We’ve all been there, you came upon your hen tree, or maybe you just stumbled on a new one, and it’s packed with pounds and pounds of clean, fresh hens. Finding them was the easy part. Now comes the work of bringing them home, along with hours of cleaning, cooking and processing. With mushrooms so…
Hen of the Woods
Hen of the woods fritters
If you hunt hen of the woods, you’ve probably had the problem of not knowing what to do with large-sized hens that pop up during the season. Hens are the best young, but it’s easier said than done to get them at that perfect, tender, button stage. Thankfully, and in some ways unfortunately, they stay…
Hen of the Woods Roast with Leeks and Black Walnuts
2018 hen season was wet, and rainy. I’d prayed for the rain for years, and it was great for the mushrooms. Chanterelles, aborted entolomas, lobsters, boletes, oh man, the boletes! What it was not good for was hen of the woods. Boletes love the rain, they grow fast, and return to where they came, quickly….
Grilled Hen of the Woods Steaks with Garden Herb Sauce
It’s that time of year again in the Midwest: time to treat those hen of the woods mushrooms like a piece of meat. Hen steaks, hen roasts, hen pot roasts, I’ve done them all, and I like them all. There’s little more satisfying in fall than firing up the grill to warm up, and slicing…
Hen of the Woods Mushroom Cooked Under a Brick
It was a busy Saturday night, and a little more exciting than usual since I had some friends coming in for their anniversary: the husband and wife duo who wrote and photographed the book Tasting Minnesota. I wanted to make a couple fun things for them since I knew they enjoy things like mushrooms and…
Hen Of The Woods-Leek Gratin
Here’s an awesome, easy way to enjoy those hen of the woods. Story goes that I was at my girlfriends place getting ready to make some Sunday dinner, we pulled some pork chops out of the freezer, but were a little light on the vegetable front. Thankfully there’s a giant garden around-the stuff dreams are…
Roasted Maitake Steaks With Anchovy Sauce
The day before I went on FOX 9 to demo a couple mushroom dishes last week, I was feeling pretty defeated about having no fresh props to bring into the show. I mean, what’s a good mushroom hunter without any fresh specimens? The woods don’t obey commands though; all you have are educated guesses. I…
Brussels Sprouts With Pickled Hen Of The Woods
Brussels sprouts have come a long way. When I was growing up they were sort of a mystery. I remember eating them only once as a child and I didn’t like them one bit. I can still recall people talking about eating them like they were some form of torture. Slimy, soft, and stinky are…
Pickled Hen Of The Woods Mushrooms/Maitake
Like any mushroom, hens are best when picked very young. They’re certainly edible in their old age, even after they have released their spores, but these are going to be more prone to bug damage. From my experience, hen of the woods will not have maggots until very old, but they will be preyed upon…
Beef Tartare With Ramp Vinaigrette And Pickled Maitake
Beef tartare conjures mixed feelings in people, those who truly know what it can be love it, people who haven’t had a nicely prepared one might think it’s a little strange, since raw meat can seem a little weird if you aren’t used to it. When you have some high quality beef though, there are…
Hen of the Woods or Maitake Mushroom
The king of the Fall mushrooms in the Midwest, in size that is. I say Fall mushroom because they come out in earnest post Summer, but you might see an occasional one in midsummer, although they’re rare that early. These can grow to be massive, and I’ve personally picked clusters that have weighed thirty pounds…