edibles
How to eat a bolete
King boletes are among the most delicious of mushrooms, so why is it that I am so bad at finding them? Some of their sisters are also delicious edibles; a few are not so good. This piece is not so much a guide to boletes, but rather an account of how to eat them.
So you want to be a truffle-farmer…? (Part 2)
Our trufficulture adventure continues with a short history of black truffle cultivation in France, with a note on the unreasonable expense of synthetically truffle-scented olive oil.
So you want to be a truffle-farmer…? (Part 1)
Truffles are ugly, dirty, stink in a lascivious way, and excite wild desires in humankind and pigs alike. Apparently people will pay just about anything for these lumpish things. Hmm, what if you could grow them? Read on.
The Future of Fungal Freshness?
What if mushrooms weren’t grown in dank grow rooms by gnomes and elves, but instead grew right in their clever packaging on the way to market? Our student reporter interviews designer Agata Jaworska about her concept ‘Made in Transit,’ presented as her MS thesis at the renowned Dutch nexus, Design Academy Eindhoven.
Huitlacoche
This post was contributed by Fahma Bob, a student in my Mushrooms class, PLPA 319
For a gardener, Ustilago maydis can certainly be a little scary, especially if you don’t know what it is. Imagine going out to your sweet corn patch and finding this! No wonder it has been called “Devil’s corn.” But once you [...]
Mushroom Fever
People used to think mushrooms sprang up spontaneously after thunderstorms or in response to devilry. We know better now, but there’s still some art in cultivating them. That said, you can probably manage to grow some yourself–maybe in your backyard or woodlot. Guest blogger Ariadne Reynolds reports on the forest farming of mushrooms, and provides some leads in case you’re ready to get started.
Hydnum umbilicatum, the sweet tooth
This Hedgehogology post was written by a student in PLPA 319
Known as both the “hedgehog” and the “sweet tooth” mushroom, Hydnum umbilicatum has some remarkable features that make it an incredible member of the diverse world of fungi. This mushroom gets its common names due to its edibility and the structure of its gills.
Hydnum umbilicatum [...]
Shaggy Mane Time Lapse
Post and video by the talented Dawn Dailey O’Brien, Plant Pathologist and co-editor of Branching Out
Shaggy mane mushrooms are also known as Lawyer’s Wigs. They are white with a cylindrical cap 1-1/4 to 2 inches wide and 1-5/8 to 6 inches high. They get their name from the flat, white scales on the cap which [...]
Blewit eaters
Blewits are tasty purple mushrooms, so it’s always exciting to find them. But imagine how excited I was when I found they had an ornate and seldom-seen parasitic mold growing on them. Do you know me at all? I was ecstatic.
Stalking the Hen of the Woods
This story of Hen discovery was written by a Cornell doctoral student who took PLPA 319
It was a miserable day for collecting mushrooms: cold, and alternating between a slow soaking rain and an all-out torrential downpour. There was even a bout of frequent lightning strikes which, based on the volume and the timing of [...]
The world in your oyster
The oyster mushroom has many secrets. Yes, the one you can buy in the supermarket (or find in the woods). It is a predator of sorts, but don’t worry, it normally goes for lesser prey than you.
Eating the Chicken of the Woods
Chicken-of-the woods is hard to miss in the forest, being bright orange on top and yellow underneath. It’s a good beginner’s mushroom, has a texture like chicken, and apparently it makes a tasty omelet too.