How to Choose, Store and Eat Mushrooms With a Lion’s Mane
If you’ve been to a farmers’ market recently (or live near a bougie grocery store), you may have seen them. They look like pale little tribles – fluffy, soft and cute, but they are mushrooms and they have a sinister side (they kill trees).
Lion-Maned Mushrooms get their fierce name from their appearance, but they have a mild, sweet taste that some have likened to crab or even marzipan. I can discern both almonds and a light seafood aroma in the front, but those subtle aromas are quickly replaced by soft, earthy mushroom notes. They are good on their own, and their spongy little bodies will soak up whatever flavorful fat you cook them with. They are fun to watch, fun to cook — you can break them like soft bread — and fun to eat. But, like all mushrooms, they require special care.
How to choose them
Lion-Maned Mushrooms are parasites that attack and kill living trees so that they can feast on their dead bodies. Therefore, gathering for them is an act of service. Besides vertical trees, furry threats can be found on tree stumps, fallen branches, or dead fallen trees (their favorite food). Be careful if you live in an area that has a lot of birch, maple, or oak, especially if that birch, maple, or oak has fallen.
You can also find them at trendy grocery stores for trendy people (or farmers markets). They should look fluffy, white or pale yellow (they darken with age), dry and free from bruises (dirt is normal). They shouldn’t have a strong odor, so avoid specimens that smell anything other than mushrooms.
How to store them
Lion-maned mushrooms will last up to a week with proper storage and care, and they really aren’t that finicky. Just keep them out of water – don’t wash them until you’re ready to eat them, if not at all – and store them in the refrigerator away from the direct flow of cold air. (A box of fresher potatoes will work.) If you bought your fluffy balls from the farm, they might be in some kind of ventilated bag and you should keep them there, but a paper bag will work too if you don’t. • Fill bag more than half full (allow babies to breathe).
When you’re ready to eat them, simply brush off all the dirt with a mushroom brush (or pastry brush) and cut off the small woody “leg.” If you just need to wash them, rinse them very quickly under cold running water and squeeze gently to remove any excess. Tear them apart before cooking and let dry on paper towels or a clean hand towel.
How to eat them
Lion’s Mane mushrooms are very soft and naturally quite moist, with a cheerful, firm texture, almost fleshy. Large mushrooms can be chopped into boards before sautéing in oil, or you can chop them into small pieces, drizzle with oil and sauté until golden brown. Basically, cook them like any other mushrooms (with oil) and eat them like any other mushrooms (with joy).