Alright, I took sticky, slimy Slippery Jack home. Sure, he's wild, and that scares some folks. Other folks are acquainted with him, but don't think too much of him. I think he's decent - pretty good, even, once you get to know him.
Here in Part 2, learn to clean up Slippery Jack, take him to dinner, and keep him in shape for more than a couple days. You can find Part 1 right here. That's where we got to meet Slippery Jack, Suillus luteus. We found out where he hangs out, and learned some helpful some details about his lifestyle. I hope you get to know Slippery Jack well. You may even want to introduce him to your friends and family!
Getting Slippery Jack Cleaned Up
When I get Slippery Jack home I have to clean him up - every time! And I need to get busy with it, pretty quick. If I wait more than a day, Slippery Jack ages before my very eyes. Certainly, I cut off the lower part of the stalk if I didn't do that outdoors, because that's where most of the dirt is - and insect larvae. If you are bothered by the mention of insects in food - please look away. They are a reality of some mushrooms and have to be dealt with.
If Slippery Jack's stalk is still solid, I will use it, too, but I peel it. Either way, I remove his stalk from his cap. Then I focus on his cap. Every time - every time - I peel his cap. That's important.
If he is older, his pores are going to be spongy, not firm. If that's the case, I remove them - mostly to check for bugs. If his pores are young and tight, I leave them on the cap.
Then I do more assessment. If he in in prime condition, that's great! But if he has some larvae in his cap, I have to take action. I soak him in salt water for a few hours and then rinse him off well. I use about 1 Tablespoon of salt per cup of water. How much larvae is too much? That depends on your own personal squick tolerance level. That's not an official term, but you will know it, if Slippery Jack has crossed it.
Have Dinner With Slippery Jack
Perfect Slippery Jacks
Now that Slippery Jack is all cleaned up and dressed nicely, what will we be having for dinner? It depends on how we are getting along. If I am hungry, I will cook him right away, in a skillet. If Slippery Jack is in good shape, I like using the caps whole. I did just that when I made my Slippery Jack Sandwich in one of the Steemit Culinary Challenges.
Damaged Slippery Jacks
If I soaked Slippery Jack in salt water to remove insects, then I'll only have smaller pieces to use. In either case, the key is to dry-saute the Slippery Jack, without any oil. Because he is slippery enough already - he needs a lot of moisture cooked out of him. That's means he will shrink up a lot, by the time he's cooked and ready to eat.
Dehydrate Slippery Jacks
If Slippery Jack is in good shape, but I want to save him for later, I like to dehydrate him. I just slice him up, even with the pores on, if they are young and tight. I set the dehydrator somewhere between 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes a couple days to really get Slippery Jacks dried out. Sometimes, I also dry the older pores, if they are in good shape, too - not buggy or too soft.
I think the dehydrated Slippery Jacks are good in soup. I used them in my Sheep Sorrel Weed Soup in the most recent Steemit Culinary Challenge. They give a nice depth of flavor to a light soup, so I don't have to use chicken broth or a vegetable stock.
Pickle Slippery Jacks
I also pickle Slippery Jacks. I made some refrigerator pickles with them this fall. I only had a few at the time and didn't need to preserve them for a long time. So I made refrigerator pickles using some leftover pickle juice. I just boiled the Slippery Jacks for 15 minutes. Then I covered them with them with pickle juice from a jar of pickled hop shoots that I had made this spring. I had eaten all the delicious pickled hop shoots, but saved the juice for an occasion just like this with the Slippery Jacks. After a couple weeks, those Slippery Jack pickles were great in a weed salad. They would be even better on a cracker with some cream cheese and parsley - like escargot!
What Do You Think?
Would you eat any of these Slippery Jack mushrooms? Do you eat other wild mushrooms? Are you interested in learning to eat wild mushrooms? What about other wild food? I really want to know!
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