Edible Fungi Associated with Oaks

Gilled Bolete.  All pictures from Wikipedia

Note:  Edibility is not cast-iron solid.  Follow a good guide to mushroom identification and guidelines regarding starting with small samples first.  Better yet, hook up with a knowledgeable local person.  Mushrooms show local variation and don't always look like the picture in the guide book.

The species listed are "ectomycorrhizal".  That is, they not parasitic but sheath the roots with a felt-like covering that can help protect against toxins and can help in accessing nutrients.  Most information was gleaned from HERE.

Inoculating with mycorrhiza has not been conclusively demonstrated to help trees grow.  Most soils have enough native fungi to support tree growth.  Most soils have sufficient, available nutrients that trees are not on the raggedy edge of survival.  The potential of these fungi is the production of additional, gourmet foods from your trees.

Boletus edulis (King Bolete)

Boletus pulverulentus (Inkstain Bolete)

Boletus rubellus (Ruby Bolete)

Craterellus cornucopioides (Black Trumpet)

Gyroporus castaneus (Chestnut Bolete)

Heimioporus betula (Shaggy-Stalked Bolete)

Hygrophorus russula (Pinkmottle woodwax)

Indigo Milkcap

Lactarius indigo (Indigo Milkcap)

Leccinum aurantiacum (Orange Oak Bolete)

Phylloporus rhodoxanthus (Gilled Bolete)

Russula vesca (Bare-Toothed Brittlegill)

Russula virescens (Green-Cracked Brittlegill)

Strobilomyces strobilaceus (Old-Man-of-the-Woods)

Tricholoma magnivelare (American Matsutake)

Tuber melanosporum (Black Truffle)

Tylopilus alboater (Black Velvet Bolete)  


Honorable mention:  Not ectomycorrhizal but good use for stumps and waste oak wood

Grifola frondosa (Hen-of-the-woods)

Lentinula edodes (Shitake)

Heimioporus erinaceus (Lions Mane)

I wish I could give you a bulletproof way of inoculating your trees with these fungi.

The best plan, to date, is to collect soil and decomposed leaf litter from spots where these species are found and to mix it with the material I am stratifying my acorns in.  My current problem is that I cannot find the phone numbers of my mushroom fanatics and the ground is frozen.

I want any feedback if you guys/gals have ideas!  Also, I would also love a source of inoculum for any of the species listed above.