Next time you’re in the mushroom woods, don’t hesitate to pick some pheasant backs for the table—sliced thin, ground down, pickled, or sautéed, you’ll be sorry you ever passed them up.

Before you begin preparation, you should know the pheasant back mushroom does not taste like other mushrooms. Although it is a mushroom, it tastes more like a cucumber or watermelon rind. If this is your first experience with it, you should make sure your recipe is for the pheasant back mushroom. Otherwise, you will be surprised by the outcome.

This product is packaged in a resealable stand up kraft paper bags with window. (5.5" x 8.6")

Dried mushrooms are a great way to enjoy the flavor and nutrition of mushrooms all year round. However, they need to be stored properly to prevent them from losing their quality or becoming spoiled. Here are some tips on how to store dried mushrooms:

- The most important thing is to use an **airtight container** to store your dried mushrooms. This will prevent them from absorbing moisture or odors from the air. You can use plastic resealable bags, glass jars, or metal tins if they have tight-fitting lids.

- The next thing is to choose a **cool, dark, and dry place** to store your airtight container. You want to avoid exposing your dried mushrooms to heat, light, or humidity, as these can degrade their flavor, texture, and nutritional value. A dark cupboard, pantry, or cellar is ideal.

- The last thing is to use your dried mushrooms within a reasonable time frame. Although they can last for a long time if stored properly, they will gradually lose their potency and freshness over time. For the best flavor and quality, use your dried mushrooms within **six months**. However, some sources say they can last up to **a year** or even longer if kept in the freezer.

I hope this helps you store your dried mushrooms better. 😊

Prepping a pheasant back for the table is pretty straightforward, so long as you remember one golden rule: slice them thin. They’re excellent sautéed on their own with a knob of butter or cooked alongside fresh spring vegetables like fiddleheads or asparagus. They smell and taste like cucumber or watermelon rind, so you can treat them with similar flavor pairings, like fresh dill and hot pepper. After being shaved thin, they also make great pickles.
You can also dehydrate and powder the mushrooms that are too tough to sauté or pickle. Use the dehydrated mushroom powder to create unique and savory soups and stocks.

Dryad Saddle Ramen
Ramen broth flavored with wild dryad saddle mushrooms. Mix and match your vegetables and garnishes with what is available and tastes good to you. You can also just add fresh pheasant back mushrooms to packaged ramen-it's ok!
Prep Time ; .5 hours
Cook Time ; 2.5 hours
Total Time ; 3 hours

Ingredients
For the broth
2 lbs. poultry carcasses or meat scraps like pork
2 cups each chopped carrot yellow onion, and celery
1 lbs. mature dryad saddles mushrooms plus 4 ounces that are young and tender for finishing the dish. Dry mushrooms can be substituted.
1 gallon water
2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil

Bouquet Garni:
2 cloves of fresh garlic crushed lightly with a knife
2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
5 black peppercorns

For finishing the dish
12 oz mixed spring vegetables of your choice I used fiddleheads, lily shoots, ramps, hop shoots and nettles
3 ounces young tender wild greens of your choice, like watercress, ramp leaves, chickweed, mustards or lamb’s quarter, etc, for finishing
Virgin sunflower oil or another flavorful oil like sesame
Fresh chopped cilantro or mint optional
1 thinly sliced jalapeno optional
12 ounces dried ramen noodles roughly 4 packs
Poached eggs optional
2-4 tablespoon Soy Sauce or to taste

Instructions
Broth
Preheat an oven to 350, roast the carcasses or scraps until golden, then cool and reserve. Roughly chop the mature dryad saddles, then process in a food processor to grind them fine. In a 3 gallon stock pot sweat the vegetables and ground mushrooms in the oil, then add the bouquet garni, roasted pork and bring to a simmer. Cook 1.5-2 hours or until the liquid is reduced by half, then strain through a fine chinois strainer, cool and reserve. From this point the broth can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until needed. Season the broth to taste with a little soy sauce.

Vegetables
Blanch the green vegetables in boiling salted water until al dente, then chill in an ice bath, drain and reserve. Scrape off the pores from the underside of the young dryad saddles, then slice as thin as possible with a sharp paring knife. Clean and wash any greens like watercress and pick the clusters of greens into pieces that will fit on a spoon. Heat the reserved pork-mushroom stock in a stock pot our a wide, deep pan big enough to accommodate all of the noodles.
Heat the reserved stock with the sliced young dryad saddles and heat until wilted. Double check the seasoning of the broth for salt and adjust as needed.

Noodles and Assembly
Meanwhile, Cook the ramen in lightly salted boiling water until tender, then drain and reserve.
Add the vegetables to warm them through, then add the cooked noodles.
To plate the dish, remove the noodles with tongs and divide evenly between four pre heated soup bowls. Use a slotted spoon to do the same with the vegetables. Garnish the soup with the reserved greens, any flavored oil, fresh mint poached eggs and shaved jalapeno if using, then serve immediately with a large spoon and fork.