Cornell University

edibles

Shiitake

Mushroom Fever

People used to think mushrooms sprang up spontaneously after thunderstorms or in response to devilry. We know better now, but there’s still some art in cultivating them. That said, you can probably manage to grow some yourself–maybe in your backyard or woodlot. Guest blogger Ariadne Reynolds reports on the forest farming of mushrooms, and provides some leads in case you’re ready to get started.

Hydnum umbilicatum

Hydnum umbilicatum, the sweet tooth

A pretty, tasty little fungus. With lots of teeth.

shaggy to inky

Shaggy Mane Time Lapse

Here’s a time lapse of some shaggy mane mushrooms. They are also called inky caps, and you’ll see why.

Blewit

Blewit eaters

Blewits are tasty purple mushrooms, so it’s always exciting to find them. But imagine how excited I was when I found they had an ornate and seldom-seen parasitic mold growing on them. Do you know me at all? I was ecstatic.

Grifola frondosa

Stalking the Hen of the Woods

A beautiful Fall find, the Hen of the Woods. It’s big, it tastes great, and it might just cure what ails you.

oysters

The world in your oyster

The oyster mushroom has many secrets. Yes, the one you can buy in the supermarket (or find in the woods). It is a predator of sorts, but don’t worry, it normally goes for lesser prey than you and I.

chicken

Eating the Chicken of the Woods

Chicken-of-the woods is hard to miss in the forest, being bright orange on top and yellow underneath. It’s a good beginner’s mushroom, has a texture like chicken, and apparently it makes a tasty omelet too.

cantaloupe, puffball

Giant puffballs, Calvatia gigantea

Giant puffballs are seldom confused with anything but soccer balls, so they’re a good beginner mushroom. However, to me they taste a bit like styrofoam packing chips, but not everyone agrees with me…

brick caps

Hypholoma sublateritium–edible?

Brick caps have a mixed reputation, in terms of their edibility. Here one brave student reports on his experience eating Hypholoma sublateritium.

About

Most people don't pay much attention to fungi, which include things like mushrooms, molds, yeasts, and mildews. Here at Cornell we think they're pretty fascinating. In fact, even the most disgusting foot diseases and moldy strawberries are dear to our hearts. We'd like to talk to you about fungi, so that like us, you too can tell gross stories at the dinner table. Afterwards, maybe you'll notice some things you would have overlooked before, and we think this could be good for the planet.

Kathie T. Hodge, Editor

Beneath Notice, our book of borescopic mycology.

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