Oyster mushroom, the one that grows even in winter

When most mushrooms are gone and the forest is getting ready for winter, oyster mushrooms appear on tree trunks. This mushroom isn't afraid of the cold and can even handle light frosts, so it stretches the mushroom season right up to winter. On top of that, oyster mushrooms grow in large clusters, so a single find often gives a generous harvest.

Let's look at what the oyster mushroom looks like, where to find it, why it's so cold-hardy and why it's one of the safest mushrooms for beginners.

What the oyster mushroom looks like

Oyster mushroom has a distinctive look that makes it easy to recognize.

• Cap. Semicircular or tongue-shaped, like an ear or a shell, gray, gray-brown or ashy.
• Gills. White or cream, running down onto a short side stem.
• Stem. Short, often off to the side, and sometimes almost invisible.
• Grows in clusters. The mushrooms sit one above another like roof tiles, forming large fused clusters.

The oyster mushroom grows on wood, attached to the trunk by its side, so you can't mistake it for anything else. The flesh is white and firm, with a pleasant mushroomy smell.

Where and when the oyster mushroom grows

The oyster mushroom is a wood-decay fungus, so you need to look for it on trees.

It grows on the trunks and stumps of broadleaf trees, especially poplars, willows, beeches and aspens, both living and dead. The clusters often sit high on the trunk, so it's worth looking up, not just at your feet.

The oyster mushroom's season falls in the cool part of the year: it appears in autumn and fruits until winter, tolerating light frosts. It's this cold-hardiness that makes it a standout mushroom at the end of the season, as we describe in our piece on mushrooms of the cold season and first frosts.

Why the oyster mushroom isn't afraid of the cold

The oyster mushroom is one of those mushrooms whose mycelium is active at low temperatures.

While warmth-loving species go dormant as the cold sets in, the oyster mushroom takes the stage. A light frost doesn't scare it: after a thaw the clusters often stand intact and fit for picking. At this time of year you may also find the olive oysterling, as well as the cold-hardy velvet shank.

Thanks to this, the oyster mushroom extends the mushroom season when the forest is already almost empty, and gives you fresh mushrooms almost until winter.

Why the oyster mushroom suits beginners

The oyster mushroom is a great choice for anyone just learning to forage.

1. No deadly lookalikes. There's practically no mushroom in our forests that looks like the oyster mushroom and is dangerous.
2. Easy to recognize. Growing in clusters on a trunk, the side stem and the ear-shaped cap mean you can't confuse it with anything.
3. Grows predictably. Once you've found a tree with oyster mushrooms, you can come back to it every year.
4. Versatile in the kitchen. Oyster mushrooms are fried, stewed and added to soups, and they don't need complicated preparation.

Young oyster mushrooms are the tastiest, because old ones get tough. When picking, cut the clusters with a knife, leaving part of them on the trunk. Read more about cold-hardy mushrooms in a separate article, and for the best time to head out, check the mushroom radar.

Sources

• "Key to the Fungi of Ukraine" (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishing house).
• Pleurotus ostreatus on GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
• Pleurotus ostreatus on MycoBank, the international fungal nomenclature database.
• Pleurotus ostreatus on Wikipedia.