Foraging the Invasive Golden Oyster Mushroom
An invasive mushroom? Unfortunately, in the midwestern United States the Asian fungi, Pleurotus citrinopileatus or Golden Oyster Mushroom, is quickly spreading through woodlots and may be displacing our native oyster mushroom species. On the plus side, this mushroom is a choice edible, often cultivated for its heavy production of delicious, beautiful, and healthful mushrooms.
Foragers can often find Golden Oysters in large numbers, and due to its invasive status, North American foragers are strongly encouraged to harvest completely to help minimize the spread of spores through our ecosystems. This can mean a reliable source of large amounts of healthful food for foragers in infected areas! This mushroom can also be found and harvested throughout its native range of eastern Russia, Northern China, and Japan. When harvesting native fungi species, mushroom foragers are encouraged to leave a few of any mushroom flush in situ to ensure continued reproduction and future foraging opportunities. Foragers can also transport native fungi in open containers, such as mesh bags or woven baskets, to encourage the spread of spores from harvested fungi.
The Golden Oyster Mushroom is found growing on dead or living wood. The caps are a beautiful sunny yellow color that may fade to off-white with age, with a depression in the center. They may become funnel shaped with time. The undersides and stem (stipe) are white to off-white. This mushroom has recurrent true gills, meaning gills that run down onto the stipe, and a white spore print. The stipe is slightly offset and curved. They grow in clusters, often with large numbers of fruiting clusters occurring on the same log or within the same area.
Golden Oyster Mushrooms will flush whenever conditions are favorable, late spring through early fall. They generally like warmer temperatures and high humidity. Expect reoccurring flushes on the same logs, until the substrate is thoroughly decomposed (usually a couple seasons). If you find an older flush, remember to check back after the next rain, as you will be likely to catch another wave of fresh mushrooms!
Golden Oyster Mushrooms are best harvested young, while the clusters are still tight and the caps are brightly colored. Older, more developed specimens are still edible, but are more likely to be infested with insects and have a generally poorer texture. Like all foraged mushrooms, they should be thoroughly cooked; mushrooms contain a lot of chitin which is hard to digest raw and may cause stomach upset. It’s also always wise to try small amounts of a new-to-you mushroom at first, many people have sensitivities to some mushroom species.
This is a delicate mushroom with a pleasant, mild mushroom flavor. I enjoy it sauteed into a variety of savory dishes. As I often find it in large amounts, I like to finely dice, lightly sauté, and freeze in oil to preserve. This maintains excellent flavor and texture, and the diced mushrooms can be added directly to sauces, soups, or other savory dishes. Freeze into silicone molds--muffin cups and square ice cube trays both work well--for convenient portion sizing!
This mushroom doesn’t have any close poisonous look alikes and can be safely identified by beginning foragers. The toxic Jack O'Lantern Mushroom, Omphalotus illudens, does bear some resemblance to the untrained eye. Jack O’Lanterns are more orange in color than the sunny yellow Golden Oysters, and they retain their golden-orange color all the way through, including under the cap and through the stipe. Jacks are usually found growing in clusters at the base of tree stumps, rather than all along a log or tree the way Golden Oysters grow, though Golden Oysters can also occur near the base of a tree or stump.
There are several species of edible yellow mushrooms that also grow in clusters. Chanterelles (Cantharellus spp.) are superficially similar, with comparable coloration and sometimes growing in loose clusters, but grow from the ground and do not have true gills. Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus spp.) can be bright yellow and also grow from living or dead wood but are polypores: these fungi have pores on the underside, rather than gills. Understanding these basic physiological differences makes differentiating each of these fungi easy!
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