It’s time again for…another mushroom entry! If you can’t tell, I’m becoming mushroom obsessed. How could I not, surrounded by lush redwood forests filled with edible & incredible mushrooms? Some folks find the concept of collecting wild mushrooms to be frightening and repulsive – to that, I say, “more for me.”
The other day I came across a solitary oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, which said to me “there must be more around here!” Nearly everyone is familiar with oyster mushrooms – they are commercially cultivated and are available in many grocery stores. Like many commercially grown produce, the cultivated version doesn’t even compare to what you can find in the wild. I went out into the woods this morning thinking I’d find at least a few more. I returned with over five pounds of oyster mushrooms. The oyster mushrooms available in grocery stores tend to be rather sad looking little things that would cower in the presence of the massive monsters I harvested today.
If you haven’t already read last week’s entry – A Prince in the Forest – Collecting Edible Mushrooms, I will repeat the same advice in this one. When in doubt, throw it out! There is not a single mushroom out there that is worth dying for. If you are going to collect and eat wild mushrooms, do not go off what any random person on the internet says (and that includes me!). If you can, learn from someone with experience and always read as much literature as you can. It might seem like one way to go about experimenting with unfamiliar mushrooms would be to take a tiny bite and wait a while…and if nothing happens, it’s safe to eat. Bad idea! The toxins in many mushrooms can take hours to cause any symptoms – some even take several days and others can take as long as three weeks to cause symptoms. During the time it takes to develop symptoms, the toxins wreak havoc on the liver or kidneys and in can be fatal. In plain English, don’t experiment.
At the opposite extreme from the needless risk takers are the folks who, intent on covering their own posteriors, insist that only trained scientists should eat wild mushrooms. State governments often issue yearly warnings instructing people to “avoid eating any wild mushrooms,” as if all wild mushrooms were deadly. Of course, this is silly as well, since millions of people around the world collect and eat wild mushrooms without incident each year. The key is not to become an expert on every mushroom (and indeed any expert will tell you that that is impossible) but to become an expert on a few individual species.
As I recommended in the previous mushroom entry, David Arora’s book, Mushrooms Demystified, is a must have guide that you should read and reread.
I went off this morning in search of more wild oyster mushrooms, and indeed there were more – lots more. I had a hunch about where I might find some and that hunch proved to be quite fruitful. Five pounds of oyster mushrooms later and I hadn’t even collected half of what was growing on a downed oak log. I wasn’t the first to discover the patch though – there were plenty of deer bite marks in some of the mushrooms and banana slugs happily gorging themselves on others. There is nothing that a banana slug loves more than a tasty mushroom. Unfortunately, there is nothing that I love more either, so we find ourselves at odds. Apparently banana slugs are marginally edible, but since I fancy myself more as a gentleman farmer and forager than a Bear Grylls sort, I think I will stick with the abundant mushrooms.
To harvest oyster mushrooms try to work your fingers as close to the base of the stems as you can to lift the entire mass as a whole, rather than ripping off little pieces. In North America there are not too many toxic species to get the oyster mushroom confused with, but the Jack O’Lantern Mushroom (Omphalotus olivascens) and the Ivory Funnel Mushroom (Clitocybe dealbata) both bear enough resemblance (and contain the toxin muscarine) that it pays to be overly cautious, as with any mushroom. Like many an enthusiastic mushroom gatherer, I gathered some mushrooms that were not worth gathering – if you have plenty of plump, moist mushrooms there is no reason to waste time on the shriveled and dried mushrooms that are a bit past their prime. If you’re out hunting, the logical place to look for oyster mushrooms is down, on downed logs and stumps, but you should also be looking up – I found a big clump about 12 feet up an oak tree. They were past their prime though, so they were left in-situ.
And now for the best part – eating the mushrooms. I decided to make a simple pasta with these mushrooms…something quick and easy that lets the mushrooms take center stage. This recipe makes enough for two to three people (who love mushrooms). As always, I’m not a huge fan of specific measurements and
8 oz of fettuccine (any pasta will work equally well)
1 pound of oyster mushrooms (a pound is a lot, if you aren’t as crazy about mushrooms as I am, you could reduce the quantity)
1 dozen asparagus shoots
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
3 oz Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Cooking time for this entire dish is relatively short, so depending upon the type of pasta you use you will probably want to start it at the same time that you begin sautéing.
Brush the mushrooms off to remove any soil and leaves and be sure to check the gills for tiny beetles that might be lurking. Trim off any parts of the mushroom that have become discolored and dry. Smaller mushrooms you can leave whole, larger mushrooms can be sliced or torn into chunks about 1 1/2 inches square. Mince the garlic and sauté in a large pan for a minute or two with olive oil and butter – I use both which increases the smoke point of the olive oil, but you could stick with just olive oil if you preferred. Add the asparagus and saute for about a minute before adding the mushrooms. Add salt to taste and stir frequently. Make sure the mushrooms are coated with the olive oil and stir frequently to cook them evenly. Like all mushrooms, oyster mushrooms will cook down, but they hold their shape and size much better than many varieties. Cooking time will probably be around ten minutes on the oyster mushrooms, but your best bet is to just sample a few while they’re cooking. You’re looking for the mushrooms to be very tender and turning a light golden color. About a minute before you finish sautéing, add the black pepper and toss the mushrooms to ensure even coverage.
Remove from the heat & toss with the pasta, serve, and enjoy!
A 1993 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, arguably one of the best Chablis wines of the last few decades, paired perfectly with this meal. One could go on for a few paragraphs or even pages about this wine, but I think “Wow!” sums it up nicely.
