Page 233 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Matsutake, Tricholoma

murrillianum (TRICHOLOMATACEAE)

AMERICAN MATSUTAKE or Pine Mushroom grows
under conifers. Fruiting in fall and during mild winters,
it may be solitary, widely scattered, or gregarious.
CAP: The dry or slightly tacky cap is 2-8 inches (5-20cm)
wide and broadly convex, becoming flat. Young caps are
white with inrolled margins. They develop flattened
light-brown scales and fibrils.
GILLS: Crowded white gills are adnate, adnexed, or
notched. They bruise reddish-brown or light brown.
Ron Pastorino, CC-BY-SA-3.0 Rand Workman, CC-BY-SA-3.0
STEM: Stem is 1.5-6 inches (4-15cm) long, 0.4-2 inch-
es (1-5cm) thick, and often buried halfway in duff. It is rice (rinsed), 4-7 oz. (113-200g) mushrooms (stems
sturdy and nearly equal or tapering slightly towards trimmed), 2 ½ cup dashi (Japanese stock), mitsuba
base. Above the ring, stem is white. (Japanese parsley), 3 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. mirin, 1
tbsp. sake. Clean mushrooms with damp towel. Cut
VEIL: The collapsed veil creates a sheath around the
lower stem and a persistent ring. into thin slices. Add rice and seasonings into rice
cooker with dashi. Place mushrooms on top without
SPORES: 5-7 x 4.5-5.5 µm, broadly elliptical to subglo-
mixing. Garnish with mitsuba before serving.
bose, smooth, nonamyloid; Spore print: white
POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita smithiana
EDIBLE PARTS: cap, stem
grows with pine mushroom; stem widens towards
HOW TO EAT: Go well with rice, vegetables, seafood.
base; ring is powder; bleach-like odor.
MATSUTAKE GOHAN: Ingredients: 3 cups Japanese

Meadow Mushroom, Agaricus
campestris (AGARICACEAE)

MEADOW MUSHROOMS grow on grassy sites and ap-
pear in small to large groups, often forming fairy rings.
They typically fruit from spring to fall, but continue to
appear during mild, moist winters.
CAP: Cap is 0.8-4 inches (2-10cm) wide, beginning con-
vex and becoming nearly flat. Its dry surface may be bald
or covered in flattened scales. Young caps are white, ag-
ing to pale brown, or dingy-buff. The firm, white flesh is
mild smelling and may tint reddish-brown if the mush-
room is old or wet. It shouldn’t stain when bruised.
GILLS: Narrow, crowded gills are free at maturity. KEY MEDICINAL USES: This species shows evidence
They begin pink, becoming purplish-brown or choco- of antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities.
late-brown in age.
HOW TO EAT: Harvest when gills are at their pinkest
STEM: The 0.8-2.4 inches (2-6cm) long and 0.4-0.8 inch- and caps at their whitest.
es (1-2cm) thick stem is equal or tapered towards the
MEADOW MUSHROOM OMELETTE: Ingredients:
base. White surface is smooth above ring and fibrillose
¾ cup mushrooms (sliced), garlic clove (minced), 2
below. It turns reddish-brown in age.
eggs (beaten), ¼ cup taleggio cheese. Sauté mush-
VEIL: The thin white veil may leave a slender ring. rooms in butter, adding in garlic midway. Pour eggs
SPORES: 5.5-8 x 4-5 µ, elliptical, smooth; Basida with 4 into a greased skillet. Once almost set, add mush-
spores; Cap surface not yellowing in KOH; Spore print: rooms and cheese.
chocolate-brown POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: A. californicus, A. xan-
EDIBLE PARTS: cap, stem thodermus; some white Amanitas
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