Finding — and cooking — mushrooms in Asheville

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Here in Western North Carolina, foragers for mushrooms and those who grow them both enjoy an ideal climate. Small-scale mushroom cultivation often compliments a forest filled with local diversity.

 

Carol Dreiling and Pete Whelihan, of Myco Gardens, are growers of unique mushroom varieties, familiar to visitors to Saturday’s North Asheville Tailgate Market at UNC Ashewille who have a hankering for umami.

 

Myco’s neat rows of paper lunch bags cradle delicate heaps of oysters, lion’s mane, pioppinis and reishi. Large clear plastic bags lean against their market truck, packed with mushroom compost to boost the urban gardener’s efforts.

 

Mushrooms gain their nourishment from the content of their growth medium, which means the environment from which they fruit must contain the right combination of materials. Whelihan began his fungiculture journey in 1976 after reading an influential mushroom growing guide written by the McKenna brothers in the early 1970s.

 

According to Whelihan, the main keys to cultivating mushrooms include a selection of high-yielding mushroom strains (mycelium), understanding the substrate (such as straw, logs or enriched sawdust) to be used for cultivation, and suitable environmental conditions for each stage of growing. Optimal substrates are found predominately in nature, good news for foragers.

 

Dana Nagle of Big Spring Farm in Madison County became passionate about morels 10 years ago after her first substantial harvest.

 

“Since then I have made morel hunting a part of my annual springtime rituals,” Nagle said. “Morels sauteed in butter with a bit of ramps or garlic combined with blanched fresh asparagus is about the perfect springtime meal if you ask me.”

 

But her love for mushrooms does not stop at mealtime.

 

“I find delightful value in both the edible and medicinal qualities of mushrooms,” she said. “I drink a splash of double-extraction native reishi every morning with breakfast. This is a medicinal tonic for me, for general good health and (disease) resistance.”

 

Nagle spends the majority of her time cultivating and preparing Chinese medicinal herbs on her farm. She diligently prepares reishi mushrooms by a process of double alcohol extraction, or tincture.

 

“I am fortunate to have reishi (Ganoderma tsugae) growing wild just about a two-minute walk from my kitchen door,” she said.

 

Nagle values reishi for its medicinal qualities, and takes a daily tonic, which she says helps her out while she’s fighting a cold or fever.

 

“I greatly enjoy a romp in the woods looking for treasures followed by an afternoon in the kitchen preparing an extraction, so I find the process very satisfying,” she said.

 

Although not currently cultivating mushrooms on her property, Nagle has plans to add them into her long list of production in the future.

 

“I am interested in Hericium (lion’s mane) for its medicinal properties,” she said. “The Japanese are studying it for its potential to slow memory loss related to Alzheimer’s.”

 

Grown with purpose or foraged among the native landscape of the Blue Ridge, mushrooms offer Appalachian medicine makers and local gourmands special common ground, as they break down, recycle and keep our ecosystem mysteriously dynamic.

 

More about mushrooms

Biologically closer to animals than plants, fungi — from a large family that includes yeasts, molds and mushrooms — are arguably some of the most important organisms on earth.

 

As a food source, fungi have a long history with humans — not just the easily identified fruiting mushrooms but also the yeasts and molds used for centuries to leaven bread, ferment foods, age cheeses (Stilton anyone?) and to transform various substances into alcohol.

 

Without fungi, the world as we know it would look — and taste — vastly different. They’re present throughout our environment, playing the often unseen but critical role of decomposing and nutrient cycling.

 

Of the estimated 1.5 million to 5 million various species within the fungi kingdom, only a fraction is classified by science, leaving the majority a mystery.

 

Not all fungi can be classified as beneficial, and many function as parasites on other organisms. Still, the discovery of antibiotics helped give fungi a better reputation. The medicinal use predates even the discovery of penicillin in the 1940s, as traditional Chinese and folk medicine historically include mushrooms among their healing repertoire.

 

Scientifically, the compounds present in some mushroom species inhibit certain viruses and cancer cell growth. The compound lentinan, found in shiitake mushrooms, is currently used in some countries for cancer treatment.

 

Commercial mushroom production of well-known varieties, such as portobellos and shiitakes, has become a successful industry, although many varieties cannot be easily cultivated and must be sourced from the wild.

 

Some of these gourmet varieties include: morels, truffles, trumpet mushrooms and chanterelles. Lesser known wild varieties like puffball, chicken mushroom, hen-of-the-woods and shaggy mane are all delicacies, often pairing well with flaky salts, aromatics and butter.

 

 

MUSHROOM AND CHÈVRE TART

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Pulse almond flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter and egg yolk. Blend briefly. Press enough mixture into a 8 inch tart pan (fitted with a removable bottom) to create a 1/4-inch layer. Pierce crust with a fork in several places and bake until golden, about 7 minutes.

 

Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire baking rack.

 

Place two tablespoons of the butter in a small cast iron pan over med low heat. Add onions. Slowly saute until browned and aromatic, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan, transfer to a plate, and allow to cool. Place remaining Tbsp butter in same pan. Saute the oyster mushrooms until lightly browned and tender, tossing halfway through.

 

Allow to cool.

 

Mix chèvre, herbs, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread evenly over base of crust. Layer the onions over cheese mixture, followed by the oyster mushrooms. Sprinkle with extra thyme.

 

Gently remove tart from pan. Slice with a very sharp knife and serve as an appetizer or main course.

 

Note: Tart can be made in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled until ready to serve.

 

 

GROW YOUR OWN

 

What: Mushroom Central is “a sterile lab, spawn room, grow room and retail mycological supply store all in one,” according to its website. It also offers classes in growing mushrooms.

 

• While some mushrooms are delicacies, there are many species toxic or lethal to humans. Beginners should always forage with a well-reputed mushroom expert and have 100 percent positive identification before consuming.

 

• For self-education purposes, reference “The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms: Helpful Tips for Mushrooming in the Field” by Pelle Holmberg and Hans Marklund, or “Mushrooming with Confidence: A Guide to Collecting Edible and Tasty Mushrooms” by Alexander Schwab.