Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Garden City

1. Dryad's saddle

A familiar sight to spring morel hunters, dryad's saddle is noteworthy for its large size, striking scales, and watermelon-like smell. Similar to other mushrooms in the bracket fungi family, dryad's saddle can be used to make paper. Younger mushrooms are better suited for this purpose due to their smaller and more consistent fibers.

2. Chicken of the woods

Chicken of the woods is very noticeable in hardwood forests, appearing in clusters on standing tree trunks in bright orange and yellow hues that sometimes last through the entire winter. It is a parasite that causes an unfortunate brown heart rot, and is considered a particularly troublesome pest of Yew trees. If the fruitbodies can be seen, the tree is likely already beyond saving.

3. Shaggy mane

The shaggy mane mushroom is commonly found in North American and European grasslands. Some peoples foraged for its young egg-shaped caps, but it has more recently been found to be a bioaccumulator of heavy metals, meaning it pulls toxic metals up from the soil where it grows. As a result, shaggy manes should not be eaten. The mushrooms usually appear in clusters or “fairy rings.”

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. Hen-of-the-woods

Often found at the base of oak trees, this clustered fungus grows in distinctive rosettes. It attacks the roots of living hardwood trees. Hen-of-the-woods is considered edible when harvested young, and is cultivated in Japan on top of compressed sawdust.

6. Giant puffball

These distinctive round, white fungi appear around the world in fields and at the edges of wooded areas. Living up to its name, a single giant puffball can grow as large as a watermelon. They have no stems, and produce trillions of spores that release into the air through holes in “puffs.” They have been used as slow-burning tinder and produce copious smoke when set aflame. Giant puffballs are technically edible, but should only be consumed when the mushroom is young and firm.

7. Golden oyster

The golden oyster(Pleurotus citrinopileatus) can be distinguished from other mushrooms by an iridescent butter-yellow cap that matures into the color of sunshine. As the color intensifies, the cap also becomes more brittle, making it very difficult to handle. The golden oyster is a delicious species that is highly desirable for culinary uses.

8. Enoki

The enoki grows wild on dead elm trees, and is also cultivated for human use. This flavorful species (Flammulina velutipes) has been used in dishes around the world for generations, being particularly high in nutrients. Though store-bought enoki are often plain white, wild ones can be found in a range of colors.

9. Black-footed polypore

This inedible fungus grows on fallen wood and stumps of deciduous trees. Black-footed polypores have the ability to remain through the winter, as they rot very slowly after releasing their spores. They are thus appreciated for providing a bit of visual interest in winter landscapes.

10. Aborted entoloma

The aborted entoloma's name is a bit of a misnomer. Originally, it was thought that this drab mushroom was commonly parasitized by mushrooms in the Amallaria family, which caused "aborted", globular caps to form. However, it turns out that the aborted entoloma is in fact the parasite, and the "aborted" caps are the true victims, the Amallarias!

11. 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.

12. Common puffball

These puffy mushrooms grow in small groups on the forest floor. Once they're mature, common puffballs turn yellow and "puff out" smoke-like spore clouds when disturbed. Be very careful when identifying these mushrooms, as their young, immature form looks very similar to the lethal Deathcap.

13. Honey fungus

The honey fungus is a parasitic fungus that grows on the roots of many woody and perennial plants, damaging and possibly killing its host. It spreads underground and is considered to be the most damaging fungal disease in gardens across the UK. The appearance of the mushrooms above-ground heralds a much more extensive infection below.

14. Blewit

The blewit mushroom grows in fallen leaves in autumn and winter, sometimes appearing in ‘fairy ring’ circles. It can be used to make a green dye when chopped and boiled in an iron pot. The scientific name, Lepista nuda, derives from Latin words meaning “bare goblet,” a reference to the shape and texture of the mushroom.

15. Umbrella polypore

The ball of clustered caps produced by the umbrella polypore (Polyporus umbellatus) resembles an extremely large hydrangea flower, blooming at the base of a tree infected by this white-rot fungus. This parasite will usually reappear in summer or autumn in the same place for several years, as long as the host tree stays alive.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. American slippery jack

A common sight underneath white pines in the summertime, the american slippery jack lives up to its name with its slimy cap, reminiscent of chicken fat's consistency. The subdued, yellow-brown hue is also the same color.

19. Orange peel fungus

The aptly-titled orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia) forms fruitbodies that strongly resemble peeled-off rinds of oranges. The species has an irregular folded shape and boasts a bright orange hue. Orange peel fungus usually grows directly out of soil and can be found across temperate regions of North America, Europe, and a few parts of Chile.

20. Elm oyster

As its common name suggests, the elm oyster(Hypsizygus ulmarius) is most commonly found fruiting on elm trees. Its scientific name references its tendency to position itself in the higher points of any individual tree. The fruit bodies may grow alone or in small clusters of two or three, and rarely more.

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