This year has been great for wild mushrooms, and even now as we enter autumn, a favorite among mushroom lovers is ready for picking. I’m talking about hen-of-the-woods, ram’s head, sheep’s head, maitake, signorina, grifola frondosa, the king of mushrooms some say. This mushroom is highly valued in traditional medicine, but it’s also very tasty and versatile in the kitchen.
In the past two weeks I have foraged around 5 pounds of grifola frondosa. The first day we had them with ham, collard greens and smoked gouda. I also made a creamy mushroom soup a few days later. And the leftover cream of mushroom I used to flavor a rice and chicken casserole—better than Campbell’s!
The rest I pickled in a simple solution of vinegar, water, and salt. I also used a little fresh thyme and a green onion from the garden. My philosophy on pickling is keep it simple, so that whatever you’re preserving can be as versatile as possible when you later use it in a dish.
Mushrooms are a great addition to any meal: fun to work with and even more fun if you are able to forage them yourself.
Buen provecho!
Dinner with Daniel 