Mushroom delight: The ultimate guide to slippery jack prep and recipes

The mushroom-picking season is in full swing, and more and more photos of baskets filled to the brim with mushrooms are appearing online. You can find plenty of slippery jacks in the forest undergrowth, though some people complain they don't know how to prepare them to be tasty. This recipe will help bring out their flavour and preserve them in your pantry for longer.

Slippery jacks are among the most delicious mushrooms in British forests. They are perfect for pickling, frying, stewing, and cooking. However, they remain in the shadow of porcini and bay boletes, and less experienced mushroom pickers often wonder how to prepare them. When you encounter them on a forest path, immediately gather them into your basket. You will thank yourself later.

The cap of the slippery jack is covered with a thin, easily detachable skin. Before starting to pickle or stew the mushrooms, you must peel them. The skin is bitter and difficult to digest due to the dense and sticky mucus it contains. Eating mushrooms with the skin can lead to unpleasant digestive issues. Even dried, slippery jacks need peeling. The process of peeling mushrooms is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience. However, it is worth arming yourself with patience because the taste rewards the time spent in preparation.

You can stew, fry, pickle, and even dry slippery jacks. Pickled slippery jacks can be added to meat and salads or used as appetiser garnishes. You can also prepare an aromatic, creamy sauce with sour cream from them. They are perfect for risotto, scrambled eggs, soup, or pasta dishes.

It's also worth preparing slippery jacks pickled in vinegar. They are an ideal addition to meats or as a snack on the holiday table.

Ingredients:                      

• 1 kg of small slippery jacks,
• 350 ml of 10% vinegar,
• 2 large onions,
• 2 tablespoons of salt,
• 125 g of sugar,
• 1 carrot,
• 2 litres of water,
• spices: mustard seeds, whole peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves.

Preparation method:      

1. Select, clean, and cook the mushrooms in salted water for about 20 minutes. Then drain and rinse with lukewarm water.
2. Pour 2 litres of water into a pot, add vinegar, two tablespoons of salt, spices, sliced carrot, and quartered onion.
3. Cook for 15 minutes, add the slippery jacks, and cook for another 20 minutes.
4. Transfer the mushrooms and the marinade to sterilised jars, seal them, and cool them turned upside down.