“All Fungi are edible.
Some fungi are only edible once.”
Terry Pratchett
At the market the other day, I saw a mushroom grow kit, and I decided to give it a try. I like the idea of growing your own food, but procuring food in the middle of a city is not so straightforward when supermarkets are not involved. I’m also not much of a gardener, so when I saw that the process was straightforward and did not require much maintenance, I was sold and asked the seller for the Blue Oyster variety.
I followed the instructions, ensuring to carve an X on the bag and leave it standing in a bowl of water while faithfully misting it over the next few days. Within three days, I could see bumps and foamy structures beginning to appear. Then one morning, tiny mushrooms appeared on the table.
They had a light grayish upon sprouting, but their appearance quickly deepened to a dark blue.
X marks the spot
It was fun seeing how each day, they grew energetically, transforming their shapes as they developed into large caps with a light bluish tint. I had to keep them in the shade, so the light was not so great for photography. I also used a light diffuser on the camera for the macro shots, so the colours get a little washed out. As the mushrooms grew, the deep blue faded to a lighter shade and rusty edges.
These mushrooms are native to the northern hemisphere and thrive on decaying hardwood. They fruit rapidly, as I observed, and are reported to offer health benefits that include immune support, vitamins (B and D), iron, and potassium. Also importantly, they taste delicious.
Ever since I learned that mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants, I see them in a different light. Their texture is often described as meaty and contain flavours reminiscent of certain kinds of meat. So, I felt a little bad when I cut them up, threw them in the pan and sautéed them in olive oil and butter. Shrinkage happened, and then the mushrooms gained a beautiful golden colour while giving off a slight pungent odour reminiscent of the sea.
The taste was meaty, lightly rubbery, but it didn’t take long to chew it and release the slight fishy juices that make these mushrooms such a delight to eat. It's no coincidence that they're called oyster mushrooms. I paired them with steak and potatoes, a glass of red wine that nicely complimented and balanced the mushroom flavour and texture.
The instructions mention that you can get several harvests out of the box, but try as I might, I couldn’t get the kit to fruit again.
Growing these mushrooms was a hoot. It didn’t feel like I was growing a plant but something different. A creature perhaps, to get in the spirit of Halloween. I was particularly impressed by the vigorous growth that happened in a matter of days. I may have let them grow a little too much because as they got older the blue faded to white with a rich rusty brown. Amazing stuff!
These mushrooms are not poisonous, but I read that care must be taken to have a well ventilated place because they release a lot of spores. I wish I had known that. I haven't gotten sick or developed any mushroom superpowers, so I think I'm in the clear.
I hope you enjoyed these adventures in mushroom land.
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