The Prince
Meet the Prince! Mushroom royalty! One of the choicest of all wild mushrooms and far better than store-bought portobellos and buttons, to which it is related. A summer to early fall species, it is a saprophyte but is usually found under trees where there is duff to feed on. It reaches up to 10-12 inches across, with a scaly brownish cap showing whitish or beige between the scales. It has a persistent ring, nonattached gills and a delightful almond odor brought out by crushing the base of the stalk. If you cut the stalk or scratch it then it will soon turn yellow. It can be used in any dish that calls for those. It has gills that start white then darken to chocolate and it smells and tastes fragrantly of almonds. Use it in meat dishes, omelettes, risottos, soups, etc. You usually find it in clusters or troops on lawns, along roadsides, or in parks & gardens under conifers from June into fall.