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| Some oyster mushrooms I found in Auburn, AL. |
In many areas of the country, it is common for the edible oyster mushroom* (
Pluerotus sp.) to flush out during the summer. Weber and Smith report that oyster mushrooms can be found during any month in the southeast, but they are most common during cooler weather. I typically
find them in the late fall and winter, so on Monday I was pleasantly surprised to find 1.25 pounds of oyster mushrooms (
Pleurotus ostreatus) on a log that produced last winter. In about thirty seconds, I had quickly gathered enough mushrooms for a few meals. I guess the lesson is to always be observant because you never know what you will find. If you do find what you suspect to be an oyster mushroom*, make sure it has
decurrent and non-serate gills, and a white or lilac spore print. So far, all the oyster mushrooms I have found in AL have had lilac spore prints. You can read more about them at
this post or here.
