How to Prepare Maitake Mushrooms for the Freezer

Learn how to clean your Maitake mushrooms with this step by step video.

After harvesting three hen of the woods mushroom blooms you must get them prepared for the freezer if your not going to cook them up all at once. Watch this step by step cleaning process that I do to stock up the freezer.

[cgil]

TY for not killing the spider! As creepy as they are. LOL

[francismarcoux]

According to that spider ... you are the chicken of the wood :)

[trevorreilly]

thanks for the help I just found a great spot for mitake and harvested about 16 lbs and I had no idea what I was going to do with it yet!

[suzannastein]

This was great! I realize I have been preparing these wrong.Thank you!

[Star.tattoos]

This video is the best by far I’ve found. Found tons of bushels of these. So excited to prepare and keep them!

[cyclamengarden]

Amazing—Thanks for showing all the steps to preparing it for freezing. Very helpful.

[johnarsenault]

Thank you so much for posting this. I was very leery when a friend gave us a "Hen of the Woods" mushroom that he "found in the woods". I appreciate your cleaning lesson and cooking tips, also. I'm looking forward to trying it!

[kencurtis]

A very nice local man just gave me 2 of these huge mushrooms - I’m guessing 5-10 pounds total. I cooked some yesterday just to sample and make sure nobody was allergic and worked late today. But tomorrow we are going to have a big mushroom feast. I’m going to try to keep some fresh to share next weekend with family. But if it looks like it won’t stay fresh that long I will definitely be freezing what is left. He also gave me a small amount of oyster and lions mane.

[jeansmith]

THANKS. I have harvested maitake in CT for a number of years. My daughter, a chef, has handled the prep and use. I now need to do it myself and your video was extremely helpful. I tried a steak this time, S&P and drizzle of cognac..tasty and filling. I was uncertain about freezing, but they are big and plentiful here and I use some for soup.

[davemaza]

My wife and I just found out these were edible after seeing them around our area (MD). Harvested some this weekend but they were a little past it, all were a bit woody and most full of worms. With the bit we were still able to use she made a nice dish though. I hope to get out earlier next year and find some nice ones like you got in this video.

[libbybaker]

Thank you. I love how you cut them into different use shapes.

[ryankrajewski]

Bro, this is great. Thanks and much love. I found about 60 lbs yesterday. Definitely gonna freeze some. Appreciate the different cuts and uses too.

[tmagpie]

I just discovered maitake mushrooms at my local Hy-Vee grocery and your video was really helpful. Now I know how to clean and prepare them. I am really looking forward to eating them. Thanks!

[rochellekraut]

Wonderful video. Very helpful. I didn’t realize you could freeze the hen without cooking first. Will try this. I dint have dehydrator. Will try to dry some in law oven or over wood stove. Thank you,

[AnaLopez-nkzl]

Very helpful! I had no idea what to do with some my friend gave me, the burger idea sounds great!

[phyllismccoy]

Thank you 😊 I was happy to see how you cleaned them. I was told you don't have to clean them, that didn't sound right to me... thanks again

[mamadragon]

Don't know about insects, but there was a salamander in a big one that I hauled home once. He was escorted outside to the pile of leaves beneath one of our largest oaks and wished good luck.

[heidichristopherson]

Thanks for the video! We just found 7.4 lbs of Hens that I need to freeze. Found another smaller Hen as well and going to let it grow for a couple more days before harvesting. My 2nd favorite mushroom (morels are first) :)

[zwhirlwhorled]

Found my first 3lb hen today. Horray! Even 3lb is alot. Read they have been reported 25 lbs to 100lbs. Found some bears head tooth earlier in that area, was surprised and delighted to almost stumble upon the hen. Going to freeze some and try deep frying with batter, thanks.

[mikeallardii]

Big man like you scared of that little spider, hahaha, that's funny. Thank you for the video I just scored a large amount of the hen of the woods and wasn't sure what to do with it all.👍