In pine forests, preferably on warm western and southern slopes, one sometimes finds cauliflower-like formations that can be the size of a football or even larger. This is not an exotic bath sponge, but the coveted Krause mother hen. This parasitic fungus has many uses in the kitchen, but it needs to be thoroughly cleaned. The characteristic, intense aroma is intensified by drying, which is why you should preserve the Krause mother hen individually and not together with other mushrooms - their taste glosses over everything else.

The Krause mother hen is very easy to dry

Where can you find the Krause mother hen?

The curly hen (Sparassis crispa), also known as the fat hen, is one of the coral mushrooms that have good reason for their name: they have a special form that is outstanding in the world of mushrooms. Dense, curly to wavy mushroom leaves form the surface of the cauliflower-like mushroom. The curly hen must be firm and almost white when young. Older specimens - recognizable by their dark brownish to brown color - are better left standing, they taste tough and bitter. Do not take the whole mushroom with you, only the clean, white parts and remove tough stalks in the forest. You can usually find the aromatic edible mushroom between July and October directly at the foot of pine trees, more rarely under other conifers.

Before drying: Thoroughly clean the Krause hen

Before drying, the Krause mother hen must be cleaned well, as its windings not only hide sand, earth and pine needles, but also all kinds of creatures such as beetles and snails. The easiest way to clean the mushroom is to cut it into small pieces (no more than five millimeters thick for drying), dust thoroughly with flour and rinse in running water. This process is repeated until the mushroom is clean. You must then dry the mushroom pieces thoroughly, otherwise the drying process will take too long.

Drying Krause Glucke properly - Here's how

The washed and dried pieces of Krausen hen should never be threaded and air dried - the moisture will always mold and spoil them. It is better to dry the mushroom in the oven or in a dehydrator instead. The purchase of a dehydrator or drying oven is particularly worthwhile if you often want to dry mushrooms, but also fruit, vegetables and herbs yourself. However, drying in the oven is also quite simple, but takes a comparatively long time at around five hours. Here's how to do it:

  • Preheat the oven to a temperature between 50 and 70 °C.
  • Set "Recirculation".
  • Place the prepared mushroom pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Put this in the oven.
  • Clamp a wooden spoon or something similar between the oven door and the oven.
  • This allows escaping moisture to escape.

The mushrooms are sufficiently dry when they can no longer be bent. Instead, they should break right away.

tips

Even when frozen, the spicy Krause Glucke does not lose its aroma.

Category:

Vegetable garden