Beef Steak fungus

On the older, more established, Oaks in the forest the Beef steaks (Fistulina hepatica) are out and about, I've seen a few developing over the last few day. Still young and fresh, they're just right for the cooking.  Though it should be noted that as they grow on oaks they can be bitter (more so with age) as they leech tannic acid from their host.  So before cooking it's advisable to boil Beef steak fungus in water, changing the water several times, to removed some of the bitterness before adding them to stews and casseroles or drying them for future use.