This week I finally got to a stage of mushroom care that I was very excited for, harvesting!
In a sense I am grateful that I am harvesting these mushrooms at home before I have gotten the chance to go out searching for mushrooms in the woods. Caring for the growing fungi on my balcony has meant that I am doing a lot more reading and care prior to getting into the hands on components. Before going in for a harvest I did some reading about proper technique for pulling mushrooms out of the ground (or plastic block I’ve got mine in). I had a suspicion there would be a specific way to go about this and I was right. Don’t pull them! Cut them out with a knife.
Mushrooms are a fascinating thing. As the fruiting body of the larger underground mycelium, the mushroom spreads spores for the overall fungus. In the process of harvesting, if you pluck the mushroom from the ground or whatever container it is growing in, there is risk of damaging the underlying mycelium. This damage could prevent subsequent blooms and limit the growth of the whole organism, so it is best to avoid it. A twist and pull reduces the potential damage, but the sure-fire way to not harm the fungus is to cut the mushroom off at the stem. There is a prevalent rumour that cutting the mushroom at the base of the stem will leave the remainder behind to rot. This is not true! The stem left over is still connected to the growing mycelium underground and will not rot, it may even start growing again!
Cooking mushrooms, as many of you will know, is delicious. To celebrate the first harvest of my mushrooms, but also because I didn’t want to work too hard, I put together a quick beef and broccoli and oyster mushroom stir fry. Super tasty stuff, super easy.
- Fry up your broccoli and beef cut. (You could cook the beef cut any way you like and would probably get a nicer outcome than just frying it, but like I said, I wasn’t interested in effort at this point)
- Separately, fry up and reduce those shroomsters.
- Mix together a sauce of soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh grated ginger, lemon juice, and honey.
- Add to the mushrooms so they soak it all up.
- Toss in the broc and beef, stir to coat.
- Serve with rice or noods.
The real exciting part of this inquiry project comes next weekend. I’ll be heading out to hunt for mushrooms in the woods! A friend of mine is taking me out to some great spots for chanterelles and we’ll be looking to rake in a new delicious fungi friend.