Wood's Ear mushrooms are the traditional Black mushrooms used in Chinese Hot and Sour soup. These dried mushrooms can be harvested from the tree and stored for use later. Once shrunk, the gray exterior is still easily recognized. If the rains stop and dry weather appears the Wood's Ear mushrooms will shrink down to half their size and harden into a shell-like mass. Held up to the light Wood's Ear are semi-translucent rather than opaque. Underneath they are shiny, dark-brown to very dark-purple. The topside of these mushrooms is usually gray and powdery. However big they grow these mushroom never thicken, remaining under 1/4" thick. Often they will form upside down cup shapes when young (~1" across) and then widening out into broad fans (3"-5") as they mature. Wood Ear's actually do look like ears in size and rough shape. Shady areas are more likely to have a growth of Wood's Ear as these cooler spots don't dry out as quickly. Wood Ear mushrooms prefer the dead trunks of Elderberry bushes but pretty much any hardwood can be overrun by these oddities of nature any time of the year as long as hard rains have recently fallen. They appear only on dead wood which they slowly break down. Mushrooms of all types spring up after a heavy rains but few are as distinctive as the brown-gray, rubbery Wood's Ear. The only public lands you can legally harvest mushrooms are National forests and grasslands. Note the gray tops and brown/dark purple undersides.Ĭlose-up of the topside and edge of Wood's Ear.Ĭlose-up of the bottom side. ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR IDENTIFICATION ERRORS BY ANY READERS.Ĭlusters of Wood's Ear mushrooms. Nutritional Value: protein, iron, calcium, phosphorousĭangers: don not mistake Raisin Jelly Cup (Ascotremella faginea) for Wood's Ears.ĬOLLECTING MUSHROOM REQUIRES 100% CERTAINTY. Where: dead trees, especially elderberry trunks Scientific Name(s): Auricularia americana
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