The tough but tasty Laccaria

Mushroom species in the genus Laccaria come in several colors in our region of  Oregon but fortunately all are fairly easy to identify. The first time Sandy and I  became acquainted with Laccaria species was on a mushroom hunting trip with  Harriet Kelly. Harriet was quite fond of  these mushrooms and referred to them as “The Bacon Mushroom”. We didn’t fully understand the bacon inference until she started frying up their stems later that day. The cooking process took quite a bit of  time to complete as the stems transformed  themselves from their natural brownish  orange/peachy buff color, to slightly  golden, to pitch black and reduced to a fraction of their original stem size. Presto change-o, mushroom bacon sticks had  been magically created right before our eyes. After a few minutes of resting the  bacon sticks on some paper towels to sop up some of the excess oil, it was time  for the taste test. I picked up one of the nuclear charred stems and started chewing. Unfortunately, when you ask long time vegetarians to see if they get  that bacon flavor, it requires thinking way back in time to your last BLT sandwich  along with using some very creative taste-bud imagination. Was it bacon? Well it could have been as the texture seemed right and it had that pleasant deep fried  taste. Although, as vegetarians one should be suspect of any conclusions Sandy and I reached that day. All in all, it didn’t really matter as we had a great time in  the woods, learned about a new mushroom, and had the opportunity to eat some simulated bacon suitable for vegetarians. Aside from the stem and its bacon  potential, Laccaria caps are far less dense than their stems and are easily sautéed, much in the same way as most other mushrooms. 

So, if you’re interested in creating your own version of Laccaria bacon or simply  want to add another edible mushroom to your  foraging list, here’s how to find this attractive  mushroom. In Oregon, the genus Laccaria is mycorrhizal with conifer trees and is therefore easily found in our very abundant conifer forests. We find them at the Coast, in the  Willamette Valley, and in the Cascade  mountain range. The Laccaria species Sandy and I mostly encounter is Laccaria laccata. With a peachy to peach buff color when young, it is easily spotted alongside paths, gravel roads, and in the woods.

An excellent identification test, which we ask people to try on our forays, is to hold the top and bottom ends of the stem and  try to slowly tug it apart. This task is easier said than done. Because the stem is very fibrous and sometimes twisted like rope, it is quite tough and durable. As seen in the photo above, it can also have whitish colored stripes interlaced within  the peachy colored stem. The gills of Laccaria species are very bladelike. Some gills are attached to the stem while others are  short gills. Short gills begin at the margin of the cap but do not extend all the way to the stem. Gill color will vary depending  on the species of Laccaria you find. Caps can become quite large as they age and generally take on a wavy character. The  best thing about Laccaria species is they start fruiting fairly  early in the fall and can persist well into the winter. 

Another common species of Laccaria in our area has the ridiculously long name of  Laccaria amethysteo-occidentalis. The name is more reminiscent of a moniker associated with some spooky, older than dirt Magician dressed in all black or  perhaps an outmoded Carnival Ringmaster from long ago. Saying this species  name should always be preceded by  the phrase; “Now introducing”. In any  event, and for the sake of brevity, most refer to this attractive  mushroom by its common name of  “amethyst laccaria”. The dominate  characteristic of this species is its  purple coloration, especially when it  first develops. In time, the color will  fade to a more pinkish buff color similar to Laccaria laccata. While  other genera contain purple colored mushrooms, I do not know of any that can stand up to the stem-tugging test like  Laccaria species can. One additional species you can find is called Laccaria bicolor,  which has a peachy buff cap color and gills with a purplish hue. One might  conclude L. bicolor to be an offspring of some seedy affair between L.laccata and L.amethysteo-occidentalis. Fortunately, as we all know, I am not one to engage in  spreading rumors.