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    Home » Types of Edible Wild Mushrooms

    Hen of the Woods

    Published: Feb 21, 2013 Modified: Sep 23, 2024 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Video

    Known as the hen of the woods, maitake, sheepshead mushroom and signorina these delicious, bountiful fungi have lots of names and are king of the Fall mushrooms in the Midwest. In this post I'll tell you everything you need to know to find, identify, harvest, clean and cook them.

    hen of the woods maitake mushroom grifola frondosa

    One of a few mushrooms only found East of the Rockies in North America, hen of the woods, (also known as Grifola frondosa) are a choice edible mushroom that grows at the base of trees. At a glance the mushrooms look like a roosting bird, which is where the name comes from. They're a parasitic polypore mushroom that infects living trees and injured trees, causing a butt-rot in the host.

    Chef Alan Bergo walking out of the woods with a large hen of the woods mushroom and a basket.
    Me with a 10 lb hen mushroom.

    Also known as maitake (dancing mushroom in Japanese) these have a long history of use in Japanese cuisine and culture. As legend has it, perfect mushrooms could be worth their weight in silver and harvested by samurai or given as gifts to the shogun. They're also prized in Japan for their (reputed) medicinal properties supporting the immune system.

    How to Identify Hen of the Woods

    One of the easiest, and safest wild mushrooms to identify for beginners, hens are easy to spot, even at a distance. Here's a few tips on properly identifying hen of the woods.

    • Appears as a cluster at the base of trees, especially oak.
    • Caps can be light to dark grey, smoky brown, or a combination.
    • Are composed of rosettes of layered caps originating from a central stem.
    • Instead of gills, the reproductive structure is white pores on the underside of the caps.
    • Will grow on dead, dying, or downed trees, as well as stumps.
    • Will occasionally grow directly from the roots of fallen trees and logs.
    • They have a distinct fan-like shape, and the cap is layered with frilled edges or ruffles.
    • Have a white spore print often visible on mature mushrooms.
    • Bruise brown when handled over time.
    A close up shot of the white inside of a mushroom showing its shape.
    Pores, a halved mushroom, and close up of the ruffled cap clusters.

    Where to Find Hen of the Woods

    Where I hunt in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the easiest way to look for large, old oak trees. Red oaks seeming to be their preferred host.

    Hens appear in late Summer around September and continue through the fall (October) but you might see an occasional one in August. These can grow to be massive, and I've picked clusters that have weighed thirty pounds.

    A red oak tree that produces hen of the woods
    Large old red oaks are what you want.

    You don't need to be in the deep woods for these. Here's the best tips I have:

    • The bigger the tree, the bigger the mushroom can be. Look to your nearest local park that has big old oak trees.
    • If you're in an open, grassy area make sure the grass isn't being sprayed with chemicals, as happens on golf courses.
    • Hen of the woods grow at the base of white oak trees, red oak trees, and rarely on maple trees.
    • Hunting on bike helps you cover area quickly to find hens along paved trails.
    • If there's one there's more. If one tree has a hen, then the whole grove has been infected. Look around the base of other trees in the area.
    • Look for death and decay in woods that have lots of fallen trees and oak stumps.
    • Hens are a semi-common yard mushroom. Hunt by car in your neighborhood and ask politely to pick if you find one.
    young hen of the woods mushrooms
    A young hen of the forest at the base of a maple tree, they don't only grow on oaks!

    The mushrooms will come back year after year in the same location. When you find an infected grove, go there regularly once the mushrooms start to fruit. Different trees will give hens at different times throughout the season.

    minnesota maitake hen of the woods
    Growing on a red oak stump.

    Hen of the Woods Look Alikes

    There's a few mushrooms that look like hen of the woods, or could be confused with them, but here are no poisonous look alikes. Here's the top five you should know.

    A picture with text overlay showing chicken of the woods side by side with hen of the woods.
    Hen of the Woods vs Chicken of the Woods.

    Umbrella Polypore / Polyporus umbellatus

    The umbrella polypore (Polyporus umbellatus, formerly Grifola umbellata) is very good, but rare. It grows in the summer at the same time as hen of the woods, and can also be found on oak trees. It's easy to tell the difference from a true maitake as the caps of P. umbellatus have a funnel shape.

    Young umbrella polypore or Polyporus umbellatus mushroom

    Black Staining Polypore (Meripilus sumstinei)

    Also easily confused with hens, the black staining polypore also grows at the base of infected oak trees, but is easily identified from its black staining when bruised or handled. It's delicious, tasting like a hen crossed with black trumpet mushrooms.

    It's tougher than hens, and need special treatment like drying and powdering. Cut the tender ½ inch margin into duxelles, or make them into stock and broth.

    Black staining polypore or Meripilus sumstinei

    Berkley's Polypore (Meripilus giganteus)

    A large cousin of the BSP, Berkley's polypore infects beech, pine, spruce and firs as well as oaks. Like other meripilus, it's very tough when mature, and only the tender outer edge should be used. I think they're best used to make duxelles or mushroom stock.

    M. giganteus.

    Bonderzewia

    Another parasitic fungus that grows at the base of oak trees. These are a rare find for me but are definitely a mushroom that looks like hen of the woods. They seem far too tough to be useful, but many people still say that about black staining polypores. They're not harmful to my knowledge, but they would be very hard to chew. 

    bonderzewia hen of the woods look alike
    A species of bonderzewia.

    How to Harvest Hen of the Woods

    The first thing to do is inspect the mushroom. If you can see white spores on the ground it's past-prime, but could still be ok to eat. Older mushrooms will be tougher, younger ones are more tender. Grasp the base of the mushroom and pull it up, then carefully trim any dirt from the stem.

    Inspect the mushroom closely for dirt, leaves and debris. If it rained recently you may want to pass. The best mushrooms should feel tender, and look very clean without grit stuck in or on the fronds.

    Knowing when to harvest hen of the woods is important. Bigger is not necessarily better and waiting to see how long it takes a hen of the woods to grow can ruin your mushroom. Most of the time when I find a hen I take it unless it's just starting.

    Older mushrooms that can be tough and buggy will usually have visible white spores around them-a sign you might want to keep looking for a better mushrooms. Hen of the woods grow moderately fast, so go back in 3-4 days if they're too small to harvest.

    Below, left to right: older mushrooms will be tough, younger mushrooms are very tender, and perfect mushrooms are in the middle.

    Cooking with the hen of the woods core

    Hens are tricky enough to clean as it is, but if it rains, dirt will splash on the mushroom and dry, and the mushroom will physically absorb the dirt into its flesh as it grows.

    How to Clean Hen of the Wood

    These can be easy to clean, or very difficult depending on the growing conditions. First, you separate the mushroom into large leaves or clusters and inspect for twigs and debris. The flesh should be pure white-cut away dirty or discolored portions.

    Pieces of mushroom pulled apart on a cutting board.
    Pieces of mushroom pulled apart on a cutting board.

    As the mushrooms age they turn a shade of dingy yellow-beige. Very clean mushrooms can be cut in thick slices, but finding them in a perfect stage can be tricky. Sometimes, especially after rain, the mushrooms can absorb dirt into their flesh making them impossible to clean. Larger, older mushrooms are usually more difficult to clean than young ones.

    Cutting steaks from a hen of the woods mushroom, maitake, or Grifola frondosa

    This might only be an acorn or a twig to remove, but debris is often lodged inside the mushroom flesh itself, as the mushrooms will absorb dirt that falls on them as they grow. One time a diner at a restaurant broke his tooth on a pebble in the mushroom itself.

    The mushrooms are usually free of larvae but are often home to insects like pill bugs, centipedes, ants and spiders. I once found one with a baby snake inside. It's all part of Nature's design as the mushrooms function as shelter for small creatures. They're literally a bug hotel. 

    Once the mushrooms are cut, you can swish them in a sink of cold water, dry them on paper towels, and store the hen of the woods in a Zip Loc bag with a dry paper towel in the fridge. If you don't have time to clean them, store them whole in the fridge and clean them as soon as possible. Properly stored, the mushrooms will last for at least a week or more.

    How to Cook Hen of The Woods

    Hen of the woods taste meaty and delicious with a mild mushroom flavor. You can substitute them in just about any mushroom recipe, but keep in mind cultivated mushrooms grown on a substrate don't taste as good as wild ones. To cook, Just separate the mushrooms into bite size clusters and fry, sauté, stew, braise or roast them.

    Hen of the woods mushroom and spinach salad with bacon vinaigrette
    Spinach salad with bacon dressing and hens from my first restaurant.

    Their size also makes them a great mushroom meat substitute for vegan and vegetarian mushroom recipes like my Wild Mushroom Taco Meat.

    Roasted hen of the woods mushrooms or maitake.
    Simple roasted hens.
    Grilled hen of the woods or maitake steaks
    Hen steaks on the grill.
    Hen of the woods mushrooms or maitake cooked under a brick
    Hens cooked under a weight is an original recipe of mine

    If you find a perfectly clean mushroom, a favorite hen of the woods recipe is roasted whole or cut into thick slices and grilled as hen of the woods steaks. You'll need young, very clean mushrooms to make steaks but when you find a good one, it can be an easy way to make a great meal.

    To preserve them, the mushrooms can be, pickled, frozen, dried and/or powdered to use in seasoning blends for soups and sauces. Freeze drying works well too. Hen of the woods mushroom jerky is a crowd favorite too. Dried mushrooms become very tough, and are best used for stock where the mushrooms are discarded afterward.

    minnesota hen of the woods maitake sheepshead ramshead mushroom pickled in a jar.
    Grilled Hen of the woods duxelles
    Above: pickled, frozen hen of the woods duxelles, and dehydrated.

    Freezing is a one of the best options to preserve these mushrooms and, unlike others, hen of the woods can be frozen raw or cooked. I usually cook my mushrooms before I freeze them. I make wild mushroom duxelles to use in stuffings, or cook and vacuum seal them as in my post on freezing wild mushrooms.

    The IQF (individually quick-frozen) technique works well for freezing. To do it, take or a whole chunk or pieces of clean mushroom and put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Freeze the hen mushrooms, place in a bag and vacuum seal. Cook the mushrooms straight from frozen.

    Hen of the Woods Recipes

    Recipes I've made specifically for maitake or where they would be good substitutes.

    • Brown Butter-Sage Hen of the Woods
    • Simple Roasted Hen of the Woods
    • Pickled Hen of The Woods
    • Mushroom Conserve
    • Roasted Maitake Mushrooms with Anchovy Sauce

    More Hen of the Woods Mushroom Recipes

    FAQ

    How do you store hen of the woods?

    Put the cleaned mushrooms into a Zip Loc Bag with a paper towel. Open the bag occasionally to let them breathe. Cultivated mushrooms will last 3-4 days. Wild mushrooms will last a week or even longer.

    Where do you buy hen of the woods mushrooms?

    Asian grocers usually carry the Hotko Brand maitake, a 3.5 oz package costs around 3.99. Wild maitake can be bought at farmers markets during the season for $10-25 / lb.

    Can you eat maitake mushrooms raw?

    Yes, but they're slightly bitter. The fact that they taste so good cooked makes eating them raw unnecessary.

    A chef standing in front of a brick building holding a 30 pound hen of the woods.
    A 30 pound hen. It was so dirty we had to throw it away.
    « Pickled Saffron Milk Cap Mushrooms
    Verdolagas / Purslane »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gina

      September 28, 2023 at 8:07 pm

      I absolutely admire you! I recommend your site to everyone! I live on Beaver Island in the upper part of Lake Michigan. I welcome you anytime! The island is chuck full of mushrooms! Just brought home a Maitake and plan on making jerky.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 01, 2023 at 4:15 pm

        Thanks Gina.

        Reply
    2. Walter Cook

      August 30, 2023 at 3:15 pm

      I have been eating what everyone told me was a Hen-of-the-Woods, but after looking at your pictures and reading the descriptions, I am pretty sure it is a Berkley's polypore. Not much to eat as, like you said, only the edges are tender. Sad because these things are HUGE.

      Could you use the tougher parts for flavor in stock? And...How would you you do that? Thanks...Walter

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        August 30, 2023 at 3:25 pm

        Hi Walter. The first suggestion I have would be using my recipe for black staining polypore broth.

        Reply
    3. Judi Lifshutz

      August 15, 2023 at 5:31 pm

      I found this large mushroom in a raised bed in the circle of my driveway. There is an old stump, but not exactly close to the mushroom. The mushroom is actually nestled next to one of my rose bushes, near my mint, and under a number of common milkweed plants. I'm in and about the milkweed plants daily, and didn't notice the mushroom until it was very large - larger than a dinner plate. Would this be a hen of the woods? Wish I could attach a picture.
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        August 16, 2023 at 11:06 am

        Post a picture in a faceboook group in your area for mushrooms, or a mushroom ID group on FB. Or, you can send a pic to my email.

        Reply
    4. Brenda Moore

      July 17, 2023 at 11:22 am

      I have what I think is hen of the woods growing in the mulch in my yard. You did not mention them growing in mulch in the article though. There is a Japanese Maple tree about 20 feet from them, but no other trees any closer. This is the first time I've seen them although we've been mulching that part of the yard for 20+ years. Could they be growing from whatever kind of tree the mulch was made from?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 17, 2023 at 11:27 am

        Without pictures it’s hard for me to speculate. I don’t mention them growing from mulch because they don’t. They do grow with maple occasionally, if what you have is a hen, which I doubt. Much more likely a black staining polypore or Berkeley’s polypore. It’s very early for hens.

        Reply
    5. Janet Wong

      February 03, 2023 at 11:36 am

      Thank you for this fabulous post, Alan! You mentioned that you know of a grower who uses a more natural substrate; do you feel comfortable mentioning the name (or giving a few names of companies that we can order from when we can't get wild hens)?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        February 03, 2023 at 4:42 pm

        It was D'Artagnon, I don't know if they're still selling them. I sometimes buy cultivated hens from Asian markets-they're not the same as wild, but they're also easier to clean.

        Reply
        • Janet Wong

          February 03, 2023 at 6:29 pm

          Thanks so much for the info, Alan!

          Reply
    6. Mary ferguson

      June 22, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      I’m interested in mushrooms and how beneficial they are to health wise ,and can a person grow these or I’m just very curious of how pickle and grill plz help

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 23, 2022 at 12:37 pm

        Sorry Mary, I don't discuss medicinal aspects on this site as I'm not an expert at that.

        Reply
    7. Ruby

      October 27, 2021 at 1:12 pm

      Thank you for your post. I recently found a large hen of the woods (I think) mushroom in my yard. I am new to foraging, so I still have not harvested it. How do you know when a mushroom is "old"?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 28, 2021 at 10:27 am

        Hens are too old when they are buggy past your comfort level, woody and tough, and likely spored out. That being said, the spored out part is more flexible for me, and I regularly find some that are fine to eat that have started to spore. If I look in them and they seem very dirty, full of worm holes and excrement, I will pass. Over time once you handle some of differing ages this will make sense.

        Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 28, 2021 at 10:30 am

        So that can come down to personal preference a bit. If it is very bug eaten, wormy, or just dried out and not tender, I will pass. With other mushrooms, going to spore can mean they're past prime, but hens can stay tender for a decent amount of time, and I have some friends who will eat hens on deaths door. The age will make more sense once you've harvested a few of them of slightly different ages.

        Reply
    8. Jackie

      October 01, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      Found an orange hen today on the Finger Lakes Trail.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 01, 2021 at 6:40 pm

        Hens aren't orange. Poisonous Omphalotus is though.

        Reply
    9. Laura

      October 18, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      I have Maitake growing in my yard. I have had three harvests! The first a mushroom thief helped themselves to( people have helped themselves to our mushrooms for 20 years) I finally put up a little garden fence with a Don't pick the mushroom sign to keep them away. I have picked 40 plus pounds., I sold 20 pounds to a forager and kept the rest. I want to make soup.with a lot of it,. So would it be good to use a lot of the stalk in the soup? Does the stalk have the same flavor as the ends??

      Reply
    10. Patrick J Gambino

      October 09, 2020 at 12:49 pm

      5 stars
      I have been picking Hen of the Woods for 20 year, and some year are better than others. Does it have anthing to do with the amont of rain we get that year? I live in Western New York, and I have a spot with very old oaks. They call them witness trees because they witnesed the war of 1812. Last year the one woods I hunt I found at lest 10 this year not one yet. It seems like they all come up around the last week in September or first week in October.

      Reply
    11. Jared

      August 28, 2020 at 12:18 pm

      Hello,

      First, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your website as a great resource for mushroom foraging! Thanks for providing it!

      Second, I located a beautiful maitake specimen growing from the base of a tree in my neighbor’s yard, right at the intersection of where their driveway and sidewalk connect. My neighborhood’s street sees low to moderate numbers of vehicles moving along the street each day...my neighbor granted me permission to harvest the cluster, but I’m wondering if I should leave it be knowing that many mushroom species are able to absorb heavy metals, etc from vehicle exhaust emissions, among other pollutants in the environment? What do you think? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        August 28, 2020 at 12:56 pm

        It should be fine.

        Reply
    12. Oliver

      April 28, 2020 at 7:30 am

      Awesome article on the Hen of the Woods mushroom!

      Next time I go out to the woods near my house I will check for some fallen oaks, stumps, and dead matter and see if I find any hens.

      For cooking them though do you recommend to grill or saute them to make them more meaty tasting?

      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 28, 2020 at 7:41 am

        Grilling or pan roasting are my favorite. See my post on hen of the woods steaks.

        Reply
    13. Ricky

      October 25, 2018 at 7:47 pm

      I picked a nice size Hen of Woods in NY (5-6 lbs). When I got home hundreds/thousand of tiny white bugs or eggs started falling/jumping out. I took the whole thing and put in out on my deck table. Is there a way to get rid of the bugs/larva and are they poisonous or edible. I am ready to trash the whole thing.
      Interesting because we found a few others on surrounding trees and they are totally clean.
      Please let me know.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 26, 2018 at 3:05 pm

        Hi. I'm assuming that the little bugs you're talking about looked like maggots? Small, white, wiggling around, etc? Mushrooms in our region (I'm in MN and we share some similar habitat) will often have bugs like that. As you discovered, some may have a large amount, and some may have none. Over time, you'll learn how to inspect mushrooms, especially large polypores like chicken of the woods for these before bringing them home, since when their house (the mushroom) is agitated, they will ahem "migrate" out, onto and into whatever they can. It can be a little unnerving, but like everything else in nature, they have a purpose, although yes, they are disgusting. Even so, finding maggots in hen of the woods is very, very rare for me, more often I just have to give it a good shake and inspect for centipedes, spiders and the like, which are no big deal. With chicken of the woods it's much more common. If I were you I would trash the big one since you have smaller, untouched mushrooms to cook. Know too, that if you leave uninfested mushrooms near one with a bug population, all will become infected.

        Reply
    14. Mark Pettigrew

      October 16, 2018 at 5:24 pm

      I'm very fortunate to live in eastern Illinois. We have a vast variety of fall mushrooms. Hens, oyster, honeyring, lacaria, meadow, both types of chicken of the woods, lions mane and a number of bolette types. I have harvested all but the lions mane this year. My personal best hen is 57lbs. I love love love finding them.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 18, 2018 at 12:29 pm

        Yes, hens can get absolutely massive.

        Reply
    15. Jacqui

      September 17, 2018 at 4:29 pm

      I just "scored" several kgs of Meripilus giganteus, the European Black Staining Polypore. When I say "scored" I found it and took a piece home to ID. When I got home I noticed the black staining, which made the IDing so much faster. Then I cooked up a bit and ate some and am waiting to see that I suffer no immediate problems myself before I feed it to my family. The flavour is mild mushroomy - no acidity of a beefsteak mushroom or lemony undertones of a chicken of the woods - and the texture is very good. It's firm and not very fibrous, making me wonder about the negative comments I have read about these mushrooms from multiple sources.
      Alan, have you ever eaten this mushroom? Do you know anything about it? I am particularly interested in it because my son, who is becoming a vegetarian with the exception of scavenged meat (and possibly the mice that I trapped in the cellar - I think he counts that as scavenged) wants to make Thai curry with my frozen chicken of the woods, and I think these are too precious to be smothered in spicy curry and coconut milk... but the Meripilus giganteus has the right texture to be a chicken substitute in a curry and is pretty neutral, so it would be no loss. Also, I just found kgs and kgs of it...
      Any thoughts on this or has it not yet crossed your path?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        September 17, 2018 at 4:34 pm

        Oooooh. Jacqui this is one I haven't had the chance to try yet. Bonderzewia Meripilus type polypores are pretty rare where I live. Hens however, are very abundant. given the choice between all of them, I'll gladly take the hens (no complaining here) but I've always wanted to try the black stainer. Curry with either chickens or meripilus sound great, and I regulalry make chicken curry when we get large flushes. I started passing the chickens up this year as there have been so, so many of them. Good luck, and let me know how you like them, I'm a little jealous 😉

        Reply
        • jacqui

          September 17, 2018 at 4:41 pm

          I wonder if I could mail you some... It's fairly dry ... could work.

          Reply
    16. Regina

      October 02, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      I got two medium clumps of freshly picked hen of the woods two weeks ago. i have them on the bottom shelf of my fridge in an open box. I totally forgot about them. i never cleaned them. they are now dry. are they still good?

      Reply
    17. Hannah Smith

      November 14, 2016 at 11:48 pm

      We have one of these growing right in our front yard, where our old swamp oak used to be. It's not a terribly large one, but still...free mushrooms for a couple months at least.

      Reply
    18. Hen Woods

      September 30, 2016 at 11:25 am

      The best producing hen of the woods tree in maine is located at the Spirit Pond Preserve Phippsburg land trust trails in Phippsburg maine.

      the coordinates are approximately: 43.751511, -69.807439

      Spirit Pond Hen Of The Woods Red Oak Tree Map Link:
      https://goo.gl/maps/xav2jNiw9u82

      every single year this ancient red oak produces at least 50 pounds of prime grade A hen of the woods, maitake, grifola frondosa, g. frondosa mushrooms! Hen of the woods seems to be independent of drought conditions. Though after years of hen hunting, I have only found hen-of-the-woods mushrooms within 200 feet of water, whether that be salt water or fresh water, or brackish water. Often times the old oaks where they are found are immediately on the edge (even overhanging) of a body of water, and frequently near tidal areas along the coast of maine.

      The Spirit Pond oak tree produces from the middle of September to the middle of October every single year, and has done so for at least the last 15 years and probably longer. The tree is located toward the beginning of the spirit pond trail and about 200 feet from spirit pond at the site of an old homestead and near the spirit pond burial ground. the tree fell directly over a portion of the trail in 2015 but still grows hen of the woods mushroom from the remaining stump, around the stump and from the base of the fallen tree itself in huge numbers and size. Check this tree frequently during the season as it is well known locally to grow hens.

      Where to find the second most productive hen of the woods oak tree in maine is at the Center Pond Phippsburg land trust trail in Phippsburg maine. It is located at the edge of center pond just opposite the beaver pond along the main trail.

      Center Pond Phippsburg Maine Hen of the Woods Map Link
      https://goo.gl/maps/6RM8cur8mio
      43.809922, -69.815736

      The preceding geo-location in this instance is exact. The fallen trunk of this tree can be seen on google maps satellite view. This grifola frondosa supporting red oak tree has grown mushrooms as late as mid November and particularly on, and inside the hollow portion of the fallen tip-over dead section which actually rests in Center Pond itself.

      The hen of the woods that this tree produces range from 10 - 20 pounds. this tree is easily accessed and well known, so the maitake go quickly. if you're the lucky one to get a 15 pound hen of the woods from this tree, you'll understand why it's called the dancing mushroom.

      Reply
    19. Nick L

      September 25, 2016 at 1:57 pm

      What are your thoughts on boiling these for 20-30 min in pieces and freezing in the remaining water/juice?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        December 06, 2016 at 9:31 am

        Sure you can do that, typically I make duxelles to save space.

        Reply
      • Luigi Moscardino

        August 28, 2019 at 8:17 am

        I have been picking hen of the woods for 50 years. I live on long island, N.Y. These mushrooms come out every year on the same trees. If you dont find them on the first full moon in September, then you will find them on the October full moon.

        Reply
        • Mary

          June 22, 2022 at 5:27 pm

          How can I do this picking a hen

          Reply
        • A

          October 04, 2023 at 9:22 am

          I like your site and videos. Lots of good stuff. I didn't realize these mushrooms grow in people's yards. However, I don't recommend hunting for mushrooms while driving, pretty dangerous.

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            October 11, 2023 at 5:20 am

            Mushroom hunting by car is great fun. The key is not to do it on the freeway. Think slow drives on country roads.

            Reply
    20. Dennis

      October 04, 2014 at 2:37 pm

      "Their are no poisonous look"

      should be "There are..."

      Reply
      • Joe Wiercinski

        October 29, 2016 at 9:12 am

        I'll be trying your recipes with the 10-pounder I found 10-28-16 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Cheers. Joe Wiercinski

        Reply
        • Alan Bergo

          October 31, 2016 at 4:37 pm

          Good for you! Happy hunting.

          Reply
          • Rhonda

            September 11, 2023 at 1:27 pm

            Can you tell me what this mushroom is. I was told hen of the woods but it is not grayish its more yellowish brown is.

            Reply
            • Alan Bergo

              September 11, 2023 at 9:49 pm

              You can post in a Facebook mushroom group or send me a picture via email.

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