How to Can Maitake Hen of the Woods Mushrooms {Grifola Frondosa}
Let’s start this post out with one of those famous internet-gotta-protect-myself-disclaimers… I’m only sharing what I do in my kitchen, that was taught to me by my grandmother and the canning cookbooks that taught her. I am NOT anything more than a home-cook and experienced forager, I am not an expert. Based on today’s standards many canning-experts don’t promote canning wild mushrooms at home due to obvious risks associated with proper identification and contamination of toxic species. This post is not covering proper identification of wild mushrooms.Â
So, let’s use common sense including proper sanitation/sertilized jars and 100% accurate mushroom identification.
And always, with low acid foods, mushrooms MUST be pressure canned. There are no exceptions.
Even with those things said, you are responsible for your own choices to can wild mushrooms at home.
Phew. What a world we live in, right?? But you probably already face enough frustrations with going against the grain of most of the world, foraging for your own food. Kudos to you! We’re on the same team, welcome!
Canning Hen of the Woods Mushrooms (and other safe-edible, wild mushrooms) at home is so easy and a great way to enjoy them even when they aren’t in season. Â Hen of the Wood’s meaty texture and robust flavor stands up especially well to canning.
In this post I am only able to share the basic recipe and instruction. I cannot give you specific volumes or yields due to the obvious way that mushrooms shrink during cooking. But I can say that you’ll be surprised that even though you “think” you have a lot of hen of the woods mushrooms, the canned result will seem so much smaller just like with my Pickled Maitake Recipe!Â
Collect your jars, clean them well and get them sterilizing.. How may jars? Who’s to say?!?! I err on the side of caution and always do more than I think I’ll need. I prefer to use 1/2 pint jelly jars for roughly 1 cup servings, however you can use any size canning jar that you prefer for your own desired serving size.
Throughly cleaning your Hen of the Woods mushroom and cutting into pieces, as desired. Drain well.
Boil, cleaned pieces of Hen of the mushroom for 5 minutes.
Strain boiled mushrooms and pack into clean, sterilized jars.
Add salt to each jar of mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon per 1/2 pint (1/2 teaspoon per pint, 1 teaspoon per quart and 1/8 teaspoon per 1/4 pint)
Fill each mushroom/salt jar with BOILING water, leaving roughly 1/2 inch head space and fit with flat lids and rings, lightly snug.
Place jars in your pressure cooker/canner, on a rack if preferred and water.
Can at 10 PSI for 40 minutes for 1/2 pints (increase time to 50 minutes for pints and 1 hour for quarts)
Allow to naturally depressurize, carefully remove jars and allow to cool at room temperature for 24 hours before removing rings and putting them away, to ensure all jars sealed.
Yours in Health,
Ingredients
- Hen of the Woods Mushrooms cleaned & chopped
- Water, filtered
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Boil cleaned & chopped mushrooms for 5 minutes. Drain.
- Pack boiled mushrooms into sterilized jars.
- Add salt, 1/4 teaspoon per 1/2 pint.
- Fill each jar with boiling water, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Wipe jar rim, fit with 2 part lids and lightly snug.
- Place on a rack in your pressure canner, add water.
- Can under high/10psi pressure for 40 minutes.
- Naturally depressurize. Remove from pressure canner, allow to cool at room temperature for 24 hours before removing rings. Discard any jars that did not seal.
