Wild Edibles...who else?

[WhitewaterDuck]

Who else gets out there and hunts mushrooms and other wild edibles? I never hunted mushrooms and certainly never even heard of ramps until moving to Indiana, but I'm addicted to bringing home the goods...and it gets me through till the next game season starts.

I love looking for and finding morels, but they are down the list as far as great eating/tasting mushrooms go. A few from last year...
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I enjoy hunting these so much because they start popping up when the spring warmth starts kicking in just before turkey season.

Not long after turkey season is over, I start finding my fourth favorite wild mushrooms, and I will find them throughout the summer and into the fall until the weather truly turns cold.
I love these because of their abundance, texture, and flavor. Wild Oysters....I found these on a downed tree next to a spot I hunt. The tree has a bee hive in it and is loaded with honey...would be a heck of a tree to find if you were on "naked and afraid." I took sacks of oysters from that tree from May through October.



No pics of my tied-for-second favorite wild shroom...the chanterelle. They are primo with great flavor and superior texture.

Tied with the chanterelle is the Hen of the Woods...superior flavor and texture...and if you find one, you will have a meal for many.
This is one of the two or three that grow around the base of the huge red oak every year that is ~ 20 yards from my front door...it is a nice bonus that came with the house.


Two of my front-yard miatake/ hen-o-the-woods from fall 2016



and what you get from a small hen...



These are really good fried IF you get them when they are young and tender. The are called pheasant back mushrooms, and they smell like watermelon rind when you pick them. They are everywhere, but getting them when they are young is tough. If you do, they are awesome lightly fried.



Ramps are the shit! Anyone who appreciates good greens needs to experience ramps. The bulbs add an amazing garlic goodness to any dish...especially fried wild turkey. I wilt the greens in a touch of olive oil and add a bit of salt and cracked pepper...which is unnecessary. These are ridiculous...get you some if you've never experienced it.

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I'm hoping to find some lions mane mushrooms this year, and I'm chomping at the bit to get out and fill my chest freezer with ramps before I move to Wyoming, but the weather up here is killing me. Hope y'all are enjoying good weather and double gobbles back home...and I hope you run into some killer wild edibles while you are out there.

Oh, my number one favorite wild mushroom...I don't have any pics, and I've never found any...but there were plenty for sale around Clemson back in the late 80's if you knew where to look!