2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
Laetiporus sulphureus or better known as the "Chicken of the Woods" is a beautiful and edible mushroom that my family and I hunt around the woods in Northern Minnesota. It is one of my favorite mushrooms to eat and it has a hearty and robust flavor.
2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
The Chicken of the Woods should be harvested when it is new and young. When it is in the more clustered type of shape is when they are perfect. This photograph depicts the perfect stage to harvest this particular mushroom. You will notice that the fungus will stay more blobish when growing on a horizontal surface and will “plate” much more when on a vertical surface
2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
Here is a good example of a typical cluster. These plates have grown to a nice size and are ready to be harvested. The color is still quite strong so you know these will still be quite good for cooking and eating. Typically you can use these larger plate types for soups, stews, pizza, omelets, or any other dish that you would combine with several other ingredients. I like to save the younger and smaller blobish types for when the dish is almost exclusively made of the mushroom or even just the mushroom sautéed alone.
I have found that color and size play more of a roll in taste than shape for the most part. As the mushroom gets older it fades dramatically and the flesh will toughen and the taste will fade or become "mustier". You can also notice that the plates tend to flatten more as they age and get bigger.
2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
I pretty much hand pick the mushrooms although you can also use a knife. The important bit is to leave a small chunk on the wood so that it will be back next season.
2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
You can see the difference between growing on a horizontal surface as opposed to a vertical surface. Notice the tiny plate to the left of my forearm. This is very young and starts out as a plate as opposed to the blobbier example shown earlier that was growing on a horizontal plane. These plates I am picking here still have a very strong color and softer flesh with rounder edges. They are perfect for being a main ingredient in any dish. You can see the stubs left behind to ensure a good harvest next season.
2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
Here is a good example of a cluster past its prime. The color is still there but much fainter. The flesh is much tougher and the taste will not be as nice as when young. You can also see how the edges have become sharper. As this ages more it will become paler and paler and will fall from the tree as a whole. You can see old specimens on the ground completely white and powdery. You could still consume this batch if you really wanted to but it is not something I would use as a main ingredient. Soaking can help bring it back slightly but nothing can be done to the taste to make it compare to the young samples.
2007
Laetiporus sulphureus
This particular mushroom should not be eaten raw. It does freeze well though and will last a long time when frozen. I have found that soaking is best before preperation but others will disagree. The mushroom has a distinct flavor that goes with many different dishes. I find it adds a strong flavor but rarely over powers. The color will give those fall dishes an aesthetically pleasing appearance as the color holds well even after cooking.
2007
Recipes
Fungo bruschetta dell'autunno
Or just Fall mushroom bruschetta for the non-pretentious ;-)
Ingredients
Diced Chicken of the Woods Mushroom
Minced Garlic
Chopped Basil
Chopped Onions
Chopped Shallots
Diced Roma Tomatoes
Sliced Black Olives
Julienned Sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil (Include the oil in the mix)
White Wine
Fat Free Half n Half Cream
2% shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Salt and Fresh ground Black Pepper to taste
Fresh Baguette
Directions
In low to medium heat sauté garlic, shallots, onions, tomatoes cook until onions are translucent.
Add mushrooms cook until soft. Add wine, cream, Basil, sun dried tomatoes cook for at least
8-10mins. Add Black Olives season with salt and pepper. Let Cool. Add Cheese. Pre heat oven at 375 degrees.
Sliced Baguette about ½ thick. Arrange on non-stick baking sheet.
Scoop a good amount of the stuff on top of the Baguette.
Bake for at least 10mins. Or until Bread is light golden brown or when cheese is melted.
