Chicken of the woods?

[thelawnet]

Saw this on the side of a log, which was bisected to form a primitive bench, in the Valley Gardens, Windsor (just before the bridge at the end of the Water):




Initially thought it was just another tough old polyporp, but the colour looked wrong, so I thought it might be chicken of the woods. The surface unfortunately doesn't look fresh at all, so I grabbed a handful:



It looks quite a bit better underneath, more yellow. The smell is distinctively mushroomy, slightly earthy. Any idea how old this specimen is?

[Judging by the girth of the log it was probably oak.]

[NickCantle]

Definitely Laetiporus sulphureus. No idea of the age though, but probably not too old judging on the yellow hues. What with the recent sunshine, the upper surface may have been bleached.

[thelawnet]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

Definitely Laetiporus sulphureus. No idea of the age though, but probably not too old judging on the yellow hues. What with the recent sunshine, the upper surface may have been bleached.

Picture is out of focus, but can you eat the white fibrous cross-section? Or is it just the tasty looking yellow bit?

[NickCantle]

If it was me, I'd throw the lot in the bin. If it's not in good condition, it's probably rubbish eating

[thelawnet]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

If it was me, I'd throw the lot in the bin. If it's not in good condition, it's probably rubbish eating

quite possibly, but as it's just a handful I'm trying to get a handle on what's good and what's not for next time..... I'm not even sure if it's supposed to look like that inside?

[NickCantle]

In my experience, Chicken of the Woods is consistantly yellow/orange throughout and should be soft and tender with a damp feel

[mushroom fanatics]

i think it is an old dried up chicken of the woods. i have a specimen i found 15 years ago and it is still in good condition if not a little stale and dusty, but is on display up on a shelf in my living room.

[NickCantle]

Not going to eat that one I hope!