246 EDIBLE MUSHROOMS 



" on old trunks of living trees," at first white, then 

 yellowish, resembling when young the chou-fieur 

 (cauliflower). From its base, which is 

 Moss= tender and fleshy, spring a large num- 

 mushroom ber of flexible branches, interlaced and 

 assembled in tufts, bearing upon the 

 summit of each of their divisions an expansion of 

 long points or projections, at first straight, then pen- 

 dent, and even curved under, and terminating in 

 layers. Cordier says that it is " delicate food." 



Professor Peck speaks enthusiastically of this spe- 

 cies. " It is found in woods, especially in hilly and 

 mountainous districts, and occurs during rainy or 

 showery weather from August to October. It is a 

 pretty fungus, and very attractive to those who are 

 neither botanists nor fungus eaters, and it is as good 

 as it is beautiful. In our botanical expeditions in the 

 vast wilderness of the Adirondack region, we were 

 often obliged to camp in the woods several nights in 

 succession. On such occasions this fungus some- 

 times formed a luxurious addition to our ordinarily 

 simple and sometimes limited bill of fare." 



The Hydnei may be cooked in the same manner 

 as employed for the ordinary mushroom, or gathered 

 and dried for winter use, a very com- 

 "in^the" "^^'^ Custom on the Continent. Owing 

 kitchen to the somewhat firm, compact sub- 

 stance of these mushrooms they should 

 be cooked slowly, in order to preserve their tender- 

 ness. Berkeley recommends that they be "previously" 

 steeped in hot water. Badhani especially favors the 

 Hydnum stew, which he claims is " an excellent dish 



