Hedgehog Mushroom

May 30, 2011 by The Bald Gourmet    No Comments    Posted under: Focus Ingredients, Mushrooms

Hedge Hog Wild Mushrooms

The Hedgehog Mushroom (Hydnum repandum) has to be one of the elite in the world of delicious wild mushrooms.  This little guy for some reason has been one of the most elusive to me, but most mushroom hunters seem to find them when ever they go out looking for Chanterelles.  It has to be one of the easiest mushrooms to identify, and is quite tasty.

This is probably one of the safest mushrooms to search for, as it doesn’t have any poisonous look-alikes. Also maggots don’t seem to like them much, so you usually don’t even need to worry about that.

How to Identify Hedgehog Mushrooms

• Grows in late Fall, but can be found in early Spring as well
• Grows on the ground, usually under conifers, but sometimes can be found under Oak trees
• Cap and stalk is white, but can also be pale orange in color
• Cap’s surface is bald, but may break up with heat to form scales
• The underside of the cap is covered with little “teeth” or spines which are the same color as the cap.  This is the most distinguishable feature of the Hedgehog.

Hedge Hog Teeth

Edibility of Hedgehog Mushroom

Delicious delicious delicious!  It has a very similar texture and flavor to a Chanterelle, but to me, it seems a bit sweeter and earthy tasting.  Just simply wonderful.  It is fantastic with butter and herbs and served along side bacon and eggs with toast.  Or you could brown them over high heat first, deglaze with cognac and garlic, and pour over chicken.  Why don’t I have some of these little suckers right now?  Dang it!

The Bald Gourmet loves to go mushroom hunting.  Our forests offer awesome beauty as well as amazing gourmet treats like Hedgehog mushrooms.

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