Difficulty: Advanced Hemlock reishi or "hemlock varnish shelf" (Ganoderma tsugae) produces beautiful shelf-like fruiting bodies with a shiny brownish-orange varnish and white margin. In the spring, when the fresh growth is still white with no hint of pores or lacquered color showing, many growers collect the marshmallow-y fruiting bodies to eat as fresh mushrooms. Many growers will allow their hemlock reishi to grow into large waxy caps, at which point they become too bitter to consume. At this stage, they are ideal for drying and making into medicinal powders, extracts, tinctures, and teas.