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Description:
The aroma and taste
of this mushroom is unmistakably that of maple syrup. “You are what you
eat.” When you eat garlic, the next day you stick of garlic. When you eat
candy caps the next day you smell sweet like that of maple syrup. These
mushrooms are small, delicate, red-brown mushrooms with a watery, milky or
latex juice that bleeds out of them when the mushroom is cut or bruised. The
maple syrup or curry fragrance becoming more intense when dried. They are
found in many habitats, usually late in the mushroom season.
Nutritional /
Medicinal value:
N/A
Handling:
This mushroom should be cleaned, prepared and cooked
the day it arrives due to its perishable nature. To clean candy caps brush
or wipe clean, do not wash them, as this will cause them to blacken and rot.
These mushrooms can be wormy, especially the stems, so check the interiors
carefully. If you notice some worms then dry them. This is the best way to
preserve them; either dried whole or powdered they will maintain their
fragrant odor and flavor for years.
Season /
Availability:
Fall / Winter
between October and February usually only available for two to three weeks
during there season.
Cooking / Prep. Tips
& Ideas:
Never serve this mushroom raw; even
young petite candy caps have been known to cause allergic reactions in some
people. Candy Caps are delicious freshly cooked but sweeter dried: excellent
in desserts such as cookies, breads, waffles, pancakes, custards and ice
cream. It also pares well with pork as a relish or chutney in savory dishes.
Candy caps should be served independently from other mushrooms on a same
dish due to its uniqueness flavor, which is best highlighted. One exception
to this opinion seems to be with black morels that the rich and sweet seem
to balance out
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