side of caution until they can know what to look for.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

mcmich said:


> Thanks for the info Puny Trout. Recommendations for freezing them. I see on youtube recommending boiling for 30 seconds drying and freezing. Can you eat the stems? I will try the spore test, thanks.


The stems are edible and good too.


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