Mushroom foraging

I think they look like Oysters but it's hard to give a firm ID from that photo. The gills should go all the way down the stem.

The major nasty for confusion is angel wings but they normally grow on pine.

I'm pretty sure this is a dead horse chestnut tree. I'll cut some off tomorrow and get better photos those were pretty high up the trunk so was pretty zoomed in to get that pic.

Cheers!

So these are some of the ones I think are oysters (the three on the white background). Plus a couple pictures of some pretty big ones I saw growing out of fallen dead wood if anyone knows what they might be.

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The big ones are Dryad's saddle I'd say but people normally eat when specimens are younger, an ID point is it smells of watermelon (don't eat in my ID, be confident yourself).

The suspected oysters look good to me, gills look correct but again, it's up to you of you think they're oysters to eat.

Awesome. Thanks for your help. I'll definitely do a bit more reading myself to self ID the oysters. So far I'm certain they aren't angels wings as they are too firm and aren't fully white, also they weren't growing on conifers (standing dead oak).

Oysters are fairly easy to ID, especially if you've eaten ones from the shop so know what they smell and taste like. I'd probably eat a small bit cooked well and see if I react.

I'd say the three on white were oysters too. I found some last year and ID'd with the help of this thread and two books. Like Cazakstan says, eat a tiny bit first to see if you react but only after you're confident they are oysters.

Cheers guys. I'm confident enough that I'm going to pan fry a small bit to taste it and see how they are. Going by colour, firmness of the flesh and the gills running the full length to where they were growing from the tree. Also I left them on a dark plate to get a spore print and it's got a lilac tint to it so from the evidence they're oysters (to me at least anyway).

How did it go?

Still alive! Tasted as expected I'd say but definitely a better texture and they seemed to have less water content when frying compared to supermarket mushrooms.

Plenty of them growing around me so will be out to collect some to either use fresh or dry and jar.

Our King Stropharia mushroom bed in the garden has started producing finally! Possibly the only decent thing to come out of this shit weather lately.

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This was dinner plate size in a wet woods

Might be an old manky Dryad's saddle but definitely past its best haha.

Spotted some of these today in Ruislip Woods NNR

Very small fungi, so not really 'foraging', but we don't seem to have a better thread.

One of my faves - they look otherworldly 😁😁

Under a dense tree canopy from the maturing Oaks, these splashes of turquoise were both stunning & unexpected.

Had some nice wee puff balls from Hackney Marshes last week.

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Magic or deadly?

Never seen a black one

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why not both

I’ve got too many bikes I don’t ride to die now!

Big fairy ring of hedgehogs in the woods near my sisters place - made for excellent ‘shrooms on toast. No one died.

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Sick fadez all the same

Frantically checking phone to identify

zactly. Some were rejected. Got some russula too, and something I forget the name of that was proper nutty / truffle like. Lovely.

Will be mushroom season soon!