Toothed fungi

Dentinum repandum, Hedgehog mushroom

This delicious mushroom is easy for beginners to identify.  Unfortunately, it isn’t as common as most of us would like. The creamy orange-yellow cap and the teeth under the cap are very characteristic.  If you are hunting late in the season in Doug Fir forests and planning on finding Chanterelles, you may be lucky enough to find these instead because they like cold weather.  

Hydnellum umbillicatum – Belly button hedgehog – a small toothed mushroom that looks like a Chanterelle from the top due to the color.

Sarcodon imbricatum – Hawk’s Wing- This variable mushroom is know to be a good edible at times if cooked very thoroughly. Some specimens are extremely bitter and there is no definitive characteristic to tell you if it is the bitter version. You find out the hard way. But if it is not, the meaty texture and earthy flavor is a true treat,

Hericium abietes – Bear’s Head mushroom

This delicious mushroom is easy for beginners and very exciting to find. You can spot this fungi driving down forest service roads because the white teeth dangle from dark wood of a fallen log. They can be hard to clean and sometimes waterlogged in the rain, which washes away much of the flavor. You need to fry them up crispy for the best texture.