Mushrooms on a stump??? What!?

Actually, these are technically called the "Honey Mushroom". They are called this due to the yellow and brown hues. 

Within the last couple of years I have started eating these mushrooms on a regular basis. I did not even really know that they existed until I met my husband. We live in Muskegon, Michigan out by Lake Michigan on 20 acres and there are a ton a old oak stumps out in the woods. 

The first time he took me out mushroom hunting I was extremely skeptical of eating these bad boys. I have only ever ate Morel Mushrooms, as far as I had been told most other fungi could be poisonous. Well to my surprise my husband had been eating them for years along with all of his family and they were by no means poisonous, they are actually delicious! 

They usually start sprouting up around mid September, depending on how much rain we have received. The more rain the better the batch of mushrooms. They grow on old dead oak stumps. 
One thing with these mushrooms, when you cut them at the stem you need to check for bugs, if the mushrooms stem is black or darker brown then you know it has bugs. The stems should be a tanish-brown color.
The scientific name is Armillaria mellea - 


In the above picture is a comparison of some of the sizes, there are some larger versions also that looks similar to large portobellos. 
After we pick the mushrooms we bring them in the house and check the stems one more time for bug infestations. If all is well I fill the sink with water and throw the mushrooms in. I generally let them soak for 2 hours minimum, sometimes as long as overnight if we pick them in the evening. Also, depending on how dirty the mushrooms are, I will switch the water out multiple times and start with fresh. 

After they have soaked for multiple hours we go ahead and throw them in a large pot and turn the heat up to high. Once they start boiling I will start a timer. We boil them for a minimum of ten minutes and sometimes longer depending on the size of the batch we are cooking. You will know when they are done by the color they become (as seen below). 
 
The most important thing when eating any wild mushroom is to cook them until they are completely cooked, without a doubt.

After they are cooked we throw them in a strainer to drain. After the mushrooms have cooled we measure out a cup of mushrooms and pour them on into a freezer bag and freeze just like that. I never buy caned mushrooms anymore, we ALWAYS use these babies in everything from beef roasts to spaghetti. We even love frying them up with onions to throw on steak. They are delicious!

While researching this mushroom online I did find a very useful site. On this site it states that there is a look alike mushroom out there that is known as the "Deadly Galerina" that is indeed poisonous. I am posting the site below. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see a picture of this mushroom so you can compare and differentiate between the two.  
 
Happy Mushroom Hunting! 

"If in doubt, don't put it in your mouth"

http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/HoneyMushroom_071120.htm