Pickled Wild Mushrooms – With Chicken or Hen of the Woods
2023 will no doubt go down as one of the warmest and rainiest summers in New England. While beach-goers may be bummed, us mushroom hunters couldn’t be more delighted! After 2 terrible years of mushrooming, it’s exciting to see so many of my spots hitting once again, albeit a bit overwhelming.
My goal this year is to try a wider variety of preserving techniques and thus far my experimenting has really paid off. I have discovered so many wonderful new recipes and preparations and am very much enjoying the creativity and thought behind each creation.
My most recent favorite is pickled mushrooms. For some insane reason, I was always so hesitant to try a pickled mushroom, let alone make some, even though I absolutely adore all things pickled. No longer, friends! This pickle is an absolute game changer! I prefer it with very young, tender chicken of the woods, but it’s also excellent with younger hen of the woods as well.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken of the woods preferably young and very tender (again, you can also use maitake/hen of the woods)
- 3 cups water
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 2 large cloves of garlic
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Two dried bay leaves
- 1 cup of champagne or white wine vinegar (I am very dedicated to using White Prosecco vinegar, along with just a few splashes of red wine vinegar and a touch of apple cider vinegar)
In a small stock pot, bring the water, salt, garlic and herbs to a simmer.
Add the chicken (or hen) of the woods and cook until they have released their juice and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the vinegar to the mixture, then pack pint canning jars full of the pickles. Pour the pickle liquid over the mushrooms and fill the jars leaving ½ an inch of headspace, then process the jars in a waterbath canner for 15 minutes.
