Brewer's Mushrooms

 DOSING INSTRUCTIONS ARE BASED ON A HEALTHY ADULT

RECOMMENDED DOSING INSTRUCTIONS TAKEN FROM "MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS, AN EXPLORATION OF TRADITION, HEALING, & CULTURE" BY CHRISTOPHER HOBBS AND "MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS, A CLINICAL GUIDE" BY MARTIN POWELL .

TYPICALLY 1 oz. OF DRIED MUSHROOMS WILL MAKE 1 GALLON OF MEDICINAL TEA. THE TRADITIONAL RATIO FOR MUSHROOM TEA PREPARATION IS 1 PART MUSHROOMS TO 5 PARTS WATER BY VOLUME (TWO 8 oz. GLASSES PER DAY ARE RECOMMENDED)

Making Mushroom Tea (Water Extraction): To make a pleasant medicinal mushroom tea, simply add your mushroom slices or pieces to a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil and then cook at a hot simmer for at least 1 hour. Next, strain the mixture through a colander or kitchen strainer. You can also ladle your mushroom tea from the pot as your mushroom pieces will settle to the bottom after cooking. Add flavors traditionally found in teas such as sugar and lemon. Medicinal mushroom teas also blend well with other prepared teas. The possibilities are endless for the creative medicinal mushroom connoisseur. Mushroom teas should be kept refrigerated or even frozen for long term storage of large batches. (SEE SPECIFIC DOSAGE RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW)

Making Mushroom Tonic (Concentrated Water Extraction): Each 8 oz. package of our dried mushrooms will make 1 gallon of tonic. Empty the entire contents of your mushroom packet into your slow cooker along with 1 gallon of water and set it to low. This will typically be about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you would like to add some additional flavor to your tonic, simply add organic chicken or beef bones and herbs to make a delicious and healthy soup stock. We generally recommend that you allow your tonic to cook for 72 hours in order to fully extract the medicinal constituents from the mushrooms. The woody medicinal mushrooms, suck as TurkeyTail and Artist Conk, require a long hot bath to break down. You will need to add water during the cooking process to maintain the level at the 1 gallon mark. Once your tonic is done, pour it through cheese cloth or a kitchen strainer into a separate container to remove the large pieces of mushroom mash. Don't forget to squeeze the strained-off mash into your new container to capture all of your tonic that has been absorbed by the mushrooms. Next, pour your tonic into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, you can store your cubes in the freezer in a plastic storage bag or container. Melt 1 cube twice daily into hot soup, tea, coffee, or any beverage for an effective medicinal dose. (SEE SPECIFIC DOSAGE RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW)

Making Mushroom Tincture (Alcohol Extraction): Each 8 oz. package of our dried mushrooms will also make 1 gallon of tincture. Add 1 gallon of 80 proof or greater vodka or other clear spirits to a large canning jar or similar wide mouth sealable glass container. Next, add your package of ground mushrooms, seal the container, and give the whole thing a shake. For smaller batches of tincture, simply use less alcohol and divide your mushroom package accordingly. Let your tincture rest at room temperature for two weeks, shaking the jar once a day. Once your tincture is done, pour it through cheese cloth or a kitchen strainer to remove the large pieces of mushroom mash. Don't forget to squeeze the strained off mash into your new container to capture all of your tincture that has been absorbed by the mushrooms. This yields a "single extraction".

You can then take it a step further and create a "double extraction". Combine your remaining mushroom mash with 5 times its' volume of water in a pot. Bring this mixture to a hot simmer and cook for 1 hour. Allow the mixture to cool and then strain off the mushroom mash. Next, continue simmering this strong tea until it is back to its' original volume or reduced by 5 times. Add this to your single extraction. This yields a stronger, more robust medicinal tincture. As mentioned above, flavors traditionally used with clear spirits such as lemon or even licorice often mix well with medicinal mushroom tinctures. We prefer to store our mushroom tinctures in the refrigerator or freezer as well, but room temperature storage is fine if using immediately. You can take 1 tsp. twice daily directly or mix it with a little juice to take the edge off. ( SEE SPECIFIC DOSAGE RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW)

Recommended Dosing Instructions:

Artist Conk (Ganoderma applanatum): Tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Tea: Up to 30 g. of mushroom in tea/day. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

Reishi (Ganoderma sp.): Tea, soup stock, tonic, or tincture (alcohol extraction). Dosage: Tea or Stock: Up to 30 g. of mushroom in tea or stock/day. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 10 ml. 3x daily.

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor): Tea, tonic, or tincture (alcohol extraction). Dosage: Tea: Up to 20 g. of mushroom in tea 3x daily. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

 Chaga (Inonotus obliquus): Tea, tonic, or tincture (alcohol extraction). Dosage: Tea: 3 cups per day of tea prepared with 3 cm. of Chaga per pot. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily. 

How to Rehydrate your Dried Mushrooms

Oyster (Pleurotus sp.): Rehydrate and cook as you would any mushroom. Grind or crumble dried mushroom and add to soups, sauces, gravy, or any recipe in which mushroom flavor is desired. Oyster can also be made into a tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Cooked, ad lib. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

Maitake (Grifola frondosa): Rehydrate and cook as you would any mushroom. Grind or crumble dried mushroom and add to soups, sauces, gravy, or any recipe in which mushroom flavor is desired. Maitake can also be made into a tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Cooked, ad lib. Tea: Two 8 oz. glasses per day. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus): Tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Tea: 3-12 g. of mushroom in tea/day. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

Lions Mane (Hericium erinaceus): Rehydrate and cook as you would any mushroom. Grind or crumble dried mushroom and add to soups, sauces, gravy, or any recipe in which mushroom flavor is desired. Lions Mane can also be made into a tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea): Rehydrate and cook as you would any mushroom. Grind or crumble dried mushroom and add to soups, sauces, gravy, or any recipe in which mushroom flavor is desired. Puffball can also be made into tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Cooked, ad lib. Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes): Rehydrate and cook as you would any mushroom. Grind or crumble dried mushroom and add to soups, sauces, gravy, or any recipe in which mushroom flavor is desired. Shiitake can also be made into tea, tonic, or tincture. Dosage: Cooked: (dried 6-16 g./day)(fresh 90 g./day). Tonic: 1 cube twice daily. Tincture: 1 tsp. twice daily.

It is recommended to consult with a doctor prior to taking chaga tea if you are pregnant, nursing, or currently on any prescription medications.

• 1 Lions Mane mushroom*, cut into 1/4" slices
• 1/2 cup clarified butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/8th tsp kosher salt
• 1/8th tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fresh parsley, finely minced  

continue to read for the rest of the recipe
serves 4

The Oyster Mushroom Soup Recipe

Yield: 1/2 gallon/64 ounces

Ingredients:
32 oz.  Brewers Oyster Mushrooms, picked and separated from their bunch, leave whole (I've actually used a pound, flavor just intensifies with more mushrooms)
32 oz. Chicken Stock
32 oz. Heavy Cream
6 oz. Leeks, finely chopped
8 oz.. Butter
8 oz. Flour
1/2 TB Fresh Thyme, finely chopped

Dry Mustard as needed for seasoning
Cayenne Pepper as needed for seasoning
Black Pepper as needed for seasoning
Salt as needed for seasoning

Cooking Procedure:
1. Melt butter

2. Once butter is melted, add leeks and/or onions (whichever you prefer) and sautee until slightly translucent. Add mushrooms and sautee until they are limp and slightly soft. Add thyme and sautee for about
30 seconds to a minute.

3. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for one minute to cook raw flour flavor out. (8 ounces may not be completely necessary. "You can always add more, but you can't take it out later", as my grandmother has always said. Add enough flour to make the onions and mushrooms come together in a paste, becomes congealed, or until the butter and flour combination resembles wet sand.)

4. Add heavy cream and chicken stock. Bring to a small simmer or until it is almost boiling. This is where the soup gets its thick, creamy consistency!

5. Once you see bubbles and notice the soup start to thicken, transfer the soup to a food processor and puree until smooth. (You may also use an immersion or stick blender, which is my personal preference as it makes less of a mess!)

6. Season to your personal taste with the spices listed above.

7. Garnish with fresh chopped chives and croutons of your choice!

Ingredients

¼ stick butter

3 cups fresh Brewer's Oyster Mushrooms

1 fresh Brewer's Shiitake mushroom (cut into pieces)

¼ cup ground hazelnut

2 1/2 cups  shiitake mushroom stock

2 cups milk

¼ teas. ground nutmeg

3 Tbs. heavy crème

Fresh Parsley or Thyme

Sea salt

Melt butter in large saucepan, add the frsh oyster mushrooms and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the juices run. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently in the juices for 5 minutes. Take out 2 Tbsp. of the mushrooms and reserve for garnishing later.

Stir hazelnuts into the mushrooms in the pan then add the stock, milk, nutmeg and season to tast. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Process the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the rinsed out pan , stir in the cream and the reserved cooked mushrooms reheat gently until piping hot but not boiling. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Add fresh parsely on top. Serve with warm crunchy bread for dipping.  Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. fresh Brewers Oyster Mushrooms

1 small onion or leek

2 small green onions

1/2 garlic bulb (crushed and cut into pieces)

sea salt

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sauté mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon salt for about 4 minutes, add onions and garlic. Saute' for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Season with salt, then transfer to a plate to cool. Serve at room temperature. Excellent over salads. Add to any dish that calls for mushrooms...Serves 4-6