Candied Wood Ear

There are lots of wood ears growing in the woods where I forage. I came up with the idea of preserving them in syrup so they can be enjoyed all year round. The key to candying is water evaporation during the simmering stage. Too much evaporation, and the syrup will become overly thick. Too little, and the syrup will not glacé the fruit. A 25 percent reduction of water is ideal. If you don’t want to use brandy, you can candy the mushrooms with just 3 cups of water instead.