King brown oyster mushroom caps and stems are highly prized for their strong, rich, meaty flavour & texture. Also known as Eryngii the King Trumpet it is indigenous across the Asian continent. A slow growing mushroom preferring cooler climes and can be grown out very large with fully developed caps. Usually King Brown mushrooms are harvested with small underdeveloped caps but you can experience this mushroom in a different way by growing the cap to a large size. Its flavour and texture are continuously superb harvested small/young or large/mature.

Another recipe from Nina, which we made for Floriade - so yummy....

Vegan Bacon

Olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar 

½ tsp salt 

½  tsp smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

3 King Oyster mushrooms, sliced into bacon strip-sized slices.

Preheat oven to 160oC and lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Combine brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper in a small bowl. Place the sliced mushrooms in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, tossing well to combine. Add the brown sugar mixture to the oiled mushrooms and gently toss until each mushroom slice is well coated. Arrange the mushrooms on the oiled baking sheet with space between each one. Bake for 20 minutes, until the mushrooms turn dark brown. Flip the mushrooms over using a spatula. Bake for another 15 minutes, until very brown. Serve immediately. Unused vegan bacon will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Pleurotus eryngii

Pleurotus ostreaus or Magnificent pearl is an oyster mushroom that can be grown all year round. It produces large mushrooms quickly with a blue grey colour. Magnificent pearl has a delicate flavour and velvety texture. It is a delicious and nutritious mushroom.

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Shroomy Bruschetta

• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, thinly sliced

• 1 red capsicum, sliced

• 150g magnificent pearl oyster mushrooms, sliced

• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

• Baguette, sliced (1/4 inch thick)

• 2 tbsp balsamic glaze

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Preheat oven to 180oC. In a large fry pan, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat with onions. Sauté until transparent. Add capsicum, lower heat, and cover for 5 minutes. Add oyster mushrooms and adjust to medium/high heat. Sauté for 5 more minutes. Brush baguette slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bake in oven for 5 minutes. Top each baguette slice with the mushroom mixture and garnish with fresh basil and balsamic glaze. Season to taste.

Pleurotus ostreatus

Golden enoki is a low maintenance mushroom to grow as it requires little attention. Our kits grow mulititudes of delicate little golden mushrooms that are sweet and crispy when eaten raw or sweet and nutty when cooked. Golden enoki prefers cooler weather to grow in and is a tree fungi from Asia. Here is one of Nina's recipes for Golden enoki - 

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Prosciutto Wrapped Enoki

• 2 bunches enoki

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 spring onions, finely chopped

• ¼ cup tarragon, finely chopped

• Cracked pepper

• 200g prosciutto

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Add olive oil to a fry pan. Heat on medium high, add spring onion and tarragon, cook for 3 mins. Remove from fry pan. Add enoki to fry pan cook for 3 mins. Take off heat and cool for 10 mins. Wrap one slice of prosciutto around 4-5 mushrooms, wrap tightly. Place onto baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake at 180oC for 10 min to allow prosciutto to crisp up. Garnish with spring onion and tarragon mixture and fresh cracked pepper.

Flammulina velutipe

Chestnut mushrooms or pioppini were cultivated by the Ancient Greeks and are popular across Asia. The mushroom has a brown cap, a long creamy stalk, and possesses a firm texture with a strong mushroom flavour. When sautéed with some chopped parsley or lemon thyme and a squeeze of lemon juice they are a delightful side dish. They are a fine addition to omelettes, stir-fries, risottos, pasta dishes and soups. 

Agrocybe aegerita

Pholiota nameko is a slow growing delicious winter variety. It grows in clusters to about 5cm long with a wavy cap when fully developed. It is a popular Japanese mushroom having an earthy pork/chicken flavour with a hint of cashews and nutmeg. Nina developed this recipe for Floriade 2017 -

Tofu with Nameko Sauce

• 250g firm tofu

• 1 small leek, thinly sliced into 4 cm long strips

• 3 Thai basil leaves

• 250g nameko mushrooms

• 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms

• 100 ml chicken/vegetable stock

• 3 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp sake or mirin

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 1 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Wrap the tofu in paper towel, place on a tilted cutting board with a heavy dish on the tofu for 1 hour. Coat the tofu with plain flour before frying. Heat oil in a frying pan. Brown both sides of the tofu and the leek together. In a saucepan boil stock and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms for 8 minutes. Add the sauces and nameko mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes. Add the cornflour dissolved in water to thicken the sauce. Serve the fried tofu and leek onto a plate and pour over the mushroom sauce. Scatter Thai basil leaves on top.

Pholiota nameko