#pheasant back

Dryad’s Saddle (Boston, MA)

>> Cerioporus squamosus

Edible polypore that is both saprotrophic and parasitic

Found growing on dead hardwood tree in mixed forest

Spotted some Dryad's Saddle! I haven't had any Morel luck at all this year.

Dryad’s Saddle!! (Cerioporus Squamosus)

The other common name is a Pheasant Back Mushroom, which is derived from the patterning, while the name Dryad’s Saddle comes from the old folk tale that fairies (dryads) would sit on these mushrooms.

The young versions of this mushroom are edible, but older specimens will get tough and indigestible. (This post does not serve as your identification guide, don’t eat random shroomies if you aren’t 100% sure what they are)

They’re parasitic or saprotrophic, in this case, the specimen was saprotrophic because it was gaining nutrients from the decaying log.

Pheasant Backs and Elm oysters are everywhere. 

They smell like watermelon or cucumber. :) Common in the ravines. They grow on stumps or sick trees. The very first wild mushroom I ever looked up to see if it was edible! Photos are mine, unedited (I think; can't remember if I took a powerline out of the one with the sky showing).

And as it happens, it is! You really want to get it when young, though (the ones in the first two photos are way way too old), because they get tough and chewy. If your knife slides through it easily, it's good.

They have a flavour that lends them well not only to savoury but to sweet! Great with pizza. If you find one with a funnel shape, you can stuff it. You can make jam (which ends up having a nice smoky flavour) with them, or add them to smoothies. Maybe even mix them into cookie dough or add them to pie filling!

Unlike most wild mushrooms, these are *said* to be safe to eat raw. I would not recommend that and would say to cook them to be safe. Watch out for lookalikes too. These are polypores, which means instead of gills on the underside they have tiny holes. If it's got gills on the underside, that is not a dryad's saddle.

A very large Kellogg’s Smack.

A baby dryad’s saddle mushroom, my first sighting of the species this year.   Polyporus squamosus smells like watermelon and some folks make “candy” out of its tough tough cap.  The Missouri Dept. of Conservation considers it a good edible but personally I find it pretty rough to work with, although I have tried…