Mushrooms

[Speedy]

This is one way i like to cook mushrooms.


In this one I'm using Saffron milk caps (Lactarius deliciosus),
a mycorrhizal associate of Pine trees, they're found in autumn/winter in Southern Australia.

Other mushroms can be cooked this way including Oyster M, Elm Oyster M.(incorectly called Shimeji in Aust.)
Agaricus spp. (the common cultivatedMushies), Shiitake, Wood Ear M. , Shaggy Manes etc.

Clean and slice mushrooms

slice onion and fry in oil

add a sliced fresh chile

add mushrooms and salt, stirring over med-high heat for a few minutes

add some Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides), cause I'm doing Mexican flavours.

> other herbs that work well are Thyme, Tarragon (use the real one), Oregano or Parsley<
Add 1/2 -1 cup of water and cover to steam for about 5min.

Here I've made a fresh salsa,
then served the mushrooms on fresh warm corn tortillas spread with a bit of sour cream
and topped with the salsa.

Saffron Milk Caps are easy to identify.
Carrot-coloured latex will bleed from any cuts made in the gills near the
stem and they will bruise and age an unattractive greenish colour.
They're brittle and can be snapped when the hollow stem is bent.
they dont reduce in volume as much as a lot of other species.
The texture can be a bit sort of 'grainy' and not to everyones liking.
If you cook them long enough the texture changes.

They're also really nice placed gills up and grilled on a bbq (over charcoal best) after dressing
with olive oil , garlic and salt.
In Europe they are often preserved in jars with salt, though I've not tried that yet.
Even the Peppery milk caps (L.piperatus) is supposed to be rendered edible with the salt treatment.

[purplepear]

Wow Speedy - I just love your work. I wonder if I got someone to milk the cow for a few days and get myself down south, would you take me mushrooming? Identification and preparation are definate holes in my education. Thanks and more please.

[Speedy]

Yeah, for sure.
nobody where I live seems to be interested in mushroom hunting.

The other thing is making your own spawn at home and inoculating logs and woodchip piles with it
and laying them in the garden to 'fruit' with the seasons.
convenient and a good way to convert wood to plant food ...and people food.
...but I think thats the subject of another thread in another subforum...

more recipes to follow , later :-)

[eco4560]

Is there a simple rule of thumb for identifying edible mushrooms? I have mushies popping up around the garden - which I THINK have come from the mushroom compost, but I haven't been game to try them in case I start seeing green monkeys on the ceiling.

[Speedy]

Only rule of thumb for identifying mushrooms that I would sugest is only eat them if you've properly identified them from a good field guide or other reputable source.
even then don't be too hasty and when tasting a mushroom species for the first, dont overdo it.
some people can eat a species mushroom with no ill effect , while others eating the same meal can have a stong reaction to it.
There are old stories like about a silver coin turning black indicating that a mushroom is poisonous, but there are always exceptions to these 'rules'.
Fariliarise yourself with the parts of mushrooms (stem - rings, volva, texture, dimentions etc. the cap- gills or pores, habitat etc....
These are the keys to how to identify them.

Some books on edible mushrooms categorise them as beginner (easy), intermediate and experienced as far as identification goes.
suffice to say that some in edibles in the latter category are easily confused with poisonous species.
Even experienced mycologists have been known to make the ultimate mistake.
most good books will have 'Poisonous lookalikes' next to the edible ones.

and I cant't help but to quote an old Russian proverb,
or answer to the question
"Is that mushroom edible?"
"All mushrooms are edible...
some, only once"
:-)

[eco4560]

Damn - I was hoping that a simple - if it is grey its OK - or something that easy! I do like the Russian advice though.

[Speedy]

If you post a pic I might be able to head you in the right direction... (Family or Genus)

[eco4560]

Found one to take a photo. What do you think i have?

[Speedy]

I have an idea, but I'll get a second opinion to make sure.
Do they ever have a burgundy coloured cap?
are they growing in woodchip or straw or old compost?

[Michaelangelica]

A NSW Mushroom farm is open for inspection!
I would love to go but my car is kaput!

TWICE a year, Neil Arrold takes keen foodies beneath a hillside near Mount Gibraltar to a disused railway tunnel filled with mushrooms.

Here, in the controlled damp and dark, Dr Arrold cultivates a treasure trove of exotic species - shiitake, golden enoki, shimeji, king brown, oyster and more.

The southern highlands mushroom grower produces 1.5 tonnes a week in the one kilometre long tunnel.During a tour of the tunnel, visitors will be guided through the different varieties and can take their favourites home.

Tour the tunnel and a cheese-making workshop, 10am-4pm, October 3, $25. Bookings: 4871 2524. Go to siff.com.au.http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/tracking-down-a-mushroom-mans-tunnel-vision-20100924-15qku.html

I noticed the exotic mushroom grower at Sydney's Paddy's markets in Sydney had mushroom logs for sale for only $5 this week.
I might give a couple ago next week

[Speedy]

That would be good to see.
I phoned them about 5-6yrs ago to see if could buy spawn from them but they weren't selling any so I just make my own.

Eco4560,
sorry , I got a bit slack and forgot about this thread.
I'm 99.9% sure that the mushroom in your pics there is Stropharia rugosa-annulata , as I first suspected.
It is edible and a very handy species to have in the garden.

grows in woodchip beds, on straw or old cornstalks.
It's a popular species in Europe and Nth Amer. in gardens.

fairly easy to grow by transfering clumps of the mycelium to suitable food sources.
it likes disturbance and or regular feeding (more wood or straw etc.) and
it's a case of 'feed it, move it or lose it'.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/stropharia_rugosoannulata.html
http://wildbranchmushrooms.com/king-stropharia
http://www.hiddenforest.co.nz/fungi/family/strophariaceae/strop12p.htm

Grow them in mulch beds in the garden with summer crops (Tomato, Eggplant, maize etc)
in the mulch and then havest when they fruit in the autumn.

As well as their ability to break down straw and wood into yummy rich soil,
they can kill nematodes in soils
with the aid of special spikey shaped cells (acanthocytes) formed on the mycelium.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449000/

They also have a reputation for killing Eschericia coli

...and Here (http://funguygardens.blogspot.com/) is a blog by a guy who's crazy about this mushroom and how he's improving his garden soil with it.

[eco4560]

Thanks Speedy! We are about to get a week of solid rain so I'll see if more pop up and see what I can do to nurture it.

[eco4560]

I'm officially joining the "in" crowd when it comes to mushroom cultivation. There was a stall at the Garden Expo selling various different species growing in various different media. I left with 2 logs of Shitake mushrooms. They are currently enjoying a soak in my bathtub (which means I'm not :(). The chap said to put them somewhere not too sunny (but it doesn't have to be really dark), moist and where I'll remember to spray them with water twice a day. I had a bit of a think and discarded the bathroom - as I have a big sky light so it gets quite warm and sunny. So they are going to live by the loo. Strange idea I know - but on permaculture zone principles it is definately in zone 1 of my life - visited several times a day - so I'll keep a spray bottle beside me and give it a squirt every time I - um - go for a squirt!

Should have mushys in about 3 weeks. Then I can get cooking! Will post photos once they get to harvest.

[Ellen]

Wow! When I read all this about the mushrooms I just want to start growing them. I saw things in books and on video's and internet about growing, but it's so contradicting. Some just grow them on a log - without any (visible) fuss. Others have big issues - growing in a house on bags with specific regulated temperatures.... That seems to much fuss for me, I would like to grow them - but not sit at home all day watching their temperatures and so on?! What is the truth about mushrooms? Oh, I guess this question belongs somewhere under another category - sorry for that! Where should I put it?

[Pakanohida]

Wow! When I read all this about the mushrooms I just want to start growing them. I saw things in books and on video's and internet about growing, but it's so contradicting. Some just grow them on a log - without any (visible) fuss. Others have big issues - growing in a house on bags with specific regulated temperatures.... That seems to much fuss for me, I would like to grow them - but not sit at home all day watching their temperatures and so on?! What is the truth about mushrooms? Oh, I guess this question belongs somewhere under another category - sorry for that! Where should I put it?

Sepp Holzer's new book on Permaculture has a section on mushroom growing outdoors, its a good primer to get you even more excited.

I have found that Shitake mushrooms, be it on an alder or oak log is exceedingly simple to create (See YouTube) and really take little to no care. For my shitake mushroom log I had to soak it for 48 hours, and then I put it in a very shady spot. Next summer it should start producing for 2-3 years!!

As a result, my wife and I are looking into more spores and such because it just makes sense that as I clear trees that I need to, I might as well inoculate the stump with mycellium spores to break it down and provide me and my family with food.

[eco4560]

This is the people that were selling them at the Expo http://fungi.net.au/about.php
I got a great discount now that I see their prices on the web! I paid $28 for 2 shiitake logs. Sorry - I doubt they deliver to Namibia or Oregon, but the Aussies will be delighted!

[Speedy]

Sorry - I doubt they deliver to Namibia or Oregon, but the Aussies will be delighted!

LOL...
In Oregon , they've got access to http://www.fungi.com/ just to the north...
and plenty of other growers of mushroom spawn and kits etc., not to mention all the edible species growing wild in the forests.

A friend of mine inported shiitake dowel spawn from http://www.fieldforest.net/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=3&chapter=0
He said that AQIS were quite helpful but it just took a bit of time and money.
but now he's inoculated heaps a logs of sugargum (Euc. cladocalyx) thinnings from his farm forestry plot.
Shiitake also grow well on Tasmanian Bluegum (Euc. globulus) as is done in Brazil.


Namibia...

Ellen, you could start to grow your own spawn, you could obtain cultures through via mail and get started that way.
Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (By Paul Stamets - the guy who owns Fungi Perfecti) is a good book to start with.
you can grow cultures on agar using H2O2 rather than getting an expensive laminar flow cabinet.
check out R. Rush Waynes website
http://www.mycomasters.com/

[eco4560]

I knew as soon as I posted about Mushrooms we'd be hearing from you again Speedy. How are you? Been a bit quite lately.

[Dwayne]

Hi Speedy,
What is this recipe called? Speedy mushroom recipe!
I have bought 2 tins of mushrooms in grocery for pizza but now I am thinking of trying this one. Thanks for sharing with everyone.

[Grasshopper]

http://www.agroforestry.net.au/main.asp?_=Shiitake
this link might be of use to someone who wants to set up a shitake mushroom venture in their community.

[Michaelangelica]

Seems Dr Noel Arrold (see preivous post) gets to Bondi Growers Market in Sydney.
http://www.bondimarkets.com.au/farmers/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Li-Sun-Exotic-Mushrooms-2-250x220.jpg
Pink Oyster Mushroom
http://www.bondimarkets.com.au/farmers/blog/2011/07/funky-fungi/

[mischief]

What an interesting thread!!!
I cant wait to add fungi to our garden....another layer in the stack.
We have Alder now and hopefully the pine cuttings I took this year will actually grow so we will have something to innoculate.

I have always been afraid to try these incase I poison everybody but am starting to feel that it is something we can do in the not too distant future.

[Michaelangelica]

The role of culinary-medicinal mushrooms on human welfare with a pyramid model for human health.
Posted:

The role of culinary-medicinal mushrooms on human welfare with a pyramid model for human health.

Int J Med Mushrooms. 2012;14(2):95-134

Authors: Chang ST, Wasser SP

Abstract
Mushrooms are part of fungal biota characterized by wonder. They rise up from lignocellulosic wastes: yet they become so bountiful and nourishing. Mushrooms are environmentally friendly. They biosynthesize their own food from agricultural crop residues, which would otherwise cause health hazards. The extant records show the continued use of some mushrooms, e.g., Lentinus edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, and Cordyceps sinensis are now centuries old.
This review presents a pyramid model for mushroom uses (industries), as food, dietary supplements (tonic), and medicine. A regular intake of mushrooms can make us healthier, fitter, and happier, and help us live longer. The sense of purpose and vision for the mushroom industries is also briefly discussed. A variety of mushrooms have been used traditionally in many different cultures for the maintenance of health and in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
A total of 126 medicinal functions are thought to be produced by medicinal mushrooms (MM) and fungi, including antitumor, immunomodulating, antioxidant, radical scavenging, cardiovascular, anti-hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, antifungal, detoxification, hepatoprotective, and anti-diabetic effects. Special attention is paid to mushroom polysaccharides.
Many, if not all, higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms contain biologically active polysaccharides in fruit bodies, cultured mycelium, and cultured broth. The data on mushroom polysaccharides are summarized for approximately 700 species of higher Hetero- and Homobasidiomycetes.
In particular, the most important for modern medicine are polysaccharides with antitumor and immunostimulating properties. Several of the mushroom polysaccharide compounds have proceeded through phase I, II, and III clinical trials and are used extensively and successfully as drugs in Asia to treat various cancers and other diseases. Mushrooms are superior sources of different types of dietary supplements (DSs) (tonics). The advantages of using mushroom-based DSs as a matter of safety (as opposed to herbal preparations) are:
(1) The overwhelming majority of mushrooms used for production of DSs are cultivated commercially (and not gathered in the wild).
(2) Mushrooms are easily propagated vegetatively and thus keep to one clone. The mycelium can be stored for a long time, and the genetic and biochemical consistency can be checked after a considerable time.
(3) The main advantage, in our opinion, is that many mushrooms are capable of growing in the form of mycelial biomass in submerged cultures.

In this review, we discuss legal and regulatory issues introducing and controlling DSs from MMs in different countries, including the United States, the European Community, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and P.R. China, and guidelines of the World Health Organization. One of the targets of the present review is also to draw attention to many critically important unsolved problems in the future development of medicinal mushroom science in the 21st century.
PMID: 22506573 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]