Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Ozark

1. Indigo milk cap

This gorgeous species is unlike any other. The indigo milk cap, a member of the often-drab russula family, is deep blue in color. Like other milk caps, it bleeds a latex-like substance when cut or damaged, but instead of the usual white this species bleeds deep blue.

2. Lion's Mane Mushroom

Lion's Mane Mushroom(Hericium erinaceus) is easily identifiable by its characteristic appearance, reminiscent of the majestic mane of a lion. It often sprouts along hardwoods, which may be living or dead. Scientists thus debate whether this species is truly parasitic or merely saprophytic in nature.

3. Smooth chanterelle

The smooth chanterelle is an orange mushroom that is said to give off an apricot-like aroma. It looks very similar to the poisonous jack-o'-lantern mushroom. This mushroom grows in association with tree roots - especially those of oaks - and forms a symbiotic relationship with the tree.

4. Pear-shaped puffball

The mushrooms of this species grow in such tight clusters that they may cover fallen trees and stumps almost entirely in a brownish, puffy coat. Pear-shaped puffballs appear all around the northern hemisphere on decaying hardwoods from fall through winter.

5. Oyster mushroom

Oyster mushrooms grow wild but are also cultivated for sale in supermarkets. They can even be cultivated at home. They will grow on coffee grounds and spent grain, and are occasionally even fashioned into an environmentally-friendly substitute for styrofoam. There are several toxic look-alike species, so it is best to buy these mushrooms at the store.

6. Red chanterelle

Red chanterelles can be found growing within hardwood forests across eastern North America. These small but striking mushrooms range from orange to red to pink in color. Edible and boasting complex flavors, many chanterelles are highly sought after. The red chanterelle, though less famous than some of its close relatives, is no exception. This species can be used in all sorts of recipes, with a vaguely sweet or piney taste.

7. Violet webcap

This absolutely striking mushroom looks like something out of a fairy tale. The entire fruitbody of the violet webcap - cap, stalk, and gills - ranges in color from a light lavender to a very deep purple. The species' caps are bulbous and pockmarked, often appearing velvety. Though a feast for the eyes, this species is usually considered inedible.

8. Common laccaria

Common laccaria may sound like a malevolent name for a mushroom, but fret not! This species is so-called because its appearance is highly variable, with individual caps taking on a whole host of colors, from whitish to pinkish to dark brown.

9. Peeling puffball

It is easy to spot as it resembles a puffball but has spines that gradually peel off as it ages. This appearance gave this mushroom its common name "peeling puffball." peeling puffball thrives underneath deciduous and conifer trees, getting its nutrients from decaying plant matter.

10. Meadow mushroom

The meadow mushroom grows in meadows and pastures around the world—especially those rich in manure—when the weather is warm and wet. They are known to appear in “fairy ring” shapes. Originally identified in Europe, it is possible that North American specimens identified as meadow mushrooms may genetically belong to other species.

11. Tawny grisette

Tawny grisette (Amanita fulva) is a common species most commonly found in Europe's broadleaf and coniferous forests, with a potential but unverified range in North America. Its name comes from the burnished orange color of its cap, which sits atop a cream-colored stem.

12. Bulbous honey fungus

Bulbous honey fungus is characterized by bulbous or swollen stem bases in the fruiting mushrooms. Like all Armillarias, it occurs as a network of tendrils beneath the ground that produce visible mushrooms seasonally. A single organism can be thousands of years old and weigh over 1000 kg.

13. Coral tooth fungus

Coral tooth fungus (Hericium coralloides) is a species of coral mushroom most frequently sighted on dead or decaying hardwoods. Generally, younger specimens are white and become increasingly yellowish as they mature. Found around the world, the Māori refer to this species as pekepekekiore.

14. Eastern cauliflower mushroom

The appropriately named eastern cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis spathulata) looks strikingly like a cauliflower head but with more pronounced ridges that make up the cap. This rosette-shaped, quite large mushroom is white to tan in color and is found around older oak trees.

15. Blusher

The blusher mushroom is so named because it “blushes” to a pinkish red color when cut or bruised. It is found in many countries around the world, although it may not be native to the southern hemisphere. It contains a hemolytic toxin that can cause anemia if eaten.

16. Purple-spored puffball

It's hard to mistake this mushroom for another. The aptly-named purple-spored puffball has a large, round, or pear-shaped fruiting body and is purple or chocolate-brown in color (with spores to match). Purple-spored puffballs are found in prairies and meadows across North America and Australia.

17. Lung oyster

Developing all around the northern hemisphere, lung oyster mushrooms grow in overlapping shelf-like clusters on deciduous branches, trunks, and fallen logs in the wild. They are easy to cultivate on other substrates, like spent coffee grounds and sawdust, for commercial production. They are generally considered safe to eat, although some people may develop allergies.

18. Old man of the woods

Native to Europe and North America, old man of the woods(Strobilomyces strobilaceus) is notable for its unusual coloring and texture, which visually resembles dark, overlapping scales against a white base. Interestingly, this mushroom has been depicted on a Swiss postal stamp worth fifty centimes.

19. Snow fungus

Snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis) is so-named not because it is associated with winter, but, rather, because its fruitbodies look like little piles of snow fungus on the ground. This fungus actually inhabits very warm - tropical and subtropical - locations around the globe. Snow fungus does not have much taste, but it is cultivated for culinary use across East Asia, where it is often added to thicken soups and desserts.

20. Indigo milk cap