Not to be confused with Chicken of the Sea — that is just weird marketing campaign– really weird when you think about it. Eww.
Anyways, back to
Chicken of the Woods
— seriously who comes up with these names —
Chicken of the Woods is a bright brilliant orange color and since it is typically found in late summer/early fall it stands out in dramatic contrast with the deep green woods.
I did a little research and found Tom Volk’s Fungus of the Month — ah! a kindred spirit.
Apparently Chicken of the Woods…
wait for it…
tastes like chicken when it is cooked.
I want to know who figured that out…just saying.
Plus, chicken of the woods tends to grow in large groupings that cover a fair amount of the tree it is growing on.
We spotted this Chicken of the Woods on a hike at Muscatatuck Park.
All of these photos are of one Chicken of the Sea Woods growing on one tree. 🙂
If you decide to try your hand at wild edibles, you have to make absolutely certain you know what you are harvesting and how to properly prepare it.
I recommend you harvest with someone who has field experience.
Plus, take some time and educate yourself with any of these books.
These identification books are the same ones I use for identifying plants in the field.
(If I am collecting wild edibles, I always bring at least two identification guide books with me. After all, the plants don’t know what they are supposed to look like.)
If you want to go hardcore into survival foraging such as prepping for the Zombie Apocalypse aka SHTF, there are no two guide book series better than Tom Brown’s books and the FoxFire series.
The FoxFire below includes fall edibles.
Happy hiking and foraging!
Maybe the zombies would like some chicken of the woods instead of brains —
I hope to never find out!