We were walking the loop on Sunday, and saw this gorgeous thing.  Funny, though, we didn’t see it when we walked on Saturday.  Could we have missed it?  Or did it come up overnight?  I can’t believe we missed it.

 

I took its picture, and when we got home, we looked it up in our National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mushrooms.  I also checked my SEEK app, and online for POSITIVE identification.  YEP!!!  It is Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus cincinnatus.

 

Anyway, on Monday we went back and it was still there, so we harvested it.  It took a while to clean it, because it had grown up through all that gravel that you see in the picture.  All those rocks had to be dug out.  But we ended up with 1/2 a lunch bag full of gorgeous mushroom pieces to cook and add to our dinners for the next few days.

 

I am writing this on Thursday to let you know that we are still kicking, with no harmful effects.  

 

I am also here to implore you to POSITIVELY IDENTIFY any and all wild plants you harvest and plan to eat.  Don’t take my word for it.  Just because I don’t have a bad reaction, doesn’t mean that you won’t either.  Be VERY CAUTIOUS.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!