ottawa foodies

Anyone able to help with identification of this fungus? Is it edible? I see these all the time and was wondering.

That is polypore squamosa (dryad's saddle, pheasant's back), the young nubby ones are edible and tasty, but as they get older they get mealy and weird.

Thanks Chimi :)

Any time!

Hoping this topic stays as a regular...and Chimichimi loses no one. :)

;)

Lived yet another year eating wild mushrooms and other foraged goodies. To those that came out to any events I spoke at this year, thanks! The season is coming to an end in the area - see you next year.

If a mushroom has gills, I was told to always take the spore print as part of the identification process. I don't think polypores have gills though.

Spore prints are always handy, and one of many ways to identify. Always good practice. Polypores do drop spores, typically through tubelike structures under the cap. There is a gilled polypore (lenzites betulina/gloeophyllum sepiarium) but it has no culinary use.