Monday, February 25, 2013

Popular Edible Mushrooms


The most popular edible mushrooms


Agaricus (white mushroom, button mushroom)

Widely available; varies in color from white to light brown and in size from small to jumbo stuffer; plump and dome-shaped; pleasing flavor intensifies when cooked. Mature Agaricus with open veils have an intensely rich taste. Agaricus is quite versatile, being excellent for use both raw and cooked. Also available canned and dried.

AKA - common mushroom, button mushroom, white mushroom, table mushroom, champignon mushroom, crimini mushroom, Swiss brown mushroom, Roman brown mushroom, Italian brown, Italian mushroom, cultivated mushroom, or when mature, the Portobello mushroom

Grow your own: Seasonal White Button Mushroom Growing Kit

Chanterelle (girolle)
Vase-shaped; ranging in color from bright yellow to orange; nutty and delicate flavor and texture; expensive when fresh; also available dried and canned. Add late in the cooking process to avoid toughening. Use in salads, sauces and risottos.

AKA - girolle, egg mushroom, pfifferling

Crimini (Italian brown)

Naturally dark cap that ranges in color from light tan to rich brown; rich, earthy flavor is more intense than that of the button (Agaricus). Substitute for button mushrooms to add a more full-bodied flavor. The mature version of the crimini is the Portabello.

AKA - common mushroom, button mushroom, white mushroom, table mushroom, champignon mushroom, crimini mushroom, Swiss brown mushroom, Roman brown mushroom, Italian brown, Italian mushroom, cultivated mushroom, or when mature, the Portobello mushroom
Enoki

Long stems and tiny, snow-white caps; small white mushrooms are joined at the base and resemble bean sprouts; light and mild, almost fruity, flavor with a crisp texture. Also available canned. Before using, cut away from the communal base. Use in sandwiches, salads and as garnishes. If you use them in a cooked dish, add at the last possible moment as heat toughens enoki.

AKA - enokitake; enokidake; snow puff mushrooms; golden mushrooms; velvet stem
Enotaki 

Grow your own: The Enokitake Mushroom 
Morel 
A relative of the highly-prized truffle; tan to dark-brown, cone-shaped, spongey; smoky, earthy, nutty flavor; expensive and also available canned and dried. The darker the mushroom, the more pronounced is the flavor. This mushroom must be cleaned well when fresh due to its dimpled head.

Grow your own:  Morel Mushroom Kit
Nameko 
These are Japan's second most popular cultivated mushroom. The Nameko has a strong flavor, some report they slight taste similar to that of cashews.

Grow your own: Nameko Mushroom Kit
Oyster
Oyster mushrooms are prized for their smooth texture and subtle, oyster-like flavor.  They are grown commercially, so they're widely available and fairly inexpensive. Fluted cap resembles a fan; ranging in color from a soft beige brown to gray; can be eaten raw in salads but more often this mushroom is cooked to bring out its delicate flavor and velvety texture. Some say this mushroom has a faint oyster-like or seafood flavor, to match its likeness in shape to oysters.


AKA - abalone, white, blue, golden, pearl, red, tree,trumpet (King Trumpet, King Oyster (Eryngii)...so many varieties

Grow your own: Oyster Mushroom Kit
Piopinno
Grown on decaying tree stumps or beneath popular trees. The Piopinno mushroom is a popular food ingredient in both Asia and southern Europe. Also known as Black Poplar mushroom named from its growing habitat around poplars, the Pioppino develops a light brown colored cap sprouting from a thin white stem. Firm in texture, the Pioppino provides a mildly nutty flavor when cooked and can be added to complement a variety of rice, risotto, and meat dishes.

AKA: Black Poplar mushroom

Grow your own: The Pioppino Mushroom
Porcini

Resembles the traditional fairytale toadstool; weighing from a couple of ounces to a pound each with caps from one to ten inches in diameter; smooth, meaty texture; pungent in flavor; pale brown color; very expensive; many general cooking uses. Also available dried.

AKA - cepes; boletes; boletus; steinpilze; singular tense: porcino
Portabella
The Portabella mushroom is one of the tastiest mushrooms ever grown. When harvested young in the button stage, it is called a crimini and can be used in the same way as the regular white button mushroom. When harvested as a mature mushroom, with the gills exposed, it is called a Portabella. Its long growing cycle gives a deep, meat-like flavor, and substantial texture. They are good whole, sliced, grilled, baked, stir-fried and deep-fried.The thick cap on the Portabella is meaty and is wonderful to cook with. Portabella caps can grow from 3-4" across to as large as 5" in diameter.

Grow your own: Seasonal Giant Heirloom Portabella Mushroom  Kit

Shitake
 Ranging in color from tan to dark brown; characterized by broad, umbrella shaped caps up to ten inches in diameter, wide open veils and tan gills; rich, full-bodied flavor, is almost steak-like, with a meaty texture when cooked. These are best when cooked in almost any method, particularly sautéing, broiling and baking. Remove stems before cooking but reserve them for soup stocks.

AKA - black forest mushroom , black mushroom , black winter mushroom , brown oak mushroom , oak mushroom, Chinese black mushroom , Oriental black mushroom , forest mushroom , golden oak mushroom , donko

Grow your own: The Shiitake Mushroom Kit

Friday, February 22, 2013


I love mushrooms. I also love cooking shows. I'll watch anything that has to do with cooking. I am a vegetarian for over 40+ years but I still watch BBQ university. When I watch these shows, they use the most outrageous mushrooms. But, when I go to my store, they are rarely displayed or are so expensive that I have never tried them. Confused and frugal, I decided to get a better knowledge of mushrooms.

I immediately was overwhelmed by the massive world of the mushroom. Clearly, it could take a lifetime to master this field of knowledge. Therefore, I decided to concentrate first on the edible varieties.

Mushrooms are not difficult to grow if you follow some simple rules. However, you will NOT save a lot of money raising your own. Your reward is that you will have your favorites on hand and will have the more hard-to-find varieties at conveniently at hand. Another reward is the joy that you get because of the mere beauty of these "fungilicious" food sources.


The purpose of this blog will be to;
  • List the most popular EDIBLE mushrooms and provide a guide to growing them.
  • Discuss the fundamentals of growing mushrooms.
  • Discover the fantastic world of mushrooms - many non-edible, some poisonous and even som that glow in the dark
So lets get started.