Pickled Maitake Mushrooms {aka Sheep’s Head or Hen of the Woods}
It was love at first bite for me and I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve already eaten 2 quart jars of these Pickled Maitake Mushrooms this year! So much for preserving them for later, right??
And let’s not ignore the fact that they are an absolutely breathtaking display in the jar – don’t you agree??
My mouth is watering as I type…..
I know this recipe may not intrigue many of you, but for those of you whom share our passion for wild foraged mushrooms, this is recipe for Pickled Maitake Mushrooms will quickly become your favorite.
What are Maitake Mushrooms?
Grifola frondosa (formal, latin name) is a polypore mushroom that grows in clusters at the base of trees, particularly oaks in late summer and fall. The mushroom is commonly known in North America as hen of the woods, hen-of-the-woods, ram’s head and sheep’s head.
It is also known by its Japanese name maitake (舞茸, “dancing mushroom”) and is prized as a Chinese and Japanese medicinal mushroom f0r it’s health benefits.
It is known for both boosting the immune system and inhibiting the growth of various types of cancer cells. Additionally, maitake mushrooms have a hypoglycemic effect and may be beneficial for the management of diabetes.
Oh, and they taste AMAZING. Which is my most favorite part.
And even if you aren’t into foraging for mushrooms on your own, you can typically find fresh cultivated Maitake Mushrooms at your local Asian grocery store. If you don’t see them, ASK!
How long does it take for these to pickle? Well, as hard as it is to wait – give them at least 24 hours before you try them.
They will keep for MONTHS in the refrigerator, making them one of the easiest ways to preserve your bountiful harvest – that is if you can resist eating them all right away.
That is, if you can resist them, which obviously I can’t. This jar in the photo is the last one left of the 4 that I made this fall.
It’s taking me such extreme restraint to no eat them all.. right NOW.
And if you can’t hold back, don’t worry – these are 100% totally healthy so feel free to eat them all without any guilt!
Ingredients
- 8 cups Maitake Mushroom cleaned and divided into florettes/leaves
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup Roasted Red Peppers (jarred or homemade) chopped
- 1 small Onion
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsely, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon organic dried oregano
- 1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot, fill 3/4 full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add cleaned maitake mushroom pieces and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool.
- Combine remaining ingredients, add cooked mushrooms. Mix well.
- Transfer to an airtight jar or other glass container. Store in the refrigerator. After 3 days you can enjoy them. They will keep for several weeks.
Notes
Made 12 quarts and I can’t wait for a few days to go by. Love this recipe.
I used this recipe with hen of the woods and it worked amazing! My MIL said it was the best thing she’s tasted in awhile…now, do you think this would also work with CHICKEN of the woods?? Please let me know if anyone has tried it!
Yes! It works great with CoW and a wide variety of other mushrooms too!
I loved this it was a different way to use the mushrooms and it came out super yummy. I halved the recipe and didn’t have enough liquid to cover the mushrooms so next time I might make extra juice. Also really easy to make. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Can the jars be processed so that the pickles can be stored longer on a shelf?
There are canned mushroom recipes that you can find on other sites. This recipe has not been tested for canning safety.
At step 3 when you strain the mushrooms after boiling, do you not keep some of the boiled water to add to the jar? I was told that the boiled water has medicinal value, and the apply cider vinegar is a little bit too acidic with the recipe. So if you add a half a cup of that boiled water it may cut down on the acidity, and allow the ingredients to be fully submerged in the liquid water, apple cider vinegar and olive oil and last longer. What do you think of this? Thanks!.
You are welcome to create your own unique custom recipe to fit your needs. Please let us know what tweaks you made and how it works out!!
I boiled the mushrooms in vegetable stock then strained the stock afterwards and saved it for soup. Yummm
How do you know so much about mushrooms? brr
The same I learned to start this blog, by research and constant learning.
Haley I am swimming in hen of the Woods. Could I use this recipe to can some in pint jars? 30 plus lbs of mrooms
this is NOT a shelf stable canning recipe, this is for a refrigerator stored pickled mushroom. THIS POST shares how we can our wild mushrooms, as in shelf stable, pressure canned.
How many pints of canned mushrooms does the recipe (as is) make? Just trying to adjust the amount for what I’m canning. This turned out to be a HUGE year for mushrooms and I literally have 50+ lbs of maitake that I need to process! Going to use your recipe for some of those.
This isn’t a canning recipe, this makes a refrigerator stored pickled mushroom. THIS POST shares how we can wild mushrooms.
The weight of the mushroom in the recipe should be 64 oz., 64 floz. It should not be fluid oz.
No idea what you are talking about. you need 8 cups of maitake mushrooms
My wife, my father and I would look for mushrooms up in Illinois. If we happen to find a sheep’s head, it was considered a prize. Oh, we always took along a gallon of wine and some cheese for a snack. Some of those sheep’s heads are immense. Miss that now that I live in Florida. Sheep’s head in Florida . . . Fat chance.
yummy. they are even tasty while making them. trying to wait 4 days now. tough job. thanks