If you’ve ever eaten maitake mushrooms, you’ve eaten Hen of the Woods (aka Grifola frondosa). Whatever you call it, this meaty bracket fungus has excellent taste and substance. Hen of the Woods is a polypore, which means that its undersides have pores, not gills. It usually grows at the base of hardwood trees or from underground tree roots, and is a perennial mushroom. You’re likely to find it growing in the same place, year after year, until it kills the host tree.
Hen of the Woods can be hard to spot in its native habitat. Since its color is somewhere between that of oak bark and that of fallen oak leaves, you need sharp eyes for this treasure hunt. I’ve stood next to a friend who stood next to a hen, and for the life of her, she couldn’t see it! When you do spot one, you’re likely to make a major haul. It’s not unusual for a large hen to weigh many pounds.
Hen of the woods is a fast-growing, early fall mushroom that appears after a good, soaking rain. I’m guessing it got its common name because someone thought it looked like the ruffled feathers of a hen, although I think that’s a stretch. It has no poisonous look-alikes, which makes it an excellent mushroom for beginning foragers. Superficially it resembles one other mushroom, the black-staining polypore (Meripilus sumstinei). Fortunately, this is also edible, although not as delicious as maitake, so if you make a mistake you’re in no danger. Btw, you’ll know right away if you’ve picked the black staining polypore…they don’t call it black-staining for nothing. It takes days for the color to wear off your fingers.
Numerous gray-brown caps or brackets (with white undersides) branch off of a thick, fibrous white stem. Older specimens may be tough and buggy, so break off a few pieces before harvesting a giant clump. If it smells fresh and looks free of insects, carve yourself off a hunk and bring it home.
Hen of the woods is substantial enough to be served as a main course. I hesitate to say meat substitute because it tastes nothing like meat. But it adds meat-like substance to pasta dishes, casseroles, egg dishes, and stir fries.
The brackets are the tender, choicest parts of the mushroom. At least once in your life, try roasted hen of the wood caps. Break off bite sized pieces, toss them in butter or olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread them on a cookie sheet and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Check and turn/stir to cook evenly, then return to the oven, checking every 5 minutes until the edges just start to turn crispy. I can’t begin to describe how delicious these are. It’s the purest way to enjoy their flavor.
And don’t throw away that tough, fibrous stalk! It can be used to make mushroom stock, or minced and made into duxelles.
Maitake is one of the few mushrooms that can be frozen without blanching or cooking. Clean it, cut it into pieces, then freeze. It’s as simple as that.
This year I found a tender, clean hen MUCH later than usual, after we’d already had several hard freezes. Usually, by this time of year, hens are buggy, tough remnants of their former selves. I can only guess that this one got a late start, then was perfectly preserved by our unseasonably early snow. The insects either never found it (because of its late emergence), or were killed off by the freezing temperatures. Many other mushrooms would have turned to glop after freezing and thawing, but remember, hens can be frozen raw, and this one was as delicious as if I’d picked it fresh.
Thanks for this!
I have a red feathery mushroom growing out of a cherry tree stump. I think it’s in the Hen Of The Woods family. I would like to send a picture of it to you.
Hi James, Well it’s a little early for hen of the woods, but you never know. Also, hens are neither red nor feathery. I don’t identify fungi from photos because some key identification characteristics are difficult to include in a photo (like spore color, smell, texture). Also, the consequences of misidentifying a mushroom can be dire, not to mention the fact that we live in a litigious society. That being said, here are two good FB groups for mushroom identification: https://www.facebook.com/groups/117808248330980 and https://www.facebook.com/groups/378656505925172. Good luck!
Great article. I never knew what to do with the stalks (sometimes would freeze to make stock but often would just toss). I love the idea of making duxelles!
A friend of mine gave me part of a very large harvest, there were quite a few bugs in them though when I went to clean them. Does this mean they are past good?
There are almost always a few bugs in mushrooms but “quite a few” isn’t a good sign. Are the fronds soft and bendy or stiff and hard? If the latter, it’s past it’s prime. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you if the mushroom is past good without seeing and feeling it.
They are definitely soft and bendy! Thanks for responding also, love your page.
In that case, soak them in salted water for 15-20 minutes to drive out the bugs, then let them dry on a paper towel before you cook them.
I found what I believe is a Hen of the woods but it’s very much white not tan or brown, is that normal or is
it not a Hen ?
Hi Bob, Hens can vary greatly in color, but I can’t tell you if what you found is or isn’t a Hen without seeing it. You can post a photo on my FB page if you like: https://www.facebook.com/thebackyardforager
I enjoy spending time in the woods, mostly hunting or walking the dogs. Several weeks ago I had the chance to talk with a couple who are avid mushroom hunters… very knowlegeable. They introduced me to the hen and said there are quite a few other edible mushrooms found year round, I’ve seem many but was afraid to step into that lane, they harvested several big chunks of hen and said “that one is yours if you want it”. I picked it a few days later and what an amazing find… I’m so impressed. I’ve been looking at several you tube videos on identification and will be finding a mushrooming group here in Michigan… Lot easier to walk away empty handed trying to hunt deer on public land. Now I can bring home something most any trip out. Thanks !
Congratulations! And welcome to the wonderful world of wild mushrooms!
I found what looks like hen of the woods, but they are more on the grey side and fairly stiff. I want to make sure I got the right ones. I found a couple of creatures there, so I want to make sure to prepare them the right way if they are indeed hen of the woods.
Thank you!
annagershenson@gmail.com
The color of Hens can vary greatly, but I can’t identify it for you without seeing it. You’re welcome to post the photo of my BackyardForager FB page: https://www.facebook.com/thebackyardforager It’s not unusual to find bugs in mushrooms; soaking them in water usually gets rid of most of them.
I heard that they are not commonly found and I have a large collection near my home. How do I locate a user?
Hen of the Woods are usually a fall mushroom, but that will depend on where you forage. I’m sure if you post on FB or Craig’s list you’ll find people willing to take some of your hands. It’s so tasty! If you’re looking to sell them I can’t help, because every state has different rules about harvesting and selling wild mushrooms.
Thanks.
Do you find that if you roast a hen that was carefully cleaned and then frozen that the texture of the “leaves” is nowhere as good as if you’d roasted it fresh?
I’ve never done a side by side comparison, but it sounds like you had a disappointing experience. Is that the case? My gut tells me that once frozen, the thawed fronds would best be used in certain applications, like soup, sauce, quiche, casserole, as opposed to the roasting described in the post. The flavor should be just as good, but the texture might be softened by freezing and thawing.