A culinary delight, our Chicken of the Woods are wild harvested by state certified mushroom experts at their peak of growth, and dried to perfection. This mushroom is a versatile choice edible that is fantastic as a meat replacement, used in a stir fry, or enjoyed all on their own. Their texture and flavor is similar to chicken, and is a favorite among chefs and foodies alike!
*This product is not regulated by the FDA. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness.
*It is highly recommended to try a small portion of this mushroom before eating in large quantities. Some wild mushrooms may cause intestinal upset for some people.
Using and Storing Dried Mushrooms
Dried mushrooms are a handy pantry item since they contain all of the flavors of fresh mushrooms with an almost unlimited shelf life. If you are a fresh-mushroom aficionado and have an aversion to jarred mushrooms, dried mushrooms are a great option. Plus, you may be able to find varieties dried, like porcini and morels, that are often unavailable at your local market fresh. But how do you use dried mushrooms when a recipe calls for fresh? Here’s the scoop on getting the substitution right.
How Many Mushrooms to Use
Use about three ounces of dried mushrooms for every pound of fresh mushrooms called for in the recipe. That might not seem like enough, but once they’re reconstituted, the mushrooms will expand to give you the pound of fresh mushrooms needed in the recipe.
How to Reconstitute Mushrooms
Dried mushrooms need to be reconstituted before they’re used in place of fresh mushrooms. Reconstitution is just a fancy word for rehydration, and there isn't much to it. Just cover the mushrooms with enough room temperature water to cover them completely and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes on the countertop. Once they’re finished soaking, remove the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and rinse them in cool water to get rid of any residual grit. Then add them to your recipe and proceed as written.
The soaking liquid, now transformed into a mushroom broth, is quite flavorful and well worth saving. Strain it through a coffee filter or a paper towel to remove the grit. You can then use it in place of some of the liquid in your recipe to add a bit more mushroom flavor or freeze it to use later in soup, risotto, and more.
If You're in a Hurry
Soak your dried mushrooms in warm or hot water to reconstitute them faster. Just know that the hot water will pull more flavor out of the mushrooms. Since that flavor will be transferred to the broth, you can correct the loss of flavor by using some of the mushroom broth in your recipe.
If you plan to use your mushrooms in soup, you can also save time by skipping the reconstitution process. Just add them to the soup pot in their dried form and they’ll reconstitute as the soup cooks. The only drawback to this method is that your soup could turn out a bit gritty since you won’t be soaking and rinsing the mushrooms first. This poses more of a problem with grittier mushrooms, like morels, than it does with not-so-gritty mushrooms, like chanterelles.
How to Store Dried Mushrooms
Dried mushrooms are shelf-stable and take up little space, making them easy to store in an airtight container in your pantry. Reconstituted dried mushrooms can be stored in the fridge for two to three days or frozen. Mushroom broth will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days or frozen for three months.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-substitute-dried-mushrooms-for-fresh-mushrooms-1388871
We are a small family business located in northern Michigan. Our journey into the woods to find elusive gourmet mushrooms began early in life for us, but it really began to take off several years ago when a family member shared a variety of wild mushrooms for us to sample. Among them were Black Trumpets, and that was all it took! We fell in love, and began venturing out to the woods with our 8 children in tow. We collected mushrooms, took spore prints, and researched day and night. We scoured books and online resources to learn all that we could, and ultimately earned our certification in wild mushroom identification through the State of Michigan. This would allow us to be able to sell our foraged goodies, which was perfect, as our bounties became more than we could consume, preserve, and gift to friends and family. Thus began our adventures with Taste of the Earth.
All of our wild plants and mushrooms are harvested by our family of experts, and carefully inspected every step of the way to verify identity and quality - from harvesting, to processing and packaging. We never outsource, and take great pride in the fact that our products are found in the deepest reaches of the remote forests of northern Michigan - far from roads, businesses, cities, and homes.
Sustainable foraging practices are at the forefront of what we do. We prioritize forest locations that are marked or scheduled to be clear cut in the near future for the bulk of our foraging. Especially for items like Chaga and Wild Ramps, as these take a bit of time to grow, and may easily be harmed if over-harvested. We always leave more than we take, and are careful not to harm the trees, substrate, mycelium/mychorrizal networks, rhizomes, etc. while harvesting the fruits.
We are excited to share our bounty with you! Feel free to take a peek at the varieties we have to offer, and reach out if you have any questions!