Basic Storage and Cooking

Storage Tips

Keep mushrooms in the fridge in a paper box, bag or a container with loose lid lined with paper towel: mushrooms need to breathe!

where they should be good for up to one week. 

Slice or dice caps and lightly sauté in medium-high heat with your favorite oil or butter, adding salt and/or pepper to taste. Mushrooms cook well with onions, garlic, and really almost anything. We will share some recipes along the way.  

Can I use hte whole thing?

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 of course been cooking and eating mushrooms for decades, but this year were turned on to this very simple method that's been offering such good results with all the mushrooms we grow and wild harvest:

Steps to Dry Saute Mushrooms:

  1. Don't wash mushrooms first. Slice or tear mushrooms into even pieces.We mostly just tear them to save time. 

  2. Heat your skillet over medium-high heat.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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!

What we love about this is that it does two things: breaks down the chitin walls of the mushrooms that make them more digestible, and locks in the mushroom character, allowing you to go in any direction.