Oyster Mushrooms found in Adams County on dead ash trees the last week of December.
Submitted News
Yes, two members of the Adams County Mushroom Club found more mushrooms that last week of December than they could eat. They gave bags full to neighbors and friends and even froze several bags to enjoy later.
The mushroom in question is the “Oyster Mushroom” (pleurotus ostreatus). These mushrooms were found the week after Christmas during a warm moist spell growing on dead ash and maple trees. The oyster mushrooms, grown out of wood on a thick stem, have a flat oyster shaped cap up to 8 inches across and range from cream colored to tan to grayish brown. Gills on the under side are white to cream colored.
Note: There are several varieties of oyster mushrooms, some of which are not edible. To eat oyster mushrooms, prepare them the same as you would morels. They are the next best thing to morels and could be found most of the year except in freezing or hot dry conditions.
There are at least a dozen edible wild mushrooms found in Adams County but you must know what to look for. To learn more about edible wild mushrooms there are two excellent pocket size books available, both have color photos, general information and an edibility guide. They are “Mushrooms of the Northeast” by Teresa Marrone and Walt Sturgen and “National Audubon Society Field Guide to mushrooms. These are several other books on mushrooms may be found at your local library or on the internet.
For more information on Oyster mushrooms or the Adams County Wild Mushroom Club you may call Corbett Phipps (937) 205-0842, Donald McCarty (937) 779-1126, or Rachel Grove (937) 549-3954.
