Mushroom Types:

Chanterelles

Morels

Oyster

Porcini

Shiitake

Wood Ear

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    Oyster mushrooms have a velvety texture with a flavor and aroma that is reminiscent of their seafood counterparts mixed with the woods and earthy flavors of any wild mushroom. The dried oyster mushroom's flavor matches especially well with other wild mushroom and in seafood dishes.

Oyster mushrooms are a delicious addition to many dishes, when preparing them remember to remove any stems if presents because they can be fibrous and tough. The oyster's stems do not need be discarded, they can either be finely chopped and incorporated into recipes, or saved for making a delicious mushroom stock.

The caps of the mushrooms should be cooked before eating, but can then be served with a wide variety of foods.  The Oyster mushroom's natural shellfish like flavor make it a perfect combination with seafood flavors and seasoning that match well with seafood.

But this versatile mushroom is not limited to seafood like applications, it make a delicious compliment to pork, veal, and chicken, especially when sauteed with onions and butter. The flavor of oyster mushrooms also goes well the eggs, pasta, rice, and in soups and sauces.

Oyster mushrooms are most commonly found served in foods from North America, France and China, where they are called píng gū.

Reconstituting: Dried Oyster mushrooms can be reconstituted by steeping them in warm water/broth for about 30 minutes or by added them to a simmering liquid 10-20 minutes before serving. The flavorful soaking liquid can be strained for addition to sauces and soups.

Sauteed: Over low heat lightly saute reconstituted oyster mushrooms in butter after they have been dipped in egg was and well coated with cracker crumbs. Cook until tender and well done, approximately 7 minutes. Serve warm as a compliment to meats such as a nice steak or as a hors d'oeuvre.

Sauce: follow the recipe above and deglaze pan with white wine and/or mushroom soaking liquid. Reduce liquid, add heavy cream and simmer until desired thickness is reached. Serve over all kinds of seafood, poultry, and pasta.
 

Most wild mushrooms can be substituted into any recipe.
 

Oyster mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus, have a shape that is reminiscent of a trumpet or even a strangely shaped ear atop a short and off centered stem. Oyster mushrooms from around the world can come in a wide array of colors, but the oyster mushrooms growing wildly in North America are always white to light grey when they are fresh and light brown to golden when dried. These mushrooms can grow to a size of more than a half foot across and are found in overlapping clusters, that remind me of groups of little shelves, mostly on hardwoods which are decaying. Varieties of oyster mushrooms can be found growing in temperate forests throughout the world, mostly in the fall but occasionally during any of the warmer months of the year.

Recent research suggests theirs good reason to consume oyster mushrooms other that their delicious flavor and pleasing texture. Like many other types of wild mushrooms, oysters are rich in vitamins and minerals such as niacin, riboflavin and iron along with proteins and non-saturated fatty acids. But the oyster mushrooms potential value doesn't end with it's culinary prowess and nutritional benefits, some recent research suggests they may also have additional medical value. They have antibacterial properties and oyster mushrooms might even have the ability to lower cholesterol and have anticancer properties.

These mushrooms are even used to clean up soil contaminated with some pollutants. The oyster mushroom along with certain bacteria are adapt at breaking down hydro carbons such as those found in automotive fuels. These hydro carbons are similar to plant cellulose, the oyster mushroom natural food source. This biological process of decontamination is called bioremediation. It probably doesn't need to be said that the mushrooms produced in this process should not be eaten!

In addition to the Oyster mushrooms environmental cleansing properties, they are also used industrially to make paper pulp, cosmetics and even pharmaceutical products. It seems that like some of it's fungal relatives the Oyster mushroom is truly one of man kinds super foods!

Wild mushroom picking should be done only under the supervision of an expert who is absolutely certain they have an edible mushroom. Some mushrooms are deadly poisonous, and some mildly poisonous mushrooms can easily be misidentified as oyster mushrooms.