I stopped briefly at a forest this afternoon which I know to be a good producer of Hydnum umbilicatum, and this forest didn’t disappoint me. I only spent about 20 minutes there and came out with around 30 of these choice edibles.  I’ve come to know a couple or three spots in there where I’m likely to find these mushrooms if they’re fruiting, so when I’m there, I check the hot-spots, take a general look around, then move on to another forest. Sometimes I find lobster mushrooms in the same forest, and earlier in the season, a few chanterelles, usually in the very same spots time and again.

There are two so-called “hedgehog” or “sweet-tooth” mushroom varieties, Hydnum umbilicatum and Hydnum repandum. In our area, there are a number of differences between the two species, but both are excellent if you like to eat wild mushrooms. The H.umbilicatum I’ve found are normally a more intense orangy colour than the H. repandum, which are more distinctly tan. H. umbilicatum sit lower to the ground, don’t grow nearly as big, and in this forest they are usually close to hemlock. Of course the H. umbilicatum typically have a “belly button”, hence the name. Both varieties have teeth on the underside of the cap, rather than gills or pores.

Cook them as you would chanterelles. They have a similar texture and taste.