Minnesota is now ripe for the picking! Amidst the state park forests and trails you will find mushrooms, ramps, leeks, wild asparagus, fiddle-head ferns, and the aromas of spring fresh in the air. Foraging has always been one of my favorite past times: getting fresh air, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and hunting for Minnesota’s treasures. I have always had an affinity toward morels (See my morel butter recipe!) but this year I have found a new obsession: the Pheasant Back mushroom, also called the Dryad’s Saddle. It’s a large, disc-shaped mushroom with a light, delicate flavor — almost like a cucumber or watermelon rind.
Last week’s foraging trip was a success. No morels, but there were pheasant backs everywhere. We brought home around twenty pounds of them! We’ve been enjoying the tender caps sliced and roasted or sauteed with oil or butter. They were baked into a quiche, made into a topping for pork chops, added into an Asian noodle dish – and they would be delicious in the recipe below! We had so many we simply roasted the rest to save in the freezer. We saved the tough parts and woody stems of the mushrooms to make a mushroom broth to freeze as well.
When foraging pheasant backs, the trick is to make sure they are still tender and tasty. You should be able to easily pierce and slice the thinner cap part with your knife. An over-grown pheasant back is tough, bitter, and not worth the grab. You will also notice it is overgrown if it has a larger spore texture on it’s under-side.
I didn’t know it before, but pheasant backs are actually really good for you. I found out that the Pheasant back mushroom:
-contains vitamins B complex, C, and D as well as essential minerals such as iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium.
-has minimal amounts of sodium, fat, and cholesterol.
-is rich in antioxidants and can boost your immunity against common diseases, such as cold and flu.
-is rich in dietary fiber, so it’s great for promoting a healthy digestive system.
-helps manage your blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol, regulate your blood pressure, and improve your overall cardiovascular health.
You can find them growing in low, moist, areas and they live on dead elm trees and live maples. They have no poisonous look-alike, either. They are available from May until November, so keep your eyes peeled if you go for a hike — you just might bring home dinner!