The Krause mother hen has nothing to do with chickens. It looks more like a giant bath sponge. It is not particularly kind to its host tree, the pine: the fungus is a parasite and causes brown rot. Unmistakable and without any poisonous doubles, Krause Glucke is a culinary delicacy that is very difficult to clean.
The Krause Glucke should always be washed before consumption
Where to find the Krause mother hen
Sandy soil and pine trees: Here you can search very purposefully. Experience has shown that the Krause hen particularly likes to grow on western or southern slopes, usually directly on the roots of the pine. However, sometimes they can also be found on the trunk or on an old tree stump. Its fruiting body is the size of a fist when young, and as big as a soccer ball when ripe - and larger - and irregularly branched. The individual branches are curly and have an incurved edge. A lot of dirt collects here, in addition to sand and pine needles, beetles like to nest, snails and other smaller creatures hide here in large numbers.
Attention: Please leave the broad-leaved mother hen where it is
At the foot of firs and spruces there is a very similar broad-leaved hen, also a good edible mushroom. However, it is rare and classified as very endangered in the Red List of Germany's mushrooms. So please do not take this mother hen with you, just enjoy looking at it. You can recognize them by their wavy-shaped branches, which are whitish to straw-colored.
Cleaning Krause mother hen: it doesn't work without washing
Due to their special shape, sand, earth and all kinds of small creatures often get stuck in the coral-like branches of the mushroom. You should therefore not cut the Krause Glucke too deep or even turn it out of the ground, because it is difficult to free it from adhering soil. Therefore, do not take the whole mushroom with you, only the clean, young parts. At home, further cleaning is then carried out as follows:
- Cut the fruit body into thin slices about two to three centimeters thick.
- You can also cut the mushroom into bite-sized pieces right away.
- Remove coarse dirt with a brush or the tip of a knife.
- Place the pieces or slices in a freezer bag.
- Add a tablespoon or two of flour (Type 405 will do).
- Seal the bag and shake it gently
- so that the flour is evenly distributed and dusts all the mushroom parts.
- Rinse the dusted mushroom body under cold running water.
- Repeat the process until the Krause hen is satisfactorily cleaned.
You can then prepare the meat as desired.
Don't wash the curly mother hen?
In general, mushrooms should actually not be washed, as they soak up like a sponge and lose their flavor. However, fruiting bodies such as those of the Krausen hen contain a great deal of dirt that cannot be removed without the use of water.
tips
The Krause Glucke can also be preserved very well by freezing or drying. If it is to be dried, however, you should not wash it if possible.