It is Chicken Mushroom (aka Sulfur Shelf) time in Big Woods country.

Distinctive color coupled with growth on an oak keeps this mushroom from being confused with any other.

Although it is not necessarily soup weather, here is my recipe for Golden Mushroom Soup.

Ingredients:

One half pound of Sulphur Shelf (aka Chicken) mushrooms (fresh)

or one and a half cups (dried)

1 medium onion

4 tablespoons butter (if using fresh mushrooms) or 2 tablespoons if using dried mushrooms (can substitute olive oil if you must, but don't)

2 cups chicken broth

one cup cream

salt and pepper to taste

Directions for assembly:

Sautee onions and mushrooms in butter until onions are soft and mushrooms are limp. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. (If using dried mushrooms, simmer dried mushrooms in chicken broth until soft, sautee onions in butter, and add sauteed onions to chicken broth/mushroom mix.) Add cream until it reaches a gentle simmer. Take off heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

There are variations you can add to the basic recipe. You may wish to add a clove of minced garlic to the onions while they are sauteeing, or add a quarter teaspoon of thyme to the chicken broth, or add a quarter cup of dry white wine to the broth after it has simmered, or add fresh minced parsley as a garnish just before serving.

Always good to have fresh, crusty bread with this soup.

Sautéed mushrooms. They are also fabulous in omelettes!