[agapanthus]

The definitely looed like oysters to me and  would have picked them!

[Fat Hen]

Fat Hen, I strongly advise you never to eat any wild shrooms, without a genuinely experienced guide. There is no way that could possibly be Chicken of the Woods as COTW doesn't have gills at all and these clearly do!

See it just goes to show you how, you need to be certain of what your eating where shrooms are concerned.  I've only eaten on my own judjment Ceps,  these I can recognise.  Others many look similar and hard to tell apart, and as shroom poisoning is nasty and pretty much irreversible I'm happy to take your advice Woodburner.

[Filament]

If there is anyone around St Staffs who would like some of the Oysters let me know, there are way too many for me to eat and I suspect they wont remain in such healthy shape for much longer.

There is a general rule that you should leave at least a third of any crop of mushrooms so they can reproduce in another year.

Nice find. Ive been a keen mushroomer for a few years now and not found such a nice lot of oysters as that. I would say 99% that they were oysters from the pics, but as others are so rightly warning, you should be 100% sure before trying. It sounds as though you must have been quite sure.

Take a look at my mushroom blog: http://mycologicalphotography.blogspot.com/

Mmmmmmm. Mushrooms

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[Sideways]

If there is anyone around St Staffs who would like some of the Oysters let me know, there are way too many for me to eat and I suspect they wont remain in such healthy shape for much longer.

There is a general rule that you should leave at least a third of any crop of mushrooms so they can reproduce in another year.


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Agreed, I read this too. There are two other trees close to the one shown with good growth too, I will harvest all three trees and leave a good amount behind.

Now I have found them, do you think they will provide me with Oysters throughout the year?

[Filament]

Now I have found them, do you think they will provide me with Oysters throughout the year?

Not at all. Oysters provide one crop only a year I think, but remember the patch for next year around the same time and you should be rewarded again for a few years until the host tree dies and then they will disapear. So keep the patch a secret. I have many patches that I keep secret for various types of mushrooms at different times of the year, including Chanterelles, Cepes, Chicken of the woods, St Georges, Ashen Chanterelle, Amythist decievers, Fairyring Champignons, Shaggy Parasols, Cauliflower fungus, Hedgehog fungus, to name just a few.

Once you start mushrooming you will get adicted to it. Just be very careful and get a few books on the subject and be 100% sure.

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