King Trumpet mushrooms. (Photograph by Margo True)
King Trumpet mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii), raised and sold by Far West Fungi, at the farmers’ market in Menlo Park, CA. “They’re my favorite mushroom. They have a very dense texture,” says farmer Loren Garrone, whose parents, John and Toby, own Far West.
How long will it be around?
The mushrooms are cultivated year-round in Moss Landing, CA.
Cool facts learned from farmer:
To raise the mushrooms, says Toby Garrone, workers mix mycelium—the threadlike tissue that grows underneath the mushroom—into clear bags of red oak sawdust and rice bran. As the mycelium multiply in the bag, their tiny threads bind the sawdust mixture into a block. Workers open the bags, flooding them with oxygen, which stimulates the fruits—the mushrooms—to pop out. “Mushrooms take in oxygen and give off C02, like people do,” says Toby. “They’re more like animals than plants.”
Shopping tip:
Make sure the mushrooms are firm, not soggy or squishy.
How long can you store it?
About a week
What’s the best way to store it?
Never put them in plastic; they’ll start to sweat and get slimy. Keep them in a paper bag on a refrigerator shelf—not in the vegetable drawer. Even if you forget them and they dry up, says Toby, “you can always throw them in soups, just like a regular dried mushroom.”
How do you cook it?
Loren: “Slice it lengthwise and sauté with garlic and/or onions. They’re good with eggs, or over steak.” Toby: “They’re so versatile—like porcini, but sweeter. The other day I walked into our kitchen and my husband, John, had peeled them into strips with a vegetable peeler, so they looked like chow fun noodles, and cooked them in chicken broth with green onions. I thought, ‘For all those gluten people, this would be amazing!’ “
How do you like to cook trumpets, Sunset friends? I’m curious.
Still craving mushrooms? We have plenty of recipes.
