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Wild Mushrooms
First things first. On New Year’s Eve, I posted a song, 'You Are My Sunshine,' and in that post, I wished for sunshine during the daylight and rain at night. On New Year’s Day, my wish came true. When I woke up, the sun was already shining brightly outside. Unfortunately, though, I got something I never wished for on that day. I got a fever and a headache. It turned out I got COVID. I stayed in bed for a whole week. I saw some of you read my post and left your comments kindly. But I was just too sick to log in to reply. I owe you a 'Thank You'! Thank you, Qiulan, 卫宁, 羽音, AP, 忒忒绿, Xiaosai, and Godog! Thank you all for your time and kindness. Qiulan, thank you for your kind advice! I’ll try to learn to put wings on my stress so they can fly away. :) That is a very good piece of advice!
Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about wild mushrooms.
采蘑菇的小姑娘
It's the rainy season here in Central California, which means it's also mushroom hunting season. So far, I've learned to identify four kinds of wild mushrooms: Porcini mushroom, Cauliflower mushroom, Candy Cap mushroom, and Oyster mushroom. They are all common in my area, and they are quite distinct, making them easy to identify and relatively safe when it comes to making mistakes.
Porcini mushroom (aka king bolete), is the most common and popular wild mushroom in this area. Porcini mushrooms are brown-capped mushrooms with fat, white stalks. The caps can range in size from an inch to nearly a foot, but most are no more than a few inches. The caps have a convex shape when young, giving them the ideal appearance for mushrooms.
Porcini mushrooms should not be soaked in water or even rinsed if possible. This is true for most wild mushrooms. Use a dry or slightly damp paper towel to wipe any dirt off of each mushroom just before using. Excess water will cause the delicate mushrooms to deteriorate before cooking. I usually use a small brush to gently brush away the dirt.
Fresh mushrooms can be sautéed, braised, fried, grilled, or stewed. They tend to be prepared simply (such as sautéed) to maintain their flavor and texture. Served as a side dish or added to risotto or pasta, they are a seasonal treat. I often sauteed them in butter. They are often described as nutty and earthy with a meatiness in flavor and texture. They have a similar taste to other, more common mushrooms, but with a deeper and nuttier flavor. Fresh mushrooms have a tender, meaty texture when cooked.
Cauliflower mushrooms (Sparassis radicata) are a variety of saprobe, a parasite known for leeching off trees (particularly decaying oak stumps). The fruiting body of a cauliflower mushroom is big, clumpy-shaped, and pale yellow or cream-colored. With a width and height of six to twelve inches, this variety essentially looks like a large head of cauliflower. Toothsome yet tender, cauliflower mushrooms’ consistency doesn’t soften much while cooking—meaning they remain pleasantly firm, with no risk of getting mushy.
I found this one at the foot of a big Monterey Pine tree in a park that’s only a block away from my house. With numerous convolutions, like those in the brain, cleaning a cauliflower mushroom can be quite challenging.
Candy Cap mushrooms, as the name suggests, have a sweet scent. Some people say they smell like caramel or maple sugar. I think they smell more like Tiramisu, with the combined scents of coffee and chocolate.
Candy caps are members of the Lactarius family. Lactarius mushrooms all bleed a milky liquid when their gills are cut or damaged. The color of the milky latex substance varies among Lactarius mushrooms, but all the candy caps bleed a white liquid. Candy caps, in general, are small brownish mushrooms. They aren’t eye-catching. All parts of the candy cap mushrooms are brittle – this is actually a key distinguishing feature. The cap and stem break easily, usually with a clear snap.
Due to their sweet scent, candy caps aren’t cooked like most edible mushrooms. They are predominantly used as a flavoring. Their flavor and scent intensify with drying, so the majority of users dry out the mushrooms, powder them, and use the powder to flavor the dish.
I have never dried them and used them for making dessert. I often just sauté them, as I do with other wild mushrooms. They don’t taste as tender and flavorful as porcini or cauliflower mushrooms when sautéed, but still delicious.
That’s all I have to offer today. I hope you will find time to go outdoors. Maybe you'll find some wild mushrooms as well. Feel free to share your bounty if you find any.
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