Guide to Foraging Hedgehog Mushrooms

What are Hedgehog mushrooms and why would you want to eat them? Mushrooms from the Hydnum repandum group are defined by what appears to be teeth, rather than pores or gills we see on other fungi. Sometimes called Hedgehogs or Sweet Tooth, they are among the tastiest terrestrial fungi we have here in the United States. With a texture that reminds me of chicken and a flavor profile that covers meaty and mushroomy so very well, they are a favorite at our house.

When and Where to Find Them

Arriving between September and October (with random sparse fruiting in the summer), they show up just as the last of the Chanterelles are leaving around here. Cousins to the Chanterelle, you’ll find the taste and texture similar but meatier. They do a great job of filling the niche between summer mushrooms and the winter harvests of Lions Mane and Oysters.

I’ve harvested them through Christmas when the rain and temps cooperate.

How to Identify Hedgehog Mushrooms

Identifying Hedgehogs is fairly easy. There’s no toxic look alike but you might find some tough, bitter and rubbery cousins from the same family of toothed fungi. Hydnellum concrescens would be the first suspect followed by Sarcodon and Phellodon. They are very easy to differentiate from your edible Hydnum.

Here’s a test:

1. Does it tear easily?

2. Does it have sticks, or other debris growing through it?
   If either answer is yes, it is not an edible Hedgehog.

Key Characteristics

Hedgehogs are a small to medium sized cap and stem type mushrooms. They have spines or teeth if you prefer on the underside of the cap where other mushrooms would have gills or pores. The cap color can range from almost white to various stages of yellow, tan, orange or peach to cinnamon. Cap can be convex or turned up a bit. It feels dry to the touch, smooth but often with bumps or what looks like extra growths near the center. The teeth or spines you find under the cap are easily rubbed off with your finger. The stem is generally centered in the cap unless the cap has grown at an odd angle. It is somewhat lighter than the cap. It has a meaty, fibrous texture that reminds you of its cousin the Chanterelle.

The entire structure will bruise a darker shade of orange/ brown when handled or bruised. I’m listing the known species (as of 2023) so you can look them up if you choose to compare to what you find. When I first started hunting them there were 3 species listed. DNA testing has turned those 2 or 3 into Hydnum aerostatisporum, albidum, alboauran, tiacum,albomagnum, canadense, cuspidatum, mulsicolor, subcoonnarumy, subtilior, umblicatum and vagabundum.

Cleaning and Storing

As with most wild mushrooms, they need to be cleaned as you pick them. Those teeth will capture debris when tossed in with other dirty mushrooms like that good rug you keep at the doggy door. Leaves tend to stick to the cap and can be a booger to brush off. Trim the stem and brush off leaves as you pick them. That’s the key to not working yourself stupid once you get home. Once you get them back to camp, a little extra wiping with a damp cloth or a brush will remove the rest of the stuck on stuff. You can also trim with a knife.

A quick rinse under water may be necessary. If you’re not going to cook them right away you should allow them to chill for a while in the fridge in a roomy container lined with a clean towel or paper towels if you prefer. You’ll notice they start to turn orange/brown where they have been handled or bruised. That is perfectly ok but it will shorten the shelf life.  They’ll hold a couple of days in the fridge but the faster you cook them, the better your end product will be.

Cooking Hedgehog Mushrooms

Look up some recipes on line. There’s so many! My husband’s favorite is the baked version on “chicken” fettuccine using hedgehogs instead of chicken. Roast them on a sheet pan tossed in oil and your favorite seasonings or batter and fry them up like shrimp for an amazing Po Boy. Some chefs will rub the teeth off before cooking because they don’t like the little bits in their sauce or whatever. I’m not that particular, but you do you.

Recipe: Creamy Hedgehog and Bacon Penne

Ingredients

• 10–12 oz penne pasta

• 4 oz bacon

• 1 Tbsp olive oil (more or less)

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 3 Tbsp finely chopped onion

• 1 sprig fresh thyme

• 1 tsp freshly chopped oregano (optional)

• 8 oz fresh hedgehog mushrooms, cubed

• 1 cup heavy cream (room temp)

• 1 cup pasta water

• 1 Tbsp butter

• 4 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook pasta al dente, reserve 1.5 cups pasta water before draining.

2. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside.

3. Sauté garlic and onion in remaining bacon fat (add olive oil if needed).

4. Add thyme, oregano (if using), and mushrooms. Cook 10 minutes.

5. Add pasta water and heavy cream; bring to a low boil.

6. Add pasta and simmer until sauce thickens and coats pasta.

7. Stir in salt, pepper, butter, and Parmesan.

8. Serve immediately, topped with parsley.

Want to Learn More?

If you want to learn more about mushrooms, check out the Alabama Mushroom Society on Facebook or visit alabamamushroomsociety.org.

We host teaching forays in several counties each month. Dates, locations, and sign-up info are on the site. I host a foray in Elmore County 10 months out of the year for AMS—y’all are very welcome to join me if you’re in the area.

If you’re interested in other great edible mushrooms, you might also enjoy this guide to foraging Morel mushrooms.

References

• Edible Wild Mushrooms and Identification, presented by Alabama Mushroom Society, written by Dr. Anthoni Goodman

• 100 Edible Mushrooms, by Michael Kuo