I was wandering in the deep thick woods of Washington State Forest in Northern Minnesota with my son, Hunter. I spotted something bright and orange and thought he had dropped his hunting hat. Well it happened to be a lobster mushroom. I yelled out, it's a lobster! At his surprise he jumped up thinking it was a real live lobster. Well, this was our first lobster experience.
It smelt like a lobster too. Feeling adventurous I cooked some up in hunting camp, remembering not to eat too much of it, since I hadn't tried this kind before. I sautéed it with butter and onions in a cast iron skillet.
It wasn't too bad. Interesting, a slightly more dense texture.
I have cooked these a few times. They can be dried or powdered to preserve for later. They grow in thick moist woods. I have found them in thick pine forest or mixed oak & aspen. They can be found July-October in MN.