This time of year, I'm struck by all the common names of mushrooms that come out of my mouth, and how it must sound to even the people who know me well: Lobster, Chicken, Hen, Shrimp, Beefsteak.... You'd think I'm taking a trip to the butcher's shop, not the forest!
How about we add another wild animal to our list? One many of us might recognize as Lion's Mane. Which, of course, tastes like crab. (Of. Course.)
But in reality, we're talking about Hericium species.
To the untrained eye, these guys mostly look like fluffy or prickly white pom-poms.
Here are some of the features of Hericium:
- No cap! (Literally—there's no cap!)
- Drooping spines that resemble icicles
- Grow directly on wood: We find them most often on beech trees
- White flesh, all the way through
- No distinctive smell or flavor
- White spore print
- Yellows-to-rust as specimen ages
- Both delicious and healthy: Hericium is prized for its delicate flavor and its medicinal qualities, helping with digestion, brain function, immunity, and inflammation
A closer look reveals some interesting differences among the species!
The latin binomial for Lion's Mane is H. erinaceous (above, from Adobe Stock as an example). This is the round, fluffy guy that's often cultivated and sold in grocery stores and farmer's markets. It has long spines but isn't branched. Interestingly, of all the Hericium we've foraged, we find it the least in our spots!
More often, though, the forest gifts us with two other Hericium species that are arguably far more delicious than H. erinaceous: H. coralloides and H. americanum.
The biggest difference here is some slight variations in morphology. While H. erinaceous is generally round, and dense, kind of like a ball of wool, its cousins are less dense and more...toothy.
H. coralloides (above), commonly known as Coral Tooth, has a structure that resembles, yes, coral. Instead of gills or pores, H. coralloides has short spines (teeth) that hang in rows along delicate branches. In our local forums, we commonly see people confuse Ramaria species for H. coralloides. Just remember that Hericium grows directly on trees, stumps, and logs (another reason Lion's Mane is favored by cultivators), while Ramaria tends to grow on the ground.
Then, finally, we have H. americanum (above), also known as Bear's Head Tooth. This one is apparently North America's only Hericium that combines both long spines and a branching fruiting body—and it's only found east of the Great Plains.
All of these variations of Hericium are choice edible and delicious! To harvest, gently cut the Hericium from its host wood at its base. Brush or wash off debris; there probably won't be much. One of our favorite ways to prepare fresh Hericium is to peel apart the flesh into tiny chunks that resemble crab meat, then cook them crab-cake style! Your friends will be none-the-wiser!
Comments