Basic Storage and Cooking
Storage Tips
Mushrooms are still alive when you bring them home. They breathe, they lose moisture, and they keep changing right up until they hit the pan. This is exactly what makes them so good!
When stored properly, fresh mushrooms hold for about one week. We recommend storing them in the fridge in a paper sack or a container with a loose lid. Since mushrooms need to breathe, it’s best to keep them in the lower part of the fridge or in the crisper drawer. Avoid sealed plastic because trapped moisture is what turns a beautiful mushroom cluster slimy.
Initial Storing Tips
Don’t wash them. If they were grown well, there is very little to wash off, and water mostly just degrades quality. If you feel that you must, you can wipe with a damp cloth or brush lightly before prepping.
Save the stems. For oyster, king oyster, oyster, piopinno, combtooth, and lion’s mane, eat the whole thing, apart from the bit at the base where a little straw or sawdust may still cling on. For Shiitake, it’s best to cut off the stems before cooking, as they tend to be woody. In our home, we keep a container in the freezer and add any clean stem trimmings to it each week. We then combine the frozen stems with other vegetable scraps to make stock!
When a week isn’t long enough, you can preserve your mushrooms via freezing or dehydrating.
Understanding these introductory techniques will give you many options that will help you carry your harvest further into the future.
Q: Can I use the whole thing?
Yes! Cut the stems of oyster and save them for soup stock. For King Oyster and Lions Mane – eat it all! (except the bits that might have a little straw or sawdust on them where the mushroom was attached)
We like to have a container in the freezer to add to each week, then mix with other veggies to make stock. You can of course compost the stems, but the stems have as much flavor and nutrition as the cap – they are often just a bit woody to the taste.
Often folks don’t know, you should always cook all mushrooms for at least a few minutes on medium heat to break down several chemical bonds (chitin), allowing your body to absorb the nutrition completely and to avoid digestive or allergic reactions. We've been cooking and eating mushrooms for decades, but in the last few years we were turned on to a very simple cooking method called dry sautéing. This method produces great results and is super easy!
Steps to Dry Sauté Mushrooms:
Don't wash mushrooms first. Slice or tear mushrooms into even pieces. We mostly just tear them to save time.
Heat your skillet over medium-high heat.
Once the pan is warm, add the mushrooms, being careful not to crowd the pan. They will release their moisture as they cook. If there are too many mushrooms in the pan, the excess moisture will mean a result that is steamed vs browned.
Stir the mushrooms occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Cook them for 5 - 8 minutes or until they have released their moisture and are light brown.
When the mushrooms are brown, they’re ready to eat! Or, you may choose to enhance their flavor by adding additional ingredients. Warm sautéed mushrooms will behave like flavor sponges – add butter and a little salt, olive oil, parsley, thyme, garlic, a little vinegar or red wine - get creative!
We love dry sautéing mushrooms for two main reasons:
It breaks down the chitin walls of the mushrooms that make them more digestible
It locks in the mushroom character, allowing you to get creative and integrate mushrooms in many ways