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Just a quick post today. Last weekend I came upon a large harvest of turkey tail mushrooms: Trametes versicolor (previously known as Coriolus versicolor). Through generally considered too tough to be edible, turkey tails are one of the most famous medicinal mushrooms.
Turkey tails are prized in Eastern medicine, where they are known as Yun Zhi (cloud fungus) in China, and Kawaratake (mushroom by the riverbank) in Japan.
In Asia, as early as the 50s, doctors and scientists noticed decreases tumor growth, and sometimes tumor shrinkage, in cancer patients who were drinking turkey tail tea. They also noticed improved immune systems and faster recovery from chemotherapy and radiation.
In the US, pre-clinical trials and stage 1 and 2 clinical trials have shown turkey tail to have positive immune-boosting effects for patients with breast, gastrointestinal, and respiratory cancers. In addition, they have isolated a compound which may help inhibit tumor growth. (Medical abstract here)
Don't expect to see turkey tail formally prescribed as medicine any time soon. In the US, the law requires that labs discover exactly which chemical or series of chemical compounds is responsible for the results.
Life. . . just doesn't work that way. As a living organism, turkey tail mushrooms have many, many chemical compounds within them, and it may take years or decades for the scientists to discover exactly what does what.
Still, turkey tail mushrooms are one of the most potent and important natural medicines we know of, even if we don't know exactly how they work.
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| More on the same log. I only took about 40-50% for sustainability. |
Ok so I got off on a tangent, a bit, lol!
Cleaning turkey tails
Preparing turkey tails for tea is a very simple process. Cleaning can be done either in the field, or at home. Unlike some medicinal polypores (I'm looking at you, Ganoderma!), fresh turkey tails can be trimmed with a scissor rather than a knife. A pair of kitchen shears, which I keep in my foraging kit, is my favorite way. Simply trim off the edge that attached to the log, and rinse off when you get home.
If you don't have a dehydrator, you can do this in the oven. Set to the lowest setting, usually about 200 degrees F, and lay out on baking trays. Again, make sure the mushrooms don't overlap. Place your trays as low as possible in the oven (heat rises, and you want them cool) and run your oven for 24 hours or so, with the oven door open by about 3-4 inches. If you have multiple trays of mushrooms, you definitely want to rotate them frequently.
I can't emphasize enough how much foragers should have a dehydrator. It's a very small investment, and can be used for herbs, fruit, veggies, even meat. During foraging season, mine is running more or less every day. It's a solid investment, and hey - the holidays ARE coming!
In Asia, teas made from this mushroom are drunk daily, but I rarely find that level of abundance - weekly to bi weekly is more my speed. I use one average sized cap worth (about 2" wide by 1" wide). If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll grind it up in the spice grinder, but usually I just cut it many many times (sort of like a mince) with a scissor. You want to increase the surface area as much as possible.
Tea from this mushroom is distinctly bitter. It also smells mushroomy, but doesn't really taste mushroomy - at least not to me. The flavor is hard to describe, it's not unpleasant, but it's hardly my favorite either. I like to blend it in with other teas. Republic of Tea used to have a rainforest blend that I found married with the flavor of both turkey tail and ganoderma mushrooms perfectly, but I have yet to find another quite like it. Mostly I steep it with green tea.
Drying turkey tails
Do a quick check for bug holes, fresh specimens really shouldn't have any, and you ONLY want fresh mushroom, and then pat dry, and layout in the dehydrator. Make sure they are well spaced out, with no overlaps. Set it to about 95-100 degrees F, and let it run for about 24-36 hours, depending on the number of trays you have full. If you have 3+ trays, you definitely want to rotate them every 6-8 hours.If you don't have a dehydrator, you can do this in the oven. Set to the lowest setting, usually about 200 degrees F, and lay out on baking trays. Again, make sure the mushrooms don't overlap. Place your trays as low as possible in the oven (heat rises, and you want them cool) and run your oven for 24 hours or so, with the oven door open by about 3-4 inches. If you have multiple trays of mushrooms, you definitely want to rotate them frequently.
I can't emphasize enough how much foragers should have a dehydrator. It's a very small investment, and can be used for herbs, fruit, veggies, even meat. During foraging season, mine is running more or less every day. It's a solid investment, and hey - the holidays ARE coming!
Using turkey tails
In Asia, teas made from this mushroom are drunk daily, but I rarely find that level of abundance - weekly to bi weekly is more my speed. I use one average sized cap worth (about 2" wide by 1" wide). If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll grind it up in the spice grinder, but usually I just cut it many many times (sort of like a mince) with a scissor. You want to increase the surface area as much as possible.Tea from this mushroom is distinctly bitter. It also smells mushroomy, but doesn't really taste mushroomy - at least not to me. The flavor is hard to describe, it's not unpleasant, but it's hardly my favorite either. I like to blend it in with other teas. Republic of Tea used to have a rainforest blend that I found married with the flavor of both turkey tail and ganoderma mushrooms perfectly, but I have yet to find another quite like it. Mostly I steep it with green tea.
Can you just air dry the turkey tail or does it have to be dried in a dehydrator or oven?
ReplyDeleteHey Anon!
DeleteYes, because turkey tail have such naturally low moisture, you absolutely can air dry them.
You want to spread them out in a cool, dry area on paper towels. Make sure they don't overlap.
The location you choose should have good air flow; if everything in your place is a little stuffy, then you should set up a gentle, indirect fan.
I would flip them over every day. Change the towels if you notice any dampness, but because the mushrooms are low in moisture this probably will not happen.
Hello, I tired to blend into a powder but it just became very fluffy. What did I do wrong? Emailed you the pictures
Delete@alinashaw -- because you responded to another comment I can't really respond to you directly. I hope you get this.
DeleteI have not received the pics, I personally use a spice grinder for these, a coffee grinder might also work but I don't drink a lot of coffee and so I don't own one.
I'm not sure how a standard blender would work, but a food processor should be fine. Fluffy could just mean it needs to settle for the air mixed in to escape. Hard to tell without pictures and process
once the tea is made how long will it keep to be able to drink
ReplyDelete
DeleteYou should probably drink the steeped tea within a week, and keep it in the fridge
You should probably drink the steeped tea within a week.
ReplyDeleteCan properly prepared turkey tail be mixed with pipe tobacco and smoked, still retaining its benefits?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, but I would highly doubt it. The slower action of steeping is better than the fast action of burning. Plus I have no idea if this would be particularly bad to inhale.
Delete"KAWARA TAKE" in Japanese means "roof tile mushroom." KAWARA means "roof tile" and TAKE means "mushroom." Here is the kanji: 瓦茸. The mushroom overlaps itself like roof tiles, hence its name in Japanese. It has nothing to do with river banks.
ReplyDeleteWhen air dried, should the underside be discolored?
ReplyDeleteNo not really, a beige tone is ok, but not brown or black.
Delete24-36 hours seems like a long time, some other websites say 6-8 hours for mushrooms in general. Do turkey tails have more moisture and that's why they take longer? h
ReplyDeleteThey actually have less moisture, but because they are so dense it take the moisture longer to come out. I've had batches go rancid and moldy on me--so make sure you are truly bone dry!
DeleteIt all depends. You just dry it untill it's dry. Capish?
Deletethank you! i was tricked by an orange imposter last week, but went back and found the real thing. they were growing next to each other on the same log! my sweetheart has some symptoms of Lyme D. your blog has been very helpful.
ReplyDeleteHi Robert!
DeleteDo you have a picture of the orange imposter? I like to keep a fungal archive of look-alike species. Feel free to email it to ForagedFood@gmail (dot) com
thanks!
If they are from last year, can they still be picked and dried for tea? They don't look bad...
ReplyDeleteThis is a difficult question for me to answer. The safe bet is "no", only harvest fresh mushrooms.
DeleteIn practice, however, if you live in a dry area, or the conditions were very dry after this mushroom fruited, they have been known to dry on the tree itself--the same as if you used a dehydrator.
However, sometimes mushrooms that appear to have dried this way will actually have soft spots inside, where mold or bacteria got in, while the mushrooms was drying and can make you sick.
Can I make tea with fresh Turkey tail. Not dehydrating it. Theoretically wouldn't it retain its health benefits better?
ReplyDeleteYou can certainly make it fresh, but I dont think it looses much in the drying. Being so thin and naturally low in moisture it dries very quickly.
DeleteI have started putting fresh turkey tail into my morning smoothie - my new Vitamix makes short work of the tough body, and I assume I will get full health benefits from a quick and easy process. Has anyone else tried this?
ReplyDeleteNeeds to be hot water or alcohol extracted to break down the chitin to get benefits
DeleteThank you.
DeleteI'm an avid forager of herbs and also make a lot of wild game jerky for my raw fed pets. I don't use a dehydrator - in the fall to spring I use my wood stove's heat, no power necessary. In the summer I use elevated screens in the carport shade! I have a 6' tall stainless shelf system kitty corner overtop of my woodstove and utilize screening to lay plants/jerky what have you at the appropriate place on whatever shelf overtop of the stove. I have beautiful dried jerky overnight and dry pounds of nettle, horsetail, etc etc every year!
ReplyDeleteHow long can you keep the dried turkey tails for? And do you keep them in an air tight container in the freezer?
ReplyDeleteDried and stored in a moisture-resistant manner they will keep for 2-3 years, though they do loose flavor slowly over time. Try to use them in a year.
DeleteMoisture resistant would be a plastic container with a good seal or a mason jar. Mason jars are my preferred way to store all dried mushrooms.
Hello, Can you reuse them like you can with chaga? Like freezing them between uses?
ReplyDeleteI don't, I find that properly soaked they loose a lot of flavor after the first cup
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHow much mushroom would you use in 1 cup of tea please?
ReplyDeleteI use one large shelf approximately. But I let it strep for a long time. I also usually add lemon or orange rind and/or mint
DeleteHow many pounds of fresh Turkey tails yields a pound dry
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteHey I was recently diagnosed with mCRC. And I saw stamets says turkey tail can help along side my chemo. I harvest it fresh. But want to know the best way to keep the. Thru winter and the most potent way to get the medicinal value and not over cook. Or steep. I used to boil fresh cuttings in a tea put for 20-30 min. Then cool and drink. I add chamomile, turmeric, a little black pepper and a teaspoon of coconut oil to absorb. I also like to add Aloe meat to my smoothies. I am on a strict diet for endometriosis and I really wanna get my own turkey tail as it grows all over western MD and southern pa. With mounting medical bills I can't afford the stamets 7. I also find reishi and lions mane but not as prevalent in the area. Is there a similar home process for reishi and lions mane. But specifically I am interested din turkey tail preparation for cancer assistance
ReplyDeletehow do you know if the specimens are fresh? i found some today, and they seemed fresh, but should i be looking for a specific color, or texture, that tells me if they’re old or not?
ReplyDeleteHi Lee
DeleteThere are a few things to look for.
1. Color of the pore surface (underside): should be white, off-white, or pale cream. If its golden, yellow or tawny brown its too old.
2. Color of the outer edge of the cap (upper side): freshest will be white or off-white. Second freshest will be pale cream or true cream or pale yellow. If its tan or dark gold it's too old. If its green, it's been contaminated with algae and shouldn't be eaten. If the outer edge of the cap is grey it's moldy and shouldn't be eaten.
3: Texture: if these are rock-hard but don't appear to be dry, I would avoid them. you either have the wrong mushroom or if you have the right one it's become contaminated.
Learn more on my Turkey Tail identification post:
https://foragedfoodie.blogspot.com/2018/02/foraging-how-to-identify-turkey-tail.html
how do you know if the specimens are fresh? i found some today, and they seemed fresh, but should i be looking for a specific color, or texture, that tells me if they’re old or not?
ReplyDeleteCan I dry and grind into a powder. I want to give it to my dog in his food. How much can you give a 5kg dog. Quarter teaspoon?
ReplyDeleteYou should NOT be feeding mushrooms to dogs, I'm afraid.
DeleteActually ive read MANY different articles mentioning the incredible benefits of turkey tale in dogs.
ReplyDeleteSeems like the trend in research has changed. It used to be not encouraged because dogs don't create the same stomach acids we do, and it can be hard for them to digest mushrooms.
DeleteHowever, I really know very little about mushrooms with dogs (as you can see!), so I'm sorry I can't really help you with this one.
Nice post
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Delete