In a previous post, Magic Mushrooms, we extolled the virtues of the umami-filled fungi, and as an aside noted that buying a “grow-your-own” mushroom kit was a fun way of getting the freshest batch of them. The New York Times has caught on to the trend, publishing this story last weekend: Mushrooms, Yes, They Will Survive Us. Sure, you can go to the store and buy some Shiitake or Oyster mushrooms, but the magic of watching them grow is as satisfying as eating them.
My daughter Rebecca has become fascinated with all things mushroom from tinctures to teas to sautés and sent me a Golden Oyster Mushroom Kit from Northspore. There are other products out there, but the simplicity of this kit is a plus. It comes with a cut-out on the box covered in plastic wrap. You cut the wrap open and wait a week or so, misting it twice a day with water. Here is how it went:
From the inoculated mass of sawdust came small “pins,” the beginning of the batch. They began to grow, seemingly by the hour, first emerging as balls and then blossoming into small mushrooms that grow full-size over the course of a week or so. When they seemed full size I cut them at the base, broke them into individual ’shrooms, and sautéed them with shallots, garlic, and soy sauce finished with chopped scallions.
The instructions say that another batch might grow after the first, but, alas, after several weeks nothing else grew. But there are other kits and other types of mushrooms. It might not be as inexpensive as picking up a carton from the store, but the anticipation is worth the cost.
