This is one of the first mushrooms I remember picking as a kid. The mountainside behind our place growing up in western Maryland was littered with them every fall. My whole life I have always called them Aborted Entolomas, until for some reason about a year ago I googled them and discovered that people called them Shrimp of the Woods. Having never heard that, I naturally concluded that “Shrimp of the Woods” sounds a hell of a lot more appetizing than “Aborted Entolomas”.
There are a lot of different Entolomas out there and a lot of them are poisonous. Luckily for us, Entoloma abortivum is easy to recognize. These mushrooms grow and look like normal mushrooms until the the mycelium interacts with the mycelium of the Honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea).
After their mycelia interact, the Entoloma abortivum curls up into a ball and makes them easily identifiable. When picking them, look for the nice firm ones, the softer ones would be over saturated or past their prime. When the conditions are right, they tend to grow in huge clusters that can go on and on so you will have the luxury of being discerning.
My Girlfriend likes to bread them and fry them. I usually just saute them with a little salt, pepper, MSG, vegan butter and love. Any way you choose to cook them, their sure to turn out delicious. Learning about this mushroom and adding it to your mushroom hunting repertoire will not disappoint.