It has a good strong somewhat meaty flavor and a pleasantly firm texture. The little hairs/scales wilt into the rest when the heat hits them and are not really distinguishable. The stem is really tough and fibrous, so I discarded it, and merely sliced up and fried the cap. Recommend harvesting ones that still have a whitish pore surface; if it's turned black, they'll be too old.

Cracking green russula and old man of the woods.

Beautiful dusty purple laccaria

Fascinating! Hmm, they remind me of deer mushrooms, I wonder if they taste similar?

I trimmed the stems until I saw no more bug tunneling, so they were really not too bad yet! Of course, with such numbers, at least SOME of them will be good..

Thanks! I was happy to come here and share it where people would appreciate their..unique charm!

Delicious on top of garlic toast. Recipe courtesy Alan Bergo: https://foragerchef.com/sicilian-chicken-of-the-woods/#recipe

Involves tomato sauce, monarda fistulosa from my flowerbed, lots of onions and garlic.

I cut the recipe in half and harvested about half a pound.

Yes, I love to impress guests & travelers with a good straight-from-the-bag chipchuterie tray! Works every time.