Maitaike (Hen of the Woods) Jerky

(Recipe is for about one larger maitake fruting body – making roughly 2 cups marinade)

Soak Maitake in a large bowl or sink of water to loosen any sandy debris and wild critters you can set free. While soaking, blend the following in the blender:
1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar (best with homemade Apple Scrap Vinegar!)
3/4 c. Braggs Amino Acids (or your soy sauce of choice)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp of fennel seed
(optional) 4 hot peppers de-stemmed (e.g. cayenne, jalapenos, serranos)

Pour the above blended mixture into a large pot that would fit your mushroom find once cut up into pieces.

Then add the following ingredients of your choice to the above mixture:
(measurements are adjustable to your liking)
1 tsp of black pepper (ground)
1 Tbsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper powder
1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika

Stir in to the marinade and begin warming the mixture on the stovetop.

While the mixture comes to a boil, clean the maitake well with a brush and running water to eliminate any sandiness. Cut into jerky-sized pieces, slicing even the middle meaty “branches/stem.” Once pot comes to a gentle boil, add the maitake pieces, and bring to boil again, boiling for nearly 10 minutes while occasionally stirring.

Cool the pot before either putting entire mixture into large freezer baggies, or leave in pot for overnight soak (or at least 4-6 hours).

After the marinade-maitake mixture has marinated overnight, strain out the solid pieces of maitake and dehydrate (use a dehydrator if you have one or use your oven with the following instructions). Use the oven by laying them out atop a baking sheet (using parchment paper makes easy cleanup and easy transferring later). Bake at lowest setting available, (somewhere near 200 degrees F works well), checking every hour or so as it may take 6-12 hours depending on amounts and thickness.

Once cooled, store in an airtight container. They keep longer in the fridge, and freezing the extras you won’t eat up in a month or two may be a good option for having the snacking option later on. Reusing the marinade for another batch is doable as the mix is high in sodium and vinegar, but do so with caution to avoid any microorganisms growing and flavor compromising.

Enjoy your foraged gift from the forest!