Fried Fungus Nuggets

I happened across this Hericium erinaceus (bearded tooth, lion’s mane, pom pom) a few days ago. It was late afternoon and after walking a few miles down the trail I was looking for a place to sit and eat a snack. I found my way to the edge of a clearing and was meandering around the tangled branches of a downed oak tree at the fringe of the forest line. I wanted somewhere to rest that was out of the open, but where I could keep an eye on things. As I bent down to sit on a section of the old oak I noticed the snow white mushroom gleaming from the shade between the moist, dark logs. I was lucky, it was young and fresh so I sliced it free and took it home. When fried in butter the meaty mushroom steaks roast up golden brown and have an exceptional flavor that can taste sort of like crab or lobster.