Identifying Turkey Tail Mushrooms And Look-Alikes 

None of the look-alikes are toxic that I am aware of. They would more likely just be a waste of time and effort, but any individual can have an allergic or otherwise negative response to the ingestion of anything, so good observation and positive ID are always the goal. Thank you so much for watching!

This is actually why I was watching the video! Trying to find that out.

Genius question thank you for asking this

Thanks so much! I’m glad this was helpful to you.

@@RootAndEarth Thank you, sir.

Beautiful! Thank you for watching!

Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m glad you found it be useful. And thanks for watching!

Thank you so much for watching and for the kind words..🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Thanks for watching!

Thank you so much! Super glad this was helpful for you.

Thank you!

Thanks so much for watching!

Thank you so much for watching!

Thanks so much for checking out my channel! I hope my videos help you have fun on your foraging journey!

❤️❤️

Thank you so much for the kind words. And what a great idea for a gift for your wife. I may have to borrow it and make a pair for my lovely lady. Have a great day, and happy hunting!

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

Thank you so much!!

Very nice. If you are unable to find enough you might consider ordering from a reputable US supplier. Grinding the dried fruit bodies and then doing an 80 minute boil is the best method of extraction for the polysaccharides that are the beneficial components with relation to cancer. Good luck with your pupper and thank you for watching!

@@RootAndEarth thank you so much for the info. I've had a hard time finding the extraction methods in this situation so that is good to know. I'm pretty sure my woods are full of them but I ordered capsules in case I don't have much luck finding them.

thanks so much for watching! and thank you for the correct nomenclature. I'm just a self taught forager so my taxonomy can definitely be incorrect.

@@RootAndEarth same brother, just sharing what I've learned, iNaturalist has been super helpful as well!

@@jeffreysousa1104 yes! I love inat. Follow me @ Root-And-Earth

@@RootAndEarth done!

thank you so much for watching. very happy that you found it informative!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for watching, and excellent recommendation on a jeweler’s loupe. They are excellent tools in the field.

I was in awe. What an amazing flush.

Unlikely that any of the look alikes would be toxic, more likely just a waste of time. Without seeing them I can’t say whether they would be the real thing or not. Thanks for watching!

Lucas@rootandearth.com make sure to send clear photos of the top and bottom of them, as well as the state that you found them. Thanks for watching!

In my area the season for collecting fresh Turkey Tail is late fall to mid winter. As long as their color is vibrant and they feel pliable and the undersurface is bright white then they are fresh. When they’ve gone past prime they’ll be drab and washed out looking and feel brittle and hard.

Thank you for watching!

I strictly use versicolor. Personally I don’t know of uses for the others.

To make tea or tinctures. They have medicinal benefits when used it this manner.

Hello, Thank you so much for watching! As far as the features of Turkey tail changing, in my experience I have not noticed a change from absorbing moisture, but I have noticed that on older specimens the pore surface does seem to become elongated and the shape of the pores becomes more irregular and this can appear almost tooth like. I have definitely seen older specimens become colonized by algae and turn green but I have also seen fresh specimens exhibiting green colors naturally. Hope this reply is helpful and thank you again for the support!

​@@RootAndEarth hahaha! Thank you so much for replying! I honestly wasn't expecting it! I'm having a bit of a laugh simply because, well, your answers are great and definitely helpful and I trust that you know what you're talking about... that being said... my turkey tail identification criteria has altered once again! I suppose I should probably join a foraging group since, it honestly shouldn't be so difficult for me to ID Turkey Tail, of all things!😆 I 'm just running in to so many inconsistencies in my searches! I thought I found a massive patch the other day, but I live in NY and it's winter here of course and it's been cold as hell, not a good time to look for mushrooms of course! 😄 I was simply out having a winter woodland excursion, a little bit off the beaten path. The day before had been a sudden burst of warm weather with a ton of rain so I guess the shrooms took advantage of that and bloomed! Anyhow, I got all excited thinking I finally found a really good spot for my a Turkey Tail foraging ... I'm attempting to make medicine to treat Lyme Herx (also have to get Japanese Knotweed but that part is quite simple)...alas, after bringing some home I think they were false. Back to square one. It's odd because before I began a sincere search for turkey tail I used to find them everywhere! I really loved your video, in particular when you mention ,I don't remember the way you worded it precisely but, i thought you mentioned something about how the part we are seeing is just the visible outer structure of a massive system beneath the bark... the ground etc. Was that in this one? 🤔 I think it's great to include little bits of that sort of information in your videos. Although I'm somewhat new to the world of foraging, I have been fascinated by what I'm learning! The way the mycelium communicate with other plants, form mutualistic relationships with them and send information throughout hundreds if not thousands of miles underground! Silently and dutifully playing the role of the keepers of the the forest. They're truly magical! And despite the mainstream calling their medicinal qualities hokum, I believe they hold many more secrets in that regard as well! Thank you again! Very helpful information & your reply made me happy. 😀 Keep up the good work!🙏🍄

Sure. If you have clear pictures of all sides of the specimen I’ll do my best to identify it for you. Lucas@rootandearth.com

Thank you so much!

Thank you!

Thank you for watching. I’m glad you enjoyed!

Thanks so much for watching.. I’ll try to get more detailed photos in future videos. Stay tuned!

Thank you so much!

You can send them to lucas@rootandearth.com I’ll do my best to help you. Photo ids can be tricky. Include clear pictures of top and bottom of the mushrooms.

Thank you!

Yes. Even deadly species are perfectly safe to handle with bare hands.

Thank you. If you take clear pictures of the top and underside of what you’ve found and send them to me at lucas@rootandearth.com I’ll do my best to help you out.

I personally dehydrate rather than freeze dry but it should work fine. I would recommend drying them and storing air tight with desiccant packs until you’re ready to make tea.

Thanks for watching!

Thank you!

Thank you so much! I appreciate the feedback and am glad that it was helpful!

Thank you for watching!

In my locale it only grows on hardwoods, and not at all on evergreens.

My pleasure. Thank you for tuning in!

It is not poisonous, but doesn’t have any known benefits.

It’s just mixed in with my real Turkey tails and lions main mixture didn’t really want to throw it out. Thank you ❤

Thank you!

Thank you for watching!

I personally only use fresh, still actively growing specimens.

Thank you!

Interesting. What exactly do you disagree with? Thanks for watching!

Thank you!

thank you so much for watching! they are indeed very confusing and much harder to identify than they are often made out to be.

No, they just don’t have known medicinal value. Thanks for watching!

In my region I find the fresh ones in the late fall, and I collect them right through the winter. Thanks so much for watching!

Thank you, I love your videos. They have taught me a lot. I live in southern Michigan ... do you know what times of year are best to find them here? I’m guessing fall

@@greatlakesexplorer2031 fall would be my guess, although I haven’t had the pleasure of spending time there so it is only a guess. Good luck!

Thank you so much! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Hey, thanks so much. I’m happy that this was helpful to you. You can send pictures to lucas@rootandearth.com and I’ll be happy to help if I can. Clear pictures of top and bottom of the mushrooms are necessary. There should be a donate button on my page and any monetary help is very appreciated.