Chicken of the Woods

                                                      Chicken of the Woods

          

 

I have done my fair share of hunting over the years, mostly upland game like pheasants, but ducks and geese have also run “afoul” of my double-barrel. Typically, I would hunt with partners, and sometimes, with a guide, like my good friend Rick a.k.a. “Hoot” Larson. Hoot dragged me over hills and through hollows of Iowa’s Allamakee County for many seasons always putting me onto a gobbler for my Thanksgiving table. Today, however, I set out with another guide, my friend Ruben, an experienced hunter. A chilly wind scurrying over the surrounding fields altered the tall prairie grass into an undulating seaway of dark green as we entered the woods. It sighed up through the branches of oak, elm, sycamore, cherry, and maple shaking loose autumn leaves that fell ahead of us forming a pathway that invited us father into the dense old-growth forest. The air was thick like iron, but we were steeled to the task. Armed only with a “folding hunter” - a knife with a 4-inch blade, we were looking to bag the illusive Mammoth Chicken of the Woods. The beast fed on the dead.

 

“This is perfect, but be careful of the snags,” my guide warned and casting away any thoughts of danger, Ruben, took the point. Snags, in various sizes, are found throughout old-growth forests, the remnants of trees, a hundred years old – more, downed by nature and in various stages of decay. The name itself expresses the danger. You had to watch your step in this woody debris.

After a two-hour trek into the thick woodland, Ruben spotted it, hidden behind a snag. Blade in hand, he ran to bag our prize. It was big. A big mushroom.

 

Chicken of the woods, a delicacy, can be found growing on or at the base of dead or dying hardwood trees, commonly on oak but also cherry or beech. It can be fan-shaped, semicircular, or irregular, smooth to finely wrinkled with a suede-like texture. The cap can be twelve inches across and up to ten inches deep. It is bright yellow to bright orange color when young often fades with age. The flesh is thick, soft, and very watery when immature. The impressive size and vibrant yellow-orange colors make identification infamously easy, if you know where to look. Chicken is edible and considered one of the "safe" mushrooms for beginner mushroom hunters. Just do not rely on the Internet to identify mushrooms. You need hands-us on education from an expert before you try eating any.

As we walked out of the forest, I recalled that I had family that hunted mushrooms – back in the sixty’s when I was a teenager. Uncles brought their mushroom-hunting skills with them when they emigrated from Europe. Sadly, I had other interests at the time, so I never joined their hunts.

Because of the high amount of protein in Chicken of the Woods  (21g of protein in 2 cups), it can easily be used as a substitute for meat in any meal you prepare requiring  meaty texture.  Matter of fact, it is a whole meal all by itself with all the carbohydrates and protein you need. What does it taste like when cooked? I think you can guess.