Page 261 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

POLYPORE MUSHROOMS/BRACKET

FUNGI/SHELF FUNGI

Polypore means many-pored. Spores are produce on the underside within a multitude of tightly packed
pores or tubes. They are often leathery and fibrous and usually lack a stalk. Some (conks) are woody, while
others are simply fleshy. Many fruit from logs or stumps, forming single or multiple shelf-like fruiting bodies.

Cauliflower Mushroom, Sparassis

radicata (SPARASSIDACEAE)

Scott Darbey, CC-BY-2.0

WESTERN CAULIFLOWER MUSHROOM is a para- KEY MEDICINAL USES: S. radicata has shown evi-
sitic fungus found in the old-growth forests of west- dence of anti-tumor activity, immune stimulation, and
ern North America. It grows alone at the bases of co- antimicrobial activity.
nifers, drawing nutrients from the roots, and causing
HOW TO EAT: Delicious and versatile, cauliflower
a brown or yellow rot. Douglas-fir and species of pine
mushrooms can be sauteed as noodles, cooked into
are its preferred hosts. This mushroom fruits annu-
soups, battered and fried, or baked in the oven with
ally in the same location from late summer to mid-
cheese. Harvest young mushrooms and remove the
winter.
grit that collects between the lobes.
FRUITING BODY: Resembling a frilly cauliflower, or
SPARASSIS PAD THAI: Ingredients: cauliflower mush-
a giant white brain, the fruiting body can range from
room, 1 ½ tbsp. tamarind puree, 3 tbsp. brown sugar,
4 inches to 2 ft. (10-60cm) tall and broad. Its dense
2 tbsp. fish sauce, 1 ½ tbsp. oyster sauce, oil, ½ onion
mass of flattened, noodle-like lobes are cream-col-
(sliced), 2 garlic cloves (chopped), 5 oz. (140g) chick-
ored, wavy, and 0.6-1 inch (15–25mm) wide with
en (sliced), 2 eggs, 1 ½ cups beansprouts, ½ cup tofu
smooth surfaces. In age, they stain dingy brown at the
(cubed), ¼ cup finely chopped peanuts. Mix tamarind,
margins. This mushroom has a fragrant, spicy odor.
sugar, fish sauce, and oyster sauce in a bowl. Sauté
STEM: The deep-rooting stem is 2-8 inches (5-20cm) garlic, onions, and chicken until mostly cooked. Push
long, 1.2-2 inches (3-5cm) thick and tapered down- to one side of the pan. Scramble eggs on the other side.
ward. Its interior is chambered above and solid below Mix eggs with chicken. Add sprouts, tofu, mushrooms,
with firm, supple flesh. and sauce. Toss for 2-3 min. Add peanuts. Serve with
SPORES: 6-7 x 4-5 µ, broadly elliptical, smooth; Spore lime wedges.
print: white POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Some Ramarias - grow

EDIBLE PARTS: fruiting body on ground; erect cylindrical branches
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