Reishi?

Hey friends, I'm very new to wild foraging and would love confirmation on the two mushrooms. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina. Both of these were found on dead hemlock trees, so I feel *pretty confident* they are both the "Appalachian Reishi" but I would be a lot more comfy if folks could bolster me to *extra confident* I don't believe there are any dangerous lookalikes to the reishi, is that correct? Any concerns with the one that has been eaten at a bit?

You are correct that there are no deadly lookalikes, and I can say with confidence(as a former buyer/seller/collector of wild mushrooms) that the mushrooms shown here are Ganoderma species of some sort, that is to say Reishi. The darker specimen in your hand may be last year's fruiting; if the bottom side is darkened or has any green mold you shouldn't consume it. The picture of the mushrooms on the tree show them in their ideal state for collection; when the spores collect on the top side and the white margin has turned almost completely red. The slug eaten one with the large white margin is a little younger than ideal for harvesting.

Just wanted to say what a beautiful Reishi, looks like polished mahogany, what do they taste like?

Kyle Hayward wrote:Just wanted to say what a beautiful Reishi, looks like polished mahogany, what do they taste like?

They taste strongly! It's hard to compare to any other type of food, since it is a very unique flavor. Bitter, acrid, and pungent are all words I would use... funky, mushroom-y. All Ganoderma species that I have tried share a certain flavor profile, but can range quite a bit in their particularities. I used to get two types of cultivated reishi from a Chinese supplier: high grade and low grade. The low grade were just about the worst tasting thing you could imagine, seriously funky. The high grade were grow using a relatively new type of cultivation that uses alfalfa or other types of hay as substrate and made a very pleasant tea, if a little bitter. The wild hemlock reishi in my area are pretty mild, much less bitter than any cultivated variety I've tried.

They are incredibly beautiful. I know of some old growth hemlock stands in Northern WI/MI that can produce dozens, if not scores, of massive conks on a single tree: they are a sight to behold!

Thank you so much, Christopher! I appreciate the confirmation, quite comforting
I have not tasted them yet, but started on a tincture with one of them, and plan to try decoctions with the other mushroom. Do you have any herbal additions you like with the reishi that helps with flavor?

Kate Koberle wrote:Thank you so much, Christopher! I appreciate the confirmation, quite comforting
I have not tasted them yet, but started on a tincture with one of them, and plan to try decoctions with the other mushroom. Do you have any herbal additions you like with the reishi that helps with flavor?

Happy to help. You could certainly add honey/sugar/sweetener of choice, to cut the bitterness, but to me the strong flavor is something I'd rather bare. Maybe I'm a masochist, but I feel the extreme bitterness/funkyness is an essential part of the reishi tea experience. Reishi seems to me a quite potent substance, and probably not something most people need to be consuming very often, so the flavor in a way acts as a disincentive for overuse.