I found a Dryad’s Saddle on my run the other day, the mushroom I had always wanted to find! 🍄
Apparently, they’re quite common, but somehow I had never come across one before. So when I spotted this large specimen growing from the stump of a maple tree, among all the other trees lining a quiet road, I was quite excited.
It was sprouting right out of the rotting stump, so I stopped and took a closer look.
And of course, I was very tempted to take it home. 😅
Dryad’s Saddle is said to contain B vitamins and minerals such as potassium, copper and selenium. It also contains antioxidants, is low in calories and can make a tasty addition to a meal.
So with no hesitation, I picked it up!
I was already looking forward to making something delicious with it to share here for #FungiFriday by @ewkaw.
I had a good look at the mushroom and since it wasn’t particularly young, I thought it might be ideal for making mushroom jerky.
The underside had pores rather than gills
The flesh was white to cream with a lovely, pleasant mushroomy smell.
Everything was looking promising… until I sliced it open.
Much to my frustration, I discovered that it had quite a few holes in it.
And then I found lots of them! 😳
I know some people say that a mushroom with insect damage can still be fine to cook, but the thought of eating something with quite that many little holes wasn’t really appealing to me.
You never know what tiny crawlies have been up to in there! 😂
So sadly, my long-awaited Dryad’s Saddle jerky treat wasn’t meant to be, and I had to leave it behind.
Still, I was thrilled to finally find one and hopefully I’ll come across a fresher specimen next time!
🍄 Have you ever found a Dryad’s Saddle? And would you have eaten this one?
Have a lovely day,
Mariah 😃
