What would you guys do with this?

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larry_stewart

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I was at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival a few months back, and aside from all the garlic vendors, there was also many other kinds of vendors. One caught my attention, it was a Mushroom Vendor, selling mushroom kits to grow at home. I have done this before ( oyster, Lions main, Shitake , button, cremini..). With the garden season coming to an end, Im always looking for something to keep my green thumb green during the off season. I purchased an oyster mushroom kit then realized I was going to be away for a week. I contacted the mushroom guy who told me I can help it in the fridge until Im ready to start the process. ( which I did). Anyway, I started the process a few weeks ago, and now I have a cluster of oyster mushrooms that are twice the size of my hand and ready for harvest.

Just curious what you guys would do with these mushrooms if they were in your kitchen and ready to be prepared. I have a few ideas of my own , and ill have to act relatively quickly before they spoil. I could dry them , but I prefer to take advantage of them in the fresh state.
 

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I would cook some of them in butter to have handy to add to things. They can be frozen or will keep in the fridge for a while, maybe a couple of weeks.
 
Oyster mushrooms are fairly mild, so you don't want to overseason them (sounds funny, coming from me!). It's easy to overpower the flavor. I actually preferred the dried ones, when I grew them years ago. I also preferred shitake, when I grew those.

When you grew the lion's mane, what was that like? I haven't grown any mushrooms for years - probably when I no longer had to travel to the area I used to buy those kits, as well as many mushrooms (down in Kennett Square, where I also had to buy Mexican groceries, before I could get it locally).
 
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The lion's mane grew relatively easy, but I wasn't crazy about the taste. Had a bitterness to it. Possible could have been me, or maybe I let it overripe , but only grew that one once.

Love going to Kennett Square. Went to the Mushroom Festival a few years back, and got to tour a mushroom farm ( dont think they give tours anymore for liability reasons). Im also a Lifetime member at the Mushroom Museum , and I got the membership card to prove it :LOL: ( I really do still have it, I think).

Longwood Gardens is great too.
 
I was at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival a few months back, and aside from all the garlic vendors, there was also many other kinds of vendors. One caught my attention, it was a Mushroom Vendor, selling mushroom kits to grow at home. I have done this before ( oyster, Lions main, Shitake , button, cremini..). With the garden season coming to an end, Im always looking for something to keep my green thumb green during the off season. I purchased an oyster mushroom kit then realized I was going to be away for a week. I contacted the mushroom guy who told me I can help it in the fridge until Im ready to start the process. ( which I did). Anyway, I started the process a few weeks ago, and now I have a cluster of oyster mushrooms that are twice the size of my hand and ready for harvest.

Just curious what you guys would do with these mushrooms if they were in your kitchen and ready to be prepared. I have a few ideas of my own , and ill have to act relatively quickly before they spoil. I could dry them , but I prefer to take advantage of them in the fresh state.

They are great fried like chicken or chicken fried steak. https://veganwithcurves.com/fried-oyster-mushrooms/
 
We usually make fresh pasta and saute them with a little butter and EVOO mix with some sweet onions or shallots and a little bit of garlic, with some white wine and chicken (in your case vege) broth.
 
Larry, the first thing that came to mind was LPBeier's 2010 recipe for Mushroom Gratin. Everyone including me has raved about it over the years, and I wonder if you've ever done it. Pages of interesting comments in this thread too...
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f18/mushrooms-gratin-67778.html

Thanks for this input... haven't read the whole thread, yet... as it is 10 pages long but already on the 1st page there are several suggestions to mix it up.
 
They are great fried like chicken or chicken fried steak. https://veganwithcurves.com/fried-oyster-mushrooms/

Ive seen that around and have been curious to try it.

Larry, the first thing that came to mind was LPBeier's 2010 recipe for Mushroom Gratin. Everyone including me has raved about it over the years, and I wonder if you've ever done it. Pages of interesting comments in this thread too...
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f18/mushrooms-gratin-67778.html

Another good idea. I was just shopping for a Gratin pan this weekend ( didn't find one). but this would be a nice dish to break it in.

We usually make fresh pasta and saute them with a little butter and EVOO mix with some sweet onions or shallots and a little bit of garlic, with some white wine and chicken (in your case vege) broth.

This actually reminds me a of a dish I haven't made in years with Morels. I stopped making it cause the morels I got had maggots in it ( like infested) and I havnt eaten them since, therefore havent made the recipe. I can substitute the oyster mushrooms.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of mushrooms but I'd like to try them just roasted with olive oil, salt and a bit of black pepper. I bet they would be gorgeous :)
 
@larry_stewart do you still grow lion's mane mushrooms at all? I've never tried them. You said they tasted bitter, the ones you grew. I think we might try to get our hands on some and try it. (to put it into perspective, I've grown much more accustomed to bitterness in foods and I like bitterness.)
 
@larry_stewart do you still grow lion's mane mushrooms at all? I've never tried them. You said they tasted bitter, the ones you grew. I think we might try to get our hands on some and try it. (to put it into perspective, I've grown much more accustomed to bitterness in foods and I like bitterness.)
I only grew them once, from an online kit. Had to have been at least 10 years ago, maybe longer. As far as going goes, they were pretty simple to grow ( especially with one of those kits where all you have to do is mist for soak it). It was one of those things where I never tasted one before, so I didnt know what to expect. My first ( and only) bite was bitter, so I kinda labelled it as a bitter mushroom, and haven't tried one since. Now, having grown mushrooms ( not that Im anywhere close to being an expert), I might have waited too long to harvest ( I've had similar issues with oyster and even shiitake). So I might have given them a bad rap.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of mushrooms but I'd like to try them just roasted with olive oil, salt and a bit of black pepper. I bet they would be gorgeous :)
I have been doing something similar lately. I've been buying more mushrooms than I need, so I always have a bunch left over. I dont want to waste them, so as a quick side dish, I pan fry them with a little oil, salt and pepper til they brown slightly and finish it up with just a little butter and on to the plate they go. Simple butt good ( and quick). I usually use the basic white mushrooms. I cut the stem so its even with the cap. I then just cook he caps, flipping them half way through ( when they start to brown a bit. They almost look like scallops. Just made them yesterday. Wish I took pics.
 
@larry_stewart no worries about whether they are bitter or not. I was showing mr bliss the pictures of them today, so that if they are put in the 'reduced produce' baskets he won't skip over them, buy them, and we could try them. He loves mushrooms so he's up for the challenge of something new.
 
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