Last May, I was high in the mountains of Monroe County, West Virginia when I espied what I had been looking for the entire morning. Four Dryad’s Saddles were growing on a dead ash and two more populated a nearby downed ash. As a member of the polypore family, Polyporus squamosus thrives on dead or dying hardwoods, and is one of the most important edible spring mushrooms in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Bruce Ingram
Dryad’s Saddle found growing in Monroe County, West Virginia
Though most foragers concentrate on yellow and black morels, Dryad’s saddles are well worth pursuing, too. They typically appear before morels and can still be found after morels cease to appear. This fungi, also known as pheasant back mushroom, sports an appealing appearance, too.
Most of the ones I’ve found featured light brown roundish caps, but they also can be creamy yellow or whitish and fanlike. The most noticeable part of the cap, though, are the overlaid large, brown scales that make this mushroom look a little like a pancake. Although, Dryad’s can be well over a foot wide, most of the ones I’ve encountered have been about six inches across.
Pheasant backs have a white flesh that can become quite tough. Elaine used my West Virginia haul in a wild turkey entrée and reported that she had to cut out the corky cores, though the outer flesh was quite satisfactory. This spring, as always, I’ll spend most of my foraging time seeking morels, but save some space in your tote bags for Dryad’s saddles.
Bruce and Elaine Ingram will profile a different wild edible every month. For more information on their book Living the Locavore Lifestyle, contact them at bruceingramoutdoors@gmail.com.