Where to find Chicken of the Woods?
Also known as sulfur shelf or laetiporus sulphureus, this mushroom grows on dead stumps, logs, or buried wood. It can also grow parasitically so don’t be blowing the spores all over the trees in your backyard, haha. This mushroom can return multiple years in a row on the same stump so take note if you find some!
Speaking of finding some! Chicken of the woods is probably the EASIEST mushroom to find when it is fruiting. The bright yellow and orange do not hide easily among the surrounding forest. This is considered a very safe mushroom to eat since there are no look-alikes (asuming you can tell the difference between a mushroom with stem and gills and a shelf mushroom).
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When to find Chicken of the Woods?
Mid summer through fall. I found a dried up patch late August and a huge fresh fruiting in early September within Sioux Falls, SD.
How do you cook Chicken of the Woods?
First cut off the soft outer bits of the mushroom. The closer to the tree the tougher it gets (you can stew the REALLY tough sections). Trim, rinse, and dip in flour -> then dip in oat milk -> then dip in bread crumbs. Fry it covered for 8ish minutes on low heat then eat like chicken strips!
Another option is to fry it up in olive oil then eat it like a spicy chicken sandwich using mayo, tabasco, and lettuce!
Go back to South Dakota Edible Mushroom Page:
https://treefool.com/southdakota-mushroom-hunting/
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