Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Little Egg Harbor

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. 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.

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. 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.

6. 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.

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. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. Deer mushroom

The deer mushroom is can be found sprouting up from rotting logs, branches, and roots, and while it may have a preference for hardwoods it isn't very picky. Unlike many other mushroom species, the fruitbodies can be found blooming across a wide range of seasons. They have a faint, radish-like odor.

13. Gypsy mushroom

Cortinarius caperatus, commonly referred to as the gypsy mushroom, is a sought-after species that grows across the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The fruitbodies sport ochre-colored caps and pale gills and stems - their cap color fades over time though, which may lead to their being confused with other, more toxic species.

14. Beefsteak fungus

Beefsteak fungus(Fistulina hepatica) is an unusual fungus that visually resembles a slab of raw meat; cutting into it will cause a discharge of thick red liquid resembling blood, adding to this resemblance.

15. 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.

16. Crested coral

Crested coral(Clavulina coralloides) is a distinctive coral mushroom that is widespread in coniferous and hardwood forests, acting as a decomposer of dead and decaying timber. Endemic to the temperate zones of North America and Europe, it sprouts from late summer to winter.

17. 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.

18. Wine cap stropharia

These large mushrooms have distinctive red caps when young, but the color soon fades to brown as they mature. Rare in the wild, wine cap stropharia are highly regarded among foragers as a desirable edible mushroom. Discard any specimens with holes in the stalk or caps, as flies use them to lay eggs. They are also cultivated.

19. 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.

20. 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!

Cookie Name	Source	Purpose	Lifespan
_ga	Google Analytics	These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here.	1 Year
_pta	PictureThis Analytics	We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience.	1 Year

Cookie Name	Source	Purpose	Lifespan
_fbp	Facebook Pixel	A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here.	1 Year
_adj	Adjust	This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here.	1 Year