Mushroom Monday - Hedgehog Mushrooms

Here are some edible hedgehog mushrooms for this #mushroommonday by @balticbadger
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This hedgehog mushroom has no gills. Instead it has little spikes like a hedgehog to distribute its spores.
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This is what hedgehogs look like from the top. Pretty generic looking orangy tan mushroom.
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The cap often breaks apart as well. These are a very dense mushroom. So as you pick them the older specimens will break apart.
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In their prime the cap is a bright orange. Much easier for identifying them. When they first start out the cap is more tan.
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This is a younge specimen. You can see the spikes are still small and the cap has not turned upward yet.
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As they get older the spikes become larger and the cap starts turning upward.
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This was my harvest from the day. You can see a range of hedgehog ages.
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Hedgehogs are a safe edible as there are no poisonous lookalikes. Their spikey spore launchers and tan cap make them unique. I tend to find them in late summer early fall in very humid conditions near streams in a forest.
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They are very mild in taste but have a great texture for spices. I cooked them with some garlic and cayenne then added them to the top of a pizza.
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They tasted great and added a nice texture to the pizza. I also mixed in a few lobster mushrooms and chanterelles.

Happy #mushroommonday

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I have never seen a mushrooms with such cool underside!
Is it soft? I a imagining it texture similar those silicone brushes :p Looks almost the same.

They are actually pretty dense like a silicon brush. Once cooked they have a perfect firm texture. Their taste is really mild though so its not too unique very similar taste to lions mane.

They look so weird. I would have never guessed those mushrooms are edible! 🤭

Their weird looks helps differentiate them from any poisonoys lookalikes. I would rate this as a good beginner mushroom to hunt for since it is so unique. The only problem is they grow in really specific conditions, need a forest with a river or stream in it to provide constant humidity for them.

Those shrooms have such a different look I doubt I'll forget them. Creations of nature never stop amazing me. Thanks for sharing. 😁

One of the easy edibles to look for. The catch is you have to check the bottom of all the brownish mushrooms. The older one's cracked tops really help point you in the right direction though.

Whot mushroom it is? Sarcodon imbricatus, syn.: Hydnum imbricatum ???

This one is Hydnum rufescens aka terracotta hedgehog as it is a bit more orangy tan than the wood hedgehog Hydnum repandum.

Thnk you for answer.

While looking for more information on hedgehogs I found out that there is a violet variant Sarcodon fuscoindicus that can be used for dying wool. https://eol.org/pages/194837