Late summer to autumn
Wood hedgehog
Hydnum repandum
EdibilityGood edible mushroom
- Raw
- Do not eat raw
- Cooking
- Thorough cooking required, minimum time not established
- Review
- Certain identification required before any consumption
A fleshy mushroom with a spiny underside: short, decurrent spines must replace any interpretation based on gills.
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Guide contents
Guide contents
Season
From late summer through autumn, sometimes into early winter.
Habitat
On the ground in broadleaf, conifer or mixed woods, on cool humus, moss or litter, and not directly attached to wood.
Method
Check several visible features before retaining a species name.
Three features to check on the specimen.
Pale, irregular cap
The fleshy cap is creamy white to pale cream, sometimes softly apricot or salmon, with an often lobed and uneven margin.
Short, crowded spines
The underside bears numerous soft, whitish to pale salmon spines that run down the stem. It never has gills.
Solid, sturdy stem
The white to cream stem is solid, stout and sometimes slightly off-centre, with thick flesh that usually remains pale when cut.
Examine the specimen in this order.
- Turn the cap over and confirm genuine short spines running down the stem, with no gills between them.
- Cut a sound specimen to confirm thick, pale, firm and solid flesh.
- Confirm growth on the ground in a cool woodland setting rather than direct attachment to a trunk or stump.
Features incompatible with this species.
- Hydnum rufescens is generally smaller, more slender and more uniformly orange to terracotta.
- Any gilled surface, even a pale one, lies outside the visual group described by this guide.
- Old, bitter, parasitised or badly damaged specimens lose their readable features and must be discarded.
From an inspected basket to the kitchen
From an inspected basket to the kitchenDrying, storage and two recipes for Wood hedgehog.
Wood hedgehogs retain a firm texture in a mustard sauce or quiche, provided young, readable specimens are selected.
Wood hedgehogs with mild mustard
A creamy fricassee in which mild mustard balances the mushroom's firm texture.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
View the complete recipe
Ingredients
- 600 gYoung, identified Wood hedgehogs
- 2Shallots, finely chopped
- 1 c. à soupeOil
- 20 gButter
- 15 clDouble cream
- 1 c. à soupeMild mustard
- 2 c. à soupeChopped parsley
- 1 pincéeSalt and pepper
Method
- PrepareBrush the specimens, remove the earthy base and damaged spines, then cut the larger ones into pieces.
- Release the waterCook with the oil for 12 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
- SautéAdd the butter and shallots, then continue cooking for 8 minutes.
- Simmer the sauceAdd the cream and mustard, simmer for 10 minutes, season and finish with the parsley.
Have doubtful specimens checked and discard overmature ones. The mushrooms cook for 30 minutes here, but this duration cannot neutralise an identification error.
Wood hedgehog quiche
A generous quiche whose mushroom filling is fully cooked before it goes into the oven.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 55 min
- Serves
- 6
View the complete recipe
Ingredients
- 450 gYoung, identified Wood hedgehogs
- 1Shortcrust pastry
- 3Eggs
- 20 clDouble cream
- 1Sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 20 gButter
- 60 gGrated Gruyère
- 1 pincéeSalt, pepper and nutmeg
Method
- Cook the fillingClean and cut the mushrooms. Dry-fry them for 12 minutes, then cook for another 8 minutes with the butter and onion.
- Prepare the custardPreheat the oven to 190 °C and whisk the eggs with the cream and spices.
- Assemble the quicheLine the tin, spread out the cooked filling, pour in the custard and add the Gruyère.
- BakeBake for 35 minutes, until the centre is set and the top is golden.
The 20-minute pre-cooking step is mandatory before baking. Discard any bitter or degraded specimen, or one whose spines are no longer readable.
Documented limit
Drying Wood hedgehog: no retained protocol
This guide validates no species-specific drying time.This guide does not apply a generic drying time to Wood hedgehog. It recommends freezing after thorough cooking so that the method remains documented and appropriate for the species.
- Keep the batch whole, identifiable and separate until the inspection required by the guide.
- Do not automatically apply the temperature or duration intended for another species.
- Use the “Freezing after thorough cooking” method detailed in the Storage section instead.
- Read the general drying guide to understand equipment, checks and safety limits without inferring a protocol for this batch.
Recommended storage
Freezing after thorough cooking
Up to 3 months at -18 °C.Pan-cooked portions are easy to reuse in a sauce or quiche and avoid prolonging fresh storage.
- Clean and sort the young, identified specimens, then cut them into even pieces.
- Pan-cook for 20 minutes until fully cooked and no free water remains.
- Cool rapidly in a shallow dish and refrigerate within two hours.
- Pack into airtight portions, label with the species and date, then freeze.
- Reheat from frozen until the portion is uniformly hot.
