The Cap-tivating World of Fresh Fungi

No sun needed or soil required; mushrooms grow on their own schedule, a steady presence at the farmers' market even as the seasons change around them. At farmers’ markets around the Bay Area, Jimmy of Mikuyta (pronounced Mee-koo-ee-tuh) Mushrooms LLC brings in a rotating harvest grown at his indoor farm in Benicia. The name Mikuyta translates to “consume” or “eat” in Quechua, an indigenous language of Jimmy's native Peru. 

Mikuyta Mushrooms is a mid-sized, family-owned, gourmet mushroom operation that works with community markets and stores to share freshly fruited fungi. "We harvest every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday," Jimmy says, "and then we bring the freshest mushrooms... straight to market,” with no gap between block and table. 

For the mushroom novice wondering where to start, Jimmy has a simple answer: blue oysters. These flavorful fungi are a beginner’s best bet; equally happy to be fried deep or shallow, or tossed into a salad. Sautéed with onion and garlic, blue oysters will keep in the refrigerator for up to ten days, making them an easy entry point for a first-time endeavor.  

Lion's mane gets the most love, thanks to its two natural active compounds: hericenones, found in the cap and stem, and erinacines, found in the root-like mycelium. Both compounds have been linked to supporting brain cell health. Folks often use lion’s mane as a meat substitute: mixed with mayo for patties, compressed and seared into a steak with butter and rosemary, or chopped small into eggs, pasta, and tacos, comfortably soaking up whatever flavor it's cooked with. 

The secret, Jimmy reveals, is reducing moisture. "Dry pan first and sauté it," he advises, letting the water release before the mushroom starts to brown. A touch of olive oil finishes the job. Skip this step, he warns, and the texture turns to rubber, working against the firm, meaty bite people seek. 

Jimmy's personal favorite doesn't garner as much attention: coral tooth, a relative of lion's mane. "It's delicate, it's spongy," he says, with a mild, faintly sweet flavor that takes on whatever it's cooked with. Sautéed the same way as its more popular relative, it turns pink, a good fit for scrambled eggs, soups, or as a solid substitute for pulled pork. 

Then there's nameko, a small, glistening Japanese mushroom Jimmy describes carefully. "Gelatinous," he says, is a better word than "slimy," which tends to put people off before they've even tried it. Reminiscent of The Lion King scene where Timon and Pumbaa debate the pros and cons of slimy vs. crunchy grubs. Nutty and earthy, with a rich built-in thickening agent and excellent structural integrity, nameko is well-suited to miso soup, curries, and other broths, as well as pasta and pizza. 

For customers ready to grow their own, Mikuyta offers grow kits in many varieties, ready to harvest about seven to ten days after activation. Every kit is tested first by Jimmy and his team before reaching customers. 

A single block can produce multiple harvests, or "flushes." The first flush is the heaviest, with a second, smaller flush resulting from leftover moisture. Even a third is possible if the block is soaked in cold water and then drained to release another flourish of fungi. Once a block is finally spent, Jimmy recommends composting it in the garden, where it rebalances the soil and holds onto more moisture than soil or plants can on their own, cutting watering down to twice a week. Occasionally, small surprise mushrooms might sprout from the compost itself, and those can be washed and eaten as a treat too. 

Washing habits, says Jimmy, depend on the source. Indoor farmed fungi don't need washing, and store-bought should only be brushed off, while wild foraged mushrooms should be washed right before preparation, like typical produce. Whatever the source, all mushrooms share the same treatment once harvested: eat them within 48 hours in the fridge for peak quality, before they begin absorbing moisture, smells, and flavors from their surroundings, sometimes taking on an unpleasant scent Jimmy compares to acrid "boiled roses." 

Whether seared into a steak, folded into scrambled eggs, or stirred into a bowl of miso soup, mushrooms are at their best fresh from the farm. With new varieties, grow kits, and preparations to try each week, both the mushroom-curious and longtime fungi fans will have plenty of options to try at their local farmers’ market all year long!