chicken of the woods

[toilet digger]

how do all
today on the way home from the wood i managed to bag nearly 2 kilos of COTW, won't be using it until tomorrow night so i got it in a couple of pillow cases in the fridge.
my intention was to slice roughly and saute with a few bits but do any of you guys have any favourite recipes?, would love some inspiration.

regards jamie.

[Mafro]

Have you eaten it before Jamie?
If not cook a small piece up and eat it first, as some people have an intolerance towards COTW. If you are OK, then go for eating a meal of it the following day.

[greensurfingbear]

first time I ate it I just fried a wee bit and ate it. Didnt die or feel ill in any way so the next night I threw it in a stir fry as a meat substitute

[toilet digger]

good point chaps ge.

[Iona]

I think it works best in cassaroles. It'll suck up any amount of butter you throw at it, and has a tendency to dry out, but as a chicken substitute in a cassarole, stew (or with chicken in white wine, cream etc) it's second to none. My partner has an intolerance, makes him a bit queasy, but he's been known to eat it anyway and pay the price!

[Hushwing]

I've found that if I cook it to dry (overcooked) chicken texture I don't get any problems but still left slightly more fungi texture then I do - just a slight dicky stomach. Interesting to add to a casserole - might be good like that.

[TimChanner]

Has anyone eaten chicken of the woods growing on yew. Found a lovely one today and really want to eat it but some worries on the web...surely it must be ok. Have never heard of anyone being hospitalised by a bracket fungus!

[TimChanner]

Have already asked this, but wonder if any of you experienced chicken of the woods eaters have ever tried eating any that grew on yew wood. Found a lovely one this am, but nervous after reading that one should avoid if it is on yew....thoughts?

[toilet digger]

Have already asked this, but wonder if any of you experienced chicken of the woods eaters have ever tried eating any that grew on yew wood. Found a lovely one this am, but nervous after reading that one should avoid if it is on yew....thoughts?

wouldn't touch it with a bargepole mate. taxin (the alkaloid toxin found in yew) is pretty grim and the fact that COTW is parasiticly attached, i wouldn't take the risk it.
get out wandering in areas with lots of oak and find some more palatable specimens.
failing that keep your eyes peeled for giant puffballs.
regards jamie.

[plastic-ninja]

Anyone know if cotw can be dried or pickled. I've seen a huge one
must be 5kg but will be a pain to harvest so I want to make the
most of it.
Cheers , Simon

[bushwacker bob]

Anyone know if cotw can be dried or pickled. I've seen a huge one
must be 5kg but will be a pain to harvest so I want to make the
most of it.
Cheers , Simon

It can be cut into 1"ish cubes or strips and dried like most other fungi.

[plastic-ninja]

Further to my last post ; I did harvest it and it weighed in at an ounce under 10kg.
I will have to lose the edges as the slugs got there first but there is still a coopload of Cotw
to deal with!
Cheers , Simon

[Geoff Dann]

Further to my last post ; I did harvest it and it weighed in at an ounce under 10kg.
I will have to lose the edges as the slugs got there first but there is still a coopload of Cotw
to deal with!
Cheers , Simon

The edges are the bits you are supposed to eat! The centre is too bitter and woody.

[Toddy]

As an aside; I was told that CotW with ammonia would give a bright yellow orange dye on wool.
It doesn't.
It does give a cream of mushroom soup colour though

I get thoroughly fed up of folks reiterating 'someone says' about plants and dyes, and the urban myths become 'facts', so I'm slowly working my way through them and trying them out.

Weight for weight, Chicken of the Woods does not give a yellow or orange dye on wool with ammonia, iron, copper, alum, vinegar or salt.........it's pale mushroom all the way

cheers,
M

[Geoff Dann]

I get thoroughly fed up of folks reiterating 'someone says' about plants and dyes, and the urban myths become 'facts', so I'm slowly working my way through them and trying them out.

I just found a load of Dyer's Broom last week and was thinking about trying it out. Have you tried that for bright yellow dye?

[plastic-ninja]

We ate one "plate" of it tonight as a casserole. Not sure why you say waste the centre part as it was fine.
The only bit I don't fancy is the joint of fungus and tree and the edges that the slugs had been chewing on.
This one was perhaps a little mature but definitely very edible right through.
Mary I guess anything with such bright colouring gets assumed to be a very vivid pigment.I have heard that a
dye made from Fly Agaric will make hankies red with white spots like Peter Rabbit's.
Cheers , Simon

[Toddy]

I'm told that if you boil it up in milk and drink it then you 'will' be seeing red with white dots :rolleyes; among other things that is

I agree with you on the CotW, I just cut away the sort of stem/trunk thick bits, anything that looks dodgy round the edges, and use the rest. It's usually such an enormous fungus, lot of eating in it. I usually just take one or two of the fans and leave the rest on the tree.

Geoff, Dyer's Broom is very good and not only yellows, but greens too if you use copper as a mordant.

cheers,
M

[Native Nathan]

found this on the net a while back

Chicken of the Woods Omelette recipe (serves 4)

1 cup diced Chicken of the Woods
1/4 cup shredded cream cheese
2 or 3 shallots, diced
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
5 or 6 eggs
1/2 cup cream or milk
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons butter

Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan over low heat. Beat the eggs and cream, add salt and pepper to taste and pour into the pan. As the eggs start to cook, sprinkle the Chicken of the Woods, cheese, shallots and parsley over the top. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until the egg mixture sets. Fold the omelette over and remove from the heat; cover and let sit for 1 minute.