When hunting for mushrooms, you never know what you will find!

I found these Tree Ears, Auricularia auricula, or Wood Ears  awhile back and was excited to add them to my jar of dried ones. They weren’t what I was looking for, but a welcome find anytime.

As you can see from the last picture, they shrink up when they dry. The nice thing is they rehydrate to look almost the same as fresh. This mushroom is related to the crunchy mushroom in Asian soups and dishes.

This is a good mushroom to learn because it can be eaten raw in the woods and is a good survival food. Most mushrooms should not be eaten raw and can make you sick. The way to know this one from look alikes is to shake it real hard and it will not fall apart. The main look alike will fall apart with this test. They grow on dead trees, when the weather is wet. All the rain promises me…