Chicken of the Woods!!!!

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Chicken of the Woods!!!!
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon May 02, 05 6:14 pm Post subject:
Walking the dog today, just after a large patch of wild garlic, we found a very large tree stump with four patches of Chicken of the Woods! I picked two lower layers of one of the patches and it's just over a pound for dinner and the freezer. (Note, it's on a full sized dinner plate) Do you need to do anything to prep it before freezing?

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon May 02, 05 8:55 pm Post subject:
Now that would be a great pic for the glossary. You can see the colours and markings really clearly. No mistaking that one!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 8:23 am Post subject:
Lovely find! When they're really young, they're most tender and tasty; you might find that as they age on the stumps they get tougher, till they become hard paper that you can't even cook. At the moment, those specimens are absolutely perfect. I used blanch them on stock before freezing, but now I just dice and freeze. They do okay on that.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 11:42 am Post subject:
So which pic shall I add to the glossary?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 11:58 am Post subject:
I think the plate one is best because it's different to what you normally see. Can we put a link in glossary entries (in this case a link to this thread might be useful or just to the forum) - or could there be a link to the foraging section on the wild food glossary (if there isn't already ) so that anyone who isn't sure could come in and ask a question?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 12:05 pm Post subject:
Failing that, the picture from Top Ten mushrooms for the beginner, and another from Top Ten Wild Foods for May... We seem to have plenty of pictures of this fungus, probably 'cos it's really photogenic. How did you guys eat yours? We've had our first batch in risotto with St. Georges and with rabbit in a curry.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45670
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 12:08 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

Can we put a link in glossary entries (in this case a link to this thread might be useful or just to the forum) - or could there be a link to the foraging section on the wild food glossary (if there isn't already

) so that anyone who isn't sure could come in and ask a question?

Yes you need to enter it as an anchored link, ( a href= etc)

We could probably link from the section headers to the apropriate category too, I'll look at that.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 12:09 pm Post subject:

TD had a stew, with veg and leftover pheasant (yes dahlinks, we have leftover pheasant in our house

). I just ate a few bits, as you know, I'm still paranoid. Now that TD is still here today I might eat a bit more of the rest though.

We have had it before on a foray day and it was very nice but this time I found the flavour a bit strong/metallic/sour - not entirely unpleasant but just a bit much, one of our books says to blanch first (before frying etc) and I think I'd like to try that instead.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 12:32 pm Post subject:

There's only one thing I can think of that might be possible to confuse it with, and that's the cinnabar polypore. I've never seen one of those that I can recall, but illustrations make it look really different.

The only thing I'd be concerned by would be picking it off yew trees; I am unaware of ANY poisoning caused by that, but there's some evidence that if it's growing on eucalyptus it may be a little poisonous. It's also supposed to cause hallucinations in really small children.

Other than that, munch away

It'll be more tender after blanching, but the samples you have in the photos look nice and tender anyway. Can I suggest marinating in olive oil, herbs, garlic and a drop of wine and then putting it on kebabs for a barbecue? He can barbecue pigeon breast or pheasant, you eat the kebabs along with some nice in-season asparagus drizzled with oil, balsamic vinegar and a tiny sprinkling of sugar? The pigeon and the pheasant benefit from just the same marinade as the chicken of the woods...

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 12:48 pm Post subject:
It was fried lightly in a little butter first and I thought it was fine, I actually liked the slightly bitter taste (which the books say it has so that's good). It went less well in the stew IMHO. The one thing I would say is it almost seemed too tender! It was on an old beech stump but about 6 feet from the ground so it was clean.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri May 13, 05 11:18 am Post subject:
I saw my first CotW on a yew tree this morning while driving to work. Only a young small one on a tree on a verge. I'll not be trying it not just because of the fact it's on a yew but I'm not sure if I had a mild reaction to the one I tried a few weeks back. Anyone else had any problems with known edible shrooms?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri May 13, 05 11:24 am Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I saw my first CotW on a yew tree this morning while driving to work. Only a young small one on a tree on a verge.

I'll not be trying it not just because of the fact it's on a yew but I'm not sure if I had a mild reaction to the one I tried a few weeks back. Anyone else had any problems with known edible shrooms?

If I eat shaggy parasol and wood blewit in the same meal, I feel slightly off colour. That's the only reaction I've had.

When you had a mild reaction, what was it? A little indigestion, a bit ill, a but *ahem* runny?

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Fri May 13, 05 11:28 am Post subject:

Sort of mild tummy rumblings, a bit of indigestion, but not more than that. I just felt strange (stranger than normal) for about a week. I have no idea what caused it and as I ate some of the CotW shown on the above plate I'm 99.9999% sure it was CotW I ate. I also ate a pheasant that Bugs didn't so it could have been that and I also know people who've had an upset stomach so it could be that.

I have some of the CotW in the freezer and I was wondering if I should try some again. Just don't mention it to Bugs

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri May 13, 05 11:29 am Post subject:
I just don't want to be a widow when I'm not even married

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Fri May 13, 05 11:36 am Post subject:

Surely you can disagree with any food type and that does not have to say there is anything wrong with the food itself. It could just be that you are not compatable. With any wild food you are not 100% sure of you are better having a very small amount first and checking for a reation for 24 hours first before wading in with two feet and guzzling a boatload.
All of the survival books give different ways of checking but involve a test to see if a plant reacts with sensitive skin first, then being tasted, then being held under the tongue for a few mins. and thern being tried by one person in small dose to check for reaction. Blame the tummy bug that was giong around and don't be put off

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