Nebraskaland

28 NEBRASKAland • April 2015 pores on the underside with no gills. This mushroom is easy to distinguish with its bright colors and is a good mushroom for the beginner collector as it has no look-alikes. Its colors range from red-orange to bright orange, yellow-orange and sulfur yellow or salmon when the fungi is young. The flesh is thick, soft and full of water when fresh and will become tough, lose some color and eventually crumble with age. Masses of sulfer shelf grow on dead stumps and logs of hardwoods or conifers and will sometimes appear on live trees or on roots and buried wood. This mushroom doesn't need much moisture to fruit. Picking smaller, knobby caps as they first emerge are the best for eating. To harvest larger or older mushrooms, trim off the tender flesh near the outer edges of the cap, remove any hard, woody flesh, and then cook. When cut, the tender flesh will leak a clear, watery juice. This variety tastes and looks much like lemony chicken when cooked. It is good sautéed, deep fried, baked or used in soups. However, some people may have an adverse reaction to this mushroom so try a small taste the first time to see how it makes you feel. Then remember where you first found them, because they will appear on the same stumps year after year showing up in late summer and early fall. Shaggy Mane Shaggy mane is distinctive and easy to recognize – they grow solitary or in tight groups, preferring hard ground and grassy areas with rich or disturbed soil. This mushroom has an elongated shaped, shaggy cap with brownish upturned scales and a straight, semi- smooth stem. This mushroom is also known as "inky cap," as the gills and often the caps digest themselves at maturity, turning into an inky black fluid that will drip to the ground. This auto- digestion helps disperse spores into the air to produce a future crop. This 2- to 6-inch tall mushroom fruits from the ground opposed to growing on trees. From pastures, roadsides, gardens, lawns and parking lots the shaggy mane is both an urban and suburban mushroom – it is so widely distributed it can occur almost anywhere. Not only are these mushrooms edible but they are delicious with a light taste and great texture. Slice in half, dip in egg batter and bread crumbs and then sauté. But get them to the pan soon after picking, as they can deteriorate rapidly, or freeze them for future use. Look for shaggy manes in late summer and fall. Giant Puffballs Giant puffballs are sought-after delicacies that are large, round to oblong "balls" that grow alone or in groups on the ground in pastures, meadows, grasslands, along roads and other open places. Puffballs may be baseball-sized or as large as a soccer ball. Young puffballs have a white, spongy interior, which is when they are prime for eating. As they age they become brown and discolored. At that time their skin will crack and trillions of powdery internal spores will be released. Correctly identifying this mushroom is crucial. Puffballs should have a thick, white flesh inside; don't eat anything with a brown, black, purple or yellow interior. The white flesh should not have gills in it – if there is any evidence of gills, dispose of immediately. Deadly amanitas look similar to a puffball with a universal veil that surrounds the young mushroom. Slicing the mushroom will help identify a puffball from an amanita as the embryonic outline of a cap, gills and stem of the amanita will be revealed. Puffballs should be used soon after harvesting or refrigerated for future use. They have a rich, nutty flavor, and absorb flavors that they are cooked with. Puffballs are good fried in a The shaggy mane is both an urban and suburban mushroom – it is so widely distributed it can occur almost anywhere. Get shaggy manes to the frying pan quickly as they deteriorate rapidly.

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