Megan's Nature Nook
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Pheasant Back (Polyporus squamosus), also known as Dryad’s Saddle or Hawk’s Wing is a fairly common mushroom that can be found May through November (most commonly in the Spring) in the Midwest. The large, flat, dark scales on the tan cap of this mushroom give the appearance of feathers, giving it its common names. The mushroom cap can be 2-12 inches across in a circular or fan-like shape. Either growing singly or in a small cluster of overlapping mushrooms. It grows on deciduous trees, logs, or stumps and can be found year after year in the same place until its “host” (wood food) is depleted. The mushroom is attached to the wood with a short, thick stem that is off center or may be directly attached to the wood. It has whitish to creamy-yellow colored pores on the underside that can be rather large. The flesh is rather soft when young and becomes tough and corky with age. The flesh smells like watermelon rind or cucumbers when fresh. Luckily, Pheasant Back is a pretty common mushroom to find in the woods and doesn’t have any toxic look-alikes. It is an edible mushroom, but isn’t very tasty on its own. With a little doctoring it can be quite tasty! I tried this mushroom jerky recipe last Spring and it was a keeper, so now that I’ve seen Pheasant Back popping up in the woods for the year, it is time to make it again! I found this recipe from Kari on her blog, Kari Eats Plants https://karieatsplants.wixsite.com/mysite/post/hot-and-sweet-pheasant-back-dryad-saddle-jerky It’s a fairly simple recipe with common pantry ingredients. Sometimes the hardest part is finding enough mushrooms! Head out to the woods and keep your eyes peeled for Pheasant Backs. Remember when you are out and about to check the foraging rules if you are going on public land. Some organizations will allow the harvesting of “fruiting bodies” while others do not allow any harvesting. When harvesting mushrooms, place them in a mesh bag so the spores can release and spread as you walk. Reusable produce bags, mesh laundry bags, or old onion bags work well for this. Ingredient List: 16 oz Pheasant Back Mushrooms Marinade 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or oil of your choice ½ Cup Low-sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce (I use Soy Sauce) ¼ Cup Real Maple Syrup 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce (optional) or ½ tsp Cayenne (This recipe is easy to half if you can't find enough mushrooms for a full batch) Instructions: 1. Harvest your mushrooms being sure to properly identify before picking. Smaller, younger mushrooms will be softer and better for eating. Look at the general size of the mushroom, color, and size of the pores to determine the age of the mushroom. 2. Using a knife, shave the pores from the underside of the mushroom. Remove any of the very hard parts of the mushroom (the larger mushrooms will have more hard parts). The best parts for eating are the outer edges of the mushroom cap. If the pores are not shaving off well, discard that mushroom, it is too tough for eating. 3. Add mushrooms to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Once the mushrooms are cool, drain well and press out excess water. Slice mushrooms into jerky sized slices. (They will shrink some during the drying process). 4. Prepare the marinade in a seal-able container. Add mushrooms to the marinade and coat well. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight. 5. Remove the mushrooms from marinade and place on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115-120°F for 8-12 hours depending on how chewy or dry you want your jerky. Alternatively, you can place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in the oven on the lowest setting for a few hours checking often until it is the desired consistency. Pheasant Back Mushroom JerkyIngredient List: 16 oz Pheasant Back Mushrooms Marinade 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil or oil of your choice ½ Cup Low-sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce (I use Soy Sauce) ¼ Cup Real Maple Syrup 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce (optional) or ½ tsp Cayenne Instructions: 1. Harvest your mushrooms being sure to properly identify before picking. Smaller, younger mushrooms will be softer and better for eating. Look at the general size of the mushroom, color, and size of the pores to determine the age of the mushroom. 2. Using a knife, shave the pores from the underside of the mushroom. Remove any of the very hard parts of the mushroom (the larger mushrooms will have more hard parts). The best parts for eating are the outer edges of the mushroom cap. If the pores are not shaving off well, discard that mushroom, it is too tough for eating. 3. Add mushrooms to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Once the mushrooms are cool, drain well and press out excess water. Slice mushrooms into jerky sized slices. (They will shrink some during the drying process). 4. Prepare the marinade in a seal-able container. Add mushrooms to the marinade and coat well. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight. 5. Remove the mushrooms from marinade and place on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115-120°F for 8-12 hours depending on how chewy or dry you want your jerky. Alternatively, you can place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in the oven on the lowest setting for a few hours checking often until it is the desired consistency. Notes:
If you're interested in learning more about mushrooms, I have two field guides I use quite often for mushroom identification and learning more about fungi. Fascinating Fungi of the North Woods 2nd Edition By Cora Mollen and Larry Weber This book has awesome illustrations with useful and fun facts about the different fungi. I really like how this book is organized because it splits up the fungi into different groups based on where they grow and if they have gills or not, making it easy to find your mystery mushroom. It also has a handy chart for each fungus that shows when you'll most likely find it, breaking it down to the months of the year instead of just saying summer or fall. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest 2nd Edition By Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich This guide has great full color pictures of the various fungi making ID easier. It has detailed descriptions and goes more in depth for various types and species of fungi. This one is organized by shape and if it has gills or pores, it also has a section about which fungi are popular edibles and which you should stay away from. Happy mushroom hunting and enjoy your new tasty treats!
4 Comments
Lonnie Hebl
5/25/2021 07:53:23 am
Very cool. I tried Meg’s jerky. It was good! Thanks for the info.
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Cindy Vossen
5/15/2023 12:50:13 pm
I was wondering if you store the jerky in the refrigerator? Also do you think you could save the marinade and reuse it hor another batch? Thank so much any additional information is much appreciated!
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Megan Betcher
5/15/2023 08:53:38 pm
Cindy - I do refrigerate the jerky. I wouldn't reuse the marinade to be on the safe side.
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