Jews Ear

The Jews Ear, most commonly found on ageing Elder trees, is a common edible fungi.  New growths of Jews Ears are found in January, unlike many other mushrooms, Jews Ears are not susceptible to frost, making them a handy resource when pickings are slim.  They are quite rubbery and lack much flavour, although they are good in a stew and readily absorb other flavours, cut thinly and fried they have similar texture to bacon rind. They also have medicinal applications. The Jews Ear has been used for thousands of years in the treatment of various conditions such as lung infections, hemorrhoid's, for cleansing stomach and intestines, blood thinning and modern examinations of their properties suggests they could have anti tumour, cardiovascular, antiviral, antibacterial and anti parasitic effects. This really is an amazing fungi and I have only scratched the surface of its medical application.  Well worth investigating.

As with many wild food stuffs, one should take care, there have been recorded cases of sensitive people eating too many Jews Ears and suffering internal bleeding.