625614 Sat Jun 06 07:04:59 -0700 2009 4 12 Boston Area 0 4747837 I grew up in a Sicilian family in Methuen, and an annual holiday treat was fried tree mushrooms. They were prepared like fried cutlets (egg wash, breadcrumbs), and were as big as your palm. My dear Uncle Tony used to go out to the woods (somewhere - he would never reveal his locations) and pick them by the paper sack-ful. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago unexpectedly at the age of 45, and as he was sick he wasn't able to pass along his knowledge of how or where to pick them. About a year ago I found some very large oyster mushrooms in Whole Foods and fried them up. They tasted pretty much the same as I remembered. I haven't really seen them since, though. Does anyone know where to find these, and how to recognize them in the wild? I'm nervous about picking and eating wild mushrooms without a knowledgable guide, but I sometimes see what looks like the right mushrooms growing on both dead and live trees and am so tempted... I'm not sure if they're truly commercially known as oyster mushrooms (which in the stores are mostly quite small), or if they have another commercial name. Any direction would be really appreciated. Sat Jun 06 07:04:59 -0700 2009 55578 Eatin in Woostah 1 4747861 I don't know if it's what you're thinking of, but I've seen "abalone mushrooms" available at Russo's. Not all the time, but quite frequently in recent months. They look like oyster mushrooms on steroids, about size of a palm as you said. They are white, and wrapped individually in tissue paper at russo's. Sat Jun 06 07:20:11 -0700 2009 4747837 73324 y2000k 2 4747873 That sounds like what I bought at WF a few years back. So sad - wrapped individually in tissue paper smacks of $$$$. They didn't taste exactly right - a little spicier than the ones we used to get, but the texture was close. If I remember correctly, the abalone mushrooms were also thicker than the ones he used to pick and I had to fillet them to get them thin enough. Sat Jun 06 07:29:40 -0700 2009 4747861 55578 Eatin in Woostah 1 4747863 Sorry to interrupt. Please help Eatin in Woostah with sources for these mushrooms in the Boston area. Posts about how to cook 'em, though, belong on the Home Cooking board; how to recognize them in the wild on General Topics. Sat Jun 06 07:21:05 -0700 2009 4747837 2 The Chowhound Team 2 4747870 Yes, thanks. I'm looking for local sources. I already have a plan for how to cook them! Sat Jun 06 07:27:08 -0700 2009 4747863 55578 Eatin in Woostah