Bracket ID & taste gauge?

[bumpkinbwoy]

My books are still in storage, but found these today, wondering what kind they are likely to be, and whether they are good eating!

Number 1: Approx 10"/25cm wide, and approx 1-2cm thick:
Topside:



Underside:



Number 2: Approx 6" wide, and 1-3" thick - very smooth on the underside and very firm:
Topside:


Underside:



Any help IDing these would be great, and aswell... good eating?
Ta =)

[NickCantle]

Hey bumpkin!

A very warm welcome to WAB. Glad to see you're in on the fungi lark with us all. Always good to see a new member. As for your IDs my good chap, the top bracket is 'Dryad's Saddle - Polyporus squamosus. The lower two photographs show a Birch Polypore, otherwise known as 'Razor strop fungus - Piptoporus Betulinus'. Now, personally I would steer clear, but the Dryad's saddle is edible. It is supposedly very tough and only fair when young. I can refer you to this thread in which the topic is discussed here - Anyone ever eaten a Dryads saddle?

As for the lower photographs, the specimen included is definitely not edible.

Hope that helps a bit

Nick

[bumpkinbwoy]

Good evening!

I've always loved collecting and eating fungi from the locality, I usually only pick fungi that I know I know; Chanterelles, Parasols, Ceps, Bolettes etc..
However, I picked these thinking that with my books still in storage, that I'd learn from the internet - what a gold mine I found in this place!
The Dryads Saddle was one of 3 massive ones, and the Birch Polypore was one of half a dozen...I wish I'd left them now, and I wish my decent cameras were working!

Ah well, ya live and ya learn.

Thanks you for your very interesting insight (and the link)
I'll pop them back into some woodland on my way to work tomorrow, and let the wildlife devour them...

Cheers Nick

[NickCantle]

No worries my friend. It's what we're here for. Do take the time to have a look around the various WAB galleries (Mainly fungi ). Hopefully you'll stick around

Nick