Hedgehog Time!

Most mushrooms have gills or pores on their undersides. Hedgehogs don’t. Instead, they have brittle little spines that come off easily. From above, they look like lumps of bread dough left all over the woods. Many people consider hedgehogs the safest mushrooms to learn to harvest, nothing dangerous looks much like them.

Photo courtesy of Ari Rockland-Miller

We have two kinds of hedgehog mushrooms in the UP. The big ones, Hydnum repandum, flush first, late August and early September. The little ones, Hydnum umbilicatum, pop up later, are slightly darker, and have distinctive belly button indentations on top.

Hedgehogs are prolific, substantial mushrooms, and excellent with meat. Hedgehogs often squeak like hedgehogs when cut and cooked. In stews, they dissolve down into an enjoyable umami gravy.

Adam Berger, UPLC Board Member

DISCLAIMER: This blog is an informational resource based on traditional and modern use of plants created to inspire others. The information provided on this website is not intended to replace professional or medical advice. Proper identification is the responsibility of the forager. UPLC does not advise the consumption of any wild plants or fungus to the readers of this blog. In addition, UPLC encourages all blog readers to consider the ecological and/or cultural impacts of foraging prior to removing any plant or fungus from its environment. Furthermore, careful attention should be given to all potential dangers related to interacting with wild mushrooms and plants.