Frozen wild mushrooms and berries let a holiday kitchen serve true wild ingredients after the fresh season ends. Matsutake, morels, chanterelles and lobster mushrooms are cleaned and frozen soon after harvest, and wild huckleberries and elderberries are frozen whole and loose. That keeps their aroma, color and texture far closer to fresh than drying does. Cook the mushrooms straight from frozen or after a refrigerator thaw, use the berries straight from the bag in baking, and you can put wild-harvest dishes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's menus.
This guide is for chefs, caterers and restaurant buyers working with the frozen and fresh side of the new Crown Fungi wild mushrooms and berries collection at Specialty Food Source. It covers what each item is, how to handle it from the freezer, and where it fits on a holiday menu.
Wild mushrooms and berries can't be scheduled. Mountain huckleberries in particular have not been domesticated: a University of Idaho Extension guide notes that most attempts to grow them commercially in fields have failed, so the supply is wild-picked in a short season. Holiday menus, on the other hand, are planned weeks in advance and have to be consistent from the first seating to the last.
Freezing closes that gap. A mushroom or berry frozen quickly after cleaning holds its aroma and color, and, unlike a dried product, needs no rehydration and gives no soaking liquid to manage. Each format has its place:
| Format | What it keeps | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh | Full texture and aroma | Sautés and plated dishes during the wild season |
| Frozen | Aroma, color and most of the texture; no rehydration | Holiday menus after the fresh season, consistent portioning |
| Dried | Concentrated, savory flavor plus a soaking liquid | Gravies, stocks, braises, long-held pantry stock |
For the dried side of the line, see our companion guide, how to cook with dried wild mushrooms.
Frozen matsutake are prized for a spicy, pine-like fragrance. The listing describes them as cleaned, blast-frozen mushrooms of US origin. Their aroma is the point, so season lightly. The classic use is matsutake gohan, Japanese rice cooked with dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sake, with sliced matsutake laid on top of the rice rather than mixed in. Clear broths, hot pots, and a simple grill or sear with a squeeze of citrus also show them off. On a holiday tasting menu, a small matsutake rice or consommé course stands out from the usual turkey-and-stuffing lineup. Don't confuse them with Himematsutake (Brazil mushroom), which is a different mushroom despite the name.
Frozen morels are wild morels from the Pacific Northwest, hand-picked and flash-frozen. Because they skip drying, they keep a meatier, more fresh-like texture than rehydrated morels. Thaw in the refrigerator, pat dry, sear in butter with shallot, then deglaze with Madeira or cognac and finish with cream. Serve with beef tenderloin, prime rib, veal, roast capon or a holiday egg course on a brunch menu.
Frozen chanterelles are cleaned, blast-frozen golden chanterelles of US origin with a fruity, gently peppery character. Cook them straight from frozen, let the water cook off, then finish with butter and thyme. They work in a chanterelle and turkey risotto, a pasta with brown butter and sage, or a garnish for roast poultry.
Frozen lobster mushrooms are hand-trimmed and blast-frozen, with a firm texture, bright orange color and a seafood-like flavor. That makes them a strong fit for the Feast of the Seven Fishes: a lobster mushroom chowder, a cream pasta with shellfish, or a rice dish where the color reads on the plate. They also give a vegetarian guest a real "seafood" course. See our Feast of the Seven Fishes pantry guide for the rest of the menu.
When they are in season, fresh wild chanterelles and fresh wild lobster mushrooms are available in 3 lb and 5 lb boxes. Fresh supply is seasonal, so check each product page for current availability before you build a dish around it, and keep the frozen version as your backup.
All four berry listings come as 5 lb bags of whole berries, frozen whole and loose, so you can pour out what a recipe needs and return the rest to the freezer. Keep them at 0°F (-18°C), and don't refreeze after thawing.
| Berry | Flavor | Holiday uses |
|---|---|---|
| Northern mountain huckleberries | Sweeter and more intense than blueberries, bright tart finish | Huckleberry pie, holiday brunch pancakes, ice cream, sauces for venison |
| Red huckleberries | Bright and tart, between cranberry and red currant | Cranberry sauce alternative, holiday cocktails and shrubs, jelly |
| Coastal huckleberries | Rich, tangy, deep dark color | Sauces for duck or game, pie, muffins, syrup |
| Elderberries | Deep, tart, earthy when cooked; intense purple | Cooked jam and jelly, cordial, pie, sauces for game |
For baking, use huckleberries straight from frozen. Folding frozen berries into batter keeps their color from bleeding as much as thawed berries would. For sauces, syrups and toppings, thaw in the refrigerator first. Menu ideas:
Elderberries must be cooked before eating. Oregon State University Extension explains that raw elderberries contain cyanogenic glycosides that can cause nausea and, in some cases, serious illness, and that cooking removes the risk. Stems and leaves carry higher levels, so remove any stems before cooking. Once cooked, elderberries make a deep purple jam, a cordial for holiday cocktails, a pie filling or a tart sauce for venison or duck. Never use them raw as a garnish.
For current pricing, check each product page, or use our request a quote form for holiday volume.
It depends on the recipe. Chanterelles can go straight from frozen into a hot pan; let the released water cook off before adding butter. When a recipe calls for thawed morels, thaw them in the refrigerator, never on the counter, and pat them dry. Always cook wild mushrooms thoroughly.
Frozen mushrooms keep their aroma and color well and are much closer to fresh than dried, but they release more water when cooked and are softer. Use a hot pan, cook in batches, and use them in sautés, sauces, risotto and soups rather than raw preparations.
Season lightly so the pine-like aroma comes through. Classic uses are matsutake rice cooked with dashi, soy, mirin and sake, clear broths and hot pots. Follow the package preparation instructions and cook them through.
Yes. The product listings recommend using huckleberries straight from frozen in pies, muffins, pancakes and smoothies, and thawing in the refrigerator for toppings, jam, syrup and sauces. Don't refreeze them after thawing.
No. Raw elderberries contain compounds that can cause illness, and university extension guidance says cooking makes them safe. Remove stems and always cook elderberries before serving.
Northern mountain huckleberries are deep purple and sweeter than blueberries. Red huckleberries are bright red and tart, like a cross between cranberry and red currant. Coastal huckleberries are small, shiny blue-black and rich and tangy. Each works best in different holiday dishes, as the table above shows.
Browse the full Crown Fungi wild mushrooms and berries collection to plan your holiday order.
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