It is pale because it was old and faded, but still in great condition. Flesh is pale cream throughout.Ī very large, pale hen of the woods. The pore layer on the underside of the fronds is always cream coloured. Some hen of the woods have a brownish colour scheme, others come in greyer hues. The colour of the top of fronds varies from tan to olive, grey or cream in undulating concentric zones. Fully grown specimens can be up to 70cm round and several kilos in weight, occasionally much larger, and multiple growths can emerge from the same host tree. They were so thrilled at their discovery that they danced to celebrate! Once you get to know them, you too will dance for joy when you find one!Ī large and distinctive fungus, comprising a mass of interlocking flat lobed fronds growing from a dense core, at the base of oak trees. Certainly one of the greatest pleasures for fungi foragers is stumbling on one of these unexpectedly, and it is this that has given it its Japanese name of “dancing mushroom”. According to a Japanese legend, a group of Buddhist nuns and woodcutters met on a mountain trail, where they discovered a fruiting hen of the woods. While they are by no means rare, their large size and not entirely predictable appearance, makes them feel like the big game of wild mushroom hunting. Perhaps of all these, it is their enigmatic quality that raises them above other fungal treasures. They have a wonderful combination of physical beauty, size, intriguing ecological roles, enigmatic qualities, delicious flavour, meaty texture, (reasonable) resistance to insect infestation, and medicinal benefits to make them utterly thrilling to find. But if I was forced, with a mushroom knife to my throat, to pick a favourite, I think it would have to be hen of the woods. I try to resist choosing a “favourite” wild mushroom – they have such distinct personalities and idiosyncrasies of growth habit, flavour, abundance and usage that ranking them doesn’t seem meaningful, even if it were possible.
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