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How to Identify Maitake Mushrooms

The Maitake mushroom, also known as Grifola frondosa or Hen of the Woods, is a large, edible fungus that has recently been found to have great health benefits, in addition to being a delicious addition to many meals. This mushroom is popular among mushroom lovers and is very easy to find in nature, free of cost.

Instructions

- 1
  Conduct your mushroom hunt in the fall. Maitake mushrooms fruit between early September and late October. If it is not this time of year, you won't find Maitakes.
- 2
  Identify the tree the mushroom is growing from. Maitake mushrooms are typically found around dead oak trees. On rare occasions, they also grow under dead maples.
- 3
  Check the size and color of the mushroom. Maitakes come in a variety of colors and can be pure white, tan, gray or brown. The individual mushroom caps are small and thin, but they cluster together to form feather-like clumps that can be anywhere from four to 36 inches across.
- 4
  Inspect the stalk of the mushroom. Maitake mushrooms have thick, white and branched stems that resemble cauliflower stems.

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