Fall mushroom season is often celebrated by foragers with the arrival of a mushroom known as hen of the woods—a grey and off-white rosette shaped fungi that can grow quite large. Also known as maitake or Grifola frondosa, it resembles the ruffled feathers of a grey chicken and is found in association with mature oak trees ranging from the midwest to east coast of North America. Many specimens grow up to 30 lbs (yet single mushrooms weighing up to 100 pounds is not uncommon) and in the same spots year after year.

This tasty and highly versatile mushroom adds a meaty texture and a complex savory flavor to recipes. Due to its size in the wild, there is usually a lot of mushroom to work with which makes it great for a variety of preservation methods such as pickling, fermentation, dehydrated powder or as seasoned jerky. The individual caps of the mushroom can also be easily pulled apart, battered and deep fried for a flavorful and juicy tempura.

Adding this mushroom to the diet regularly has great benefits both medicinally and nutritionally. Due to the high content of beta-glucans (a complex carbohydrate) in this mushroom, it is considered one of the more potent medicinal mushrooms. Some promising uses for hen of the woods includes blood sugar regulation, immune system modulation, and support against cancer. The dehydrated and powdered mushroom is often added to medicinal mushroom blends for its health promoting benefits.

Don’t live where hen of the woods grows? Another benefit to this mushroom is that due to its saprophytic nature, it can be cultivated and is often widely available at many supermarkets. In stores, it is often is referred to it’s Japanese name ‘maitake.’ This is a great way to experience some new mushroom flavors for those who may not have luck foraging them in the wild or for those who may live in areas where they don’t grow wild. Try this seasonal pumpkin soup recipe to get a taste for the hen of the woods mushroom.

Hen of the Woods and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

2lb fresh hen of the woods (maitake) mushroom
1 medium to large pumpkin, try fairytale pumpkin for a rustic look
1 Tbsp oil or butter
1 yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup cashew milk, or heavy cream
1 cup mushroom broth, or water
1/4 tsp chili pepper, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
Pumpkin seedsChili oil
Fresh thymeSautéed hen of the woods

Directions:

Cut into the top of the pumpkin around the stem and remove the top, reserve—this will be your lid for cooking the soup inside the pumpkin. Remove seeds—these can be shelled and toasted as a garnish.

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Add the oil to a large pot on medium heat. Add chopped onion in a large pot and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms, thyme and soy sauce, cover with a lid and allow to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the mushrooms to release their water.

Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes, letting the excess water evaporate and sauté the mushrooms until they have browned. Add a splash of mushroom broth—about a 1/4 cup—to deglaze and lift all the browned bits of flavor at the bottom of the pot. Reserve a few sautéed maitake mushrooms for garnish and added texture.

In a high speed blender, combine the sautéed mushroom and onion mixture along with the thyme, soy sauce, cream and chili pepper if using, along with the remaining mushroom broth and blend until smooth and creamy. An immersion blender can also work directly in the soup pot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour soup into the pumpkin and replace the carved top with the stem to create a lid.

Cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. When serving, scrape the edges of the pumpkin to incorporate into the soup. Add a few reserved sautéed mushrooms, fresh herbs and chili oil to make a nice garnish for each bowl.

Fall fungi of Maine, 2021