Cooking with Cannabis: Chamomile Pickled Wild Mushrooms

August 5, 2020 steven

You know the routine: park the car a mile away on the other side of the road facing the other direction, making obvious tracks going the other way. All normal actions. A sustainable foraging expedition with baskets, not buckets. Double back, hide in the ditch, hike three miles zig zagging the entire way. Crawl on your belly if you have to, even though it’s always wet and raining during mushroom season. It’s always cold and windy. Hike another half mile in the wrong direction, then back to the car to enjoy some full spectrum cannabis and the warmth of the ride home. The car smells of quality cannabis and the wetness of the forest floor. Our baskets are full of gold… that gold being several pounds of Pacific golden chanterelles, a couple of cascade chanterelles and an entire basket of white chanterelles, which just happens to be the mushroom of the year over the past few years.

As a very devout lifelong forager and farm-2-fork driven chef, I rapaciously find myself deep in the woods, searching that dank, dark, forest floor, hunting my favorite prey — the vibrant Pacific golden chanterelle, the cascade chanterelle or even the more elusive white chanterelle.

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Foraging with a cannabis induced calmness allows me to repeat the whole clandestine entrance operation in a totally different direction to get out and not be seen. That spot is mine. Adrenaline pumping like a scared spring fawn, covered in mud, cold, drenched, and borderline hangry. My thoughts quickly shift to a hot cast-iron skillet, a warm fire, and food from the forest floor to share with family and friends.

Read also: How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms at Home

Each jar captures the nuances associated with the forest floor, helping to induce the calmness associated with the cannabis, CBD, and chamomile pickling. Hopefully the jars of pickled chanterelles will last until the next wild mushroom season. Isn’t it funny how we yearn for the next season when we can get muddy, cold, wet, and hangry all over again?

Recipe: Chamomile Pickled Wild Mushrooms

Equipment Needed

5 pint-sized jars with lids
Large stock pot
Canning tongs
Canning funnel
Large sauté pan (or use 2 if needed)
Measuring cups + spoons
Slotted spoons

Ingredients

3 lb wild foraged chanterelles (#1 or #2 buttons)
2 cups rice wine vinegar
1½ cups cider vinegar
1½ cups water
¾ cups organic cane sugar
3 tbsp local sea salt
1 tsp + ½ tsp for each jar, whole black peppercorns
1 tsp dried organic thyme leaves
8 fresh organic thyme sprigs (2 per jar)
1 tbsp dry organic chamomile flowers
1 tbsp + ½ tsp for each jar fennel seeds
5 small dry red chili pepper (1 for each jar)
2 tbsp + 1 tsp for each jar dried onion flakes
5 Pacific madrone leaves or bay leaves (1 for each jar)
1 gram water soluble CBD isolate
10 packets of cannabis-infused sugar – 2 for each jar (20mg CBD/20mg THC each)

Instructions

Dry sauté all of the mushrooms until they give up their liquid, about 10 to 15 minutes (this step is crucial when pickling chanterelles).
Once they’ve given up most of their liquid, sauté for 4 more minutes to dry them out.
In each jar add 2 packets of cannabis-infused sugar, 1 madrone or bay leaf, 1 tsp dried onion flakes, a dried red chilli pepper, ½ tsp fennel seeds, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, and ½ tsp whole peppercorns.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan with the mushrooms and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes then let rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and pack firmly into each jar, leaving half inch of space.
Ladle the cooking vinegar mixture into each jar (ensure the mushrooms are completely covered.)
Wipe the rims of each jar and seal finger tight.
Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Remove and let rest for 2 hours.
Tighten the rims and put the jars in your pantry.