Hedgehog mushrooms are represented by two edible species, Hydnum repandum, which are the most common, larger mushrooms and the smaller variety, Hydnum umbilicatum. Also known as Sweet Tooth mushrooms, a nod to its flavor and shape, Hedgehog mushrooms have many names including Pig’s Trotter, Wood Urchin, and the Wood Hedgehog.
What are Hedgehog mushrooms?
Also known as Sweet Tooth mushrooms, a nod to its flavor and shape, Hedgehog mushrooms have many names including Pig’s Trotter, Wood Urchin, and the Wood Hedgehog. Hedgehog mushrooms grow in groups or are found individually in moist soils near streams or riverbeds and also grow near or on birch trees, beech trees, and some conifers.
The proper scientific name of the hedgehog mushroom is Hydnum repandum. In appearance, the hedgehog mushroom has a medium sized orange to beige fruiting body abundantly decorated with small drooping teeth on the underside. The cap of the hedgehog mushroom has a small depression, and will begin to turn up at the sides as the mushroom grows older.
What is the difference between D repandum and hedgehog mushroom?
Look-alikes: Giant hedgehog (Hydnum albomagnum) – edible, larger, and paler than D., and repandum. Hedgehog mushroom has a high nutritional and culinary value.
Are hedgehog mushrooms edible?
Hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum repandum) is a small family of popular edible fungi. Hedgehog mushroom is also known as Sweet Tooth for its tooth-like spines instead of gills or tubes. Typically, the mushroom is medium-sized, sometimes large, the color of the cap could be yellow, orange, or brown.
Like chanterelles, hedgehog mushrooms are strongly resistant to insects and their larvae – read more about their insect resistance here. They are solid little things too, and you can fill a basket with them in short order from what may initially look like a meagre patch.
Another frequent question is “Is it safe to eat hedgegog mushrooms?”.
Here is what my research found. hedgegog mushroom is generally considered safe to eat when cooked, but it is still possible for individuals to develop allergies or hypersensitivities—the same caution applies to any food, however. This species, like most mushrooms, should never be eaten raw.
Where do hedgehog mushrooms grow?
Hedgehog mushrooms can be found nestling in grass and moss beneath spruce, pine, birch and beech trees between September and December, where they can look like puddles of of spilt cream in the arboreal twilight.
When do Hedgehog mushrooms grow in the fall?
They can be harvested from mid-August right up until the first hard frost. When hunting for hedgehog mushrooms in the fall, pay attention to the fallen leaves that could be hiding a patch of these mushrooms right under your foot! Hedgehog mushrooms are often found growing in the same locations as chantarelle mushrooms.
Another common query is “When are Hedgehog mushrooms in season?”.
Hedgehog mushrooms are available throughout the late summer through late winter, depending on the geographic location. Hedgehog mushrooms are represented by two edible species, Hydnum repandum, which are the most common, larger mushrooms and the smaller variety, Hydnum umbilicatum.
Although hedgehog musrooms aren’t quite as common as chanterelles, you can often find them growing in the same locations. I know a few patches where, just as the chanterelles are starting to look tired and soggy, the hegehog mushrooms start to emerge, bright, fresh, tender and stubbornly resistant to the depredations of the late Autumn weather.
One more query we ran across in our research was “Where do hedgehogs grow in Oregon?”.
I these species are abundant in many regions of Oregon including coastal forests, the Oregon Coast, and the Cascade Range. Hedgehog grows on the ground of grassy, leafy and mossy areas of coniferous or mixed forests and often can be found at the same location where chanterelles can be found.
How to cook Hedgehog mushrooms without stewing?
To cook hedgehog mushrooms without stewing them, cook only as many mushrooms as will fit in the pan you have in a single layer over high heat. With that in mind, know that you can double, triple, etc. this recipe, just be sure to work in batches so the mushrooms are cooking in a single layer.