Have you ever tried a lobster mushroom? Hypomyces lactifluorum is a surprisingly heavy chonker of a mushroom, and you're in luck because now is the time to find them!
Lobster mushrooms are cool for so many reasons. First of all, they don't start off as lobsters. Indeed, these bright orange, yellow, and red fungi begin as Lactarius, Lactifluus, or Russula species, and are then infected with the Hypomyces parasite. When hypomyces infects other fungi, it tends to create a fuzzy, white, moldy looking covering. However, when hypomyces infects species from those magical three, the result instead is the hard, shell-like, colorful exterior.
H. lactifluorum will have a fishy smell, white flesh, white spore prints, and can turn dark purple with age. Perhaps unsurprising given its name, lobster mushrooms are delicious and taste of lobster. Try making a lobster roll or lobster bisque with your haul. You can even save the trimmings to make a very demure clarified butter.
You'll find lobster in areas where you'd find their un-parasited counterparts: In the ground, in piney, hardwood, mixed deciduous areas with leaf debris. These guys like to hide!
As always, it's the cautious forager lives to feast another day. If you are not 100% sure of your identification, do not consume it! Always cook your wild mushrooms thoroughly before cautiously consuming. We liken trying foreign forgeables to a patch test: Try a little, wait to see if you have a gastric response, then proceed. Safety first!
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