In our region, one of the most common mushrooms during the fall and winter is the turkey tail mushroom. This fan-shaped polypore (which grows on a wide variety of trees-especially dead or dying hardwoods) usually runs two to three inches wide and features multiple zones of multiple variations of purple, green, yellow, black, and gray. The clincher on identifying Coriolus versicolor is its white underside that sports scores of tiny pores.
Bruce Ingram
Turkey tail growing on a dead hardwood stump.
The flesh of turkey tail is too tough to be eaten, but this fungi can be made into tea. Bryce Clingenpeel, a wild food enthusiast from Fincastle, Virginia, grinds then steeps turkey tail to create a medicinal tea.
Indeed, turkey tail has been the subject of much study and some researchers have speculated that this species has cancer fighting capabilities, as well as wards off fatigue and improves overall health. In the coming years, we are likely to hear much more about this native Blue Ridge mushroom.
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.