From roasted maitake to savory soup, it’s time for the magic of mushrooms

The market for specialty mushrooms and mushroom products is enjoying a growth spurt. Here are some easy, delicious ways to cook with them.|

Mushroom Resources

Book: “All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms” by author David Arora (Ten Speed Press, 1991, $15.95) davidarora.com

Cookbook: “Cooking Wild: More Than 150 Recipes for Eating Close to Nature” by John Ash and James O. Fraioli. (Running Press, 2016, $35)

Gourmet Mushrooms: On most Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m., Mycopia hosts a public sale of available mushrooms at wholesale prices. Three pound bags only. Visit the web site or Facebook page to confirm. 2901 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol. mycopia.com

Jewels of the Forest: Producers of mushroom jerky and purveyors of nutriceuticals, mushroom art and jewelry, and more. Retail outlet: 175 Pleasant Hill Ave. North, Sebastopol. shroomjerky.com

Napa Truffle Festival: A four-day extravaganza, from Jan. 18 through Jan. 21, at several venues in the Napa Valley. napatrufflefestival.com

New Carpati Farm: Purveyors of shiitake and oyster mushrooms; workshops for would-be home mushroom growers. 4241 Bartleson Road, Sebastopol. farmtrails.org

Sonoma County Mycological Association: Membership organization holds public events, mushroom identification workshops, foraging, free emergency identification services to hospitals, veterinarians and individuals. The next foray is on October at Salt Point State Park. Attendance is limited to 40 individuals; for information, visit somamushrooms.org.

The world is awash in fungi, more than 5 million species, some microscopic, others enormous.

There are fungi that digest toxic waste, including heavy metals, rendering them harmless. Certain fungi are used to make paper, clothing and accessories, to dye yarn and cloth and to feed other species, including humans.

Edible fungi - aka mushrooms and truffles - make up less than 5 percent of the world's fungi. Another 1 percent are fatal if eaten. Not quite 200 species are psychoactive, producing moderate hallucinations. The rest are inedible, don't taste good or make you sick.

Most of the mushrooms we eat are fruit, sent up from an underground lace-like web known as the mycelium. Perhaps you've come across it while gardening and wondered, “What is this, a decaying handkerchief?”

Healthy soil, especially when not tilled, typically contains mycelium, which serves an interesting purpose, beyond its fruit: It provides a means of communication between trees, like underground telephone wires, a topic that is fascinating in its own right. One tree, for example, can let its neighbors know, via this lacy web, that it needs nutrients or that it has some to share. Mycelium is one of the great wonders of nature.

As fall sets in and the first rains dampen our forest floors and the mycelium therein, mushrooms begin poking through the piles of leaves and other debris that has collected since the last fruiting. North Bay foragers prepare for the hunt, heading out to gather porcini, one of the first to appear. Soon come the golden chanterelles, hedgehogs, the fragile shaggy mane, lion's mane, black chanterelles and, in early spring, the beloved morel, which is often found in abundance along fire lines.

But here's a secret: Gourmet Mushrooms, producers of high-quality specialty forest mushrooms established in Sebastopol in 1977, has developed a cultivated morel that could be released before the end of the year.

Test batches are underway, said Justin Reyes, head of sales and marketing for the company. The mushroom will be available commercially once quality and quantity are consistent. Gourmet Mushrooms is also developing lion's mane and sparassis, the elusive cauliflower mushroom, named for its appearance, not its flavor.

Once best known for their pioneering efforts with the shiitake, the company no longer grows its inaugural mushroom. A number of years ago, they developed a technique of growing mushrooms in special reusable jars, a method that does not work for the shiitake. By then, there were many sources in the United States for what had become a very popular mushroom. They also discontinued a few other species, such as the Pom Pom Blanc, that could not be grown in this way.

This new method has a smaller environmental footprint, with less waste than previous techniques. Since 2005, all of their mushrooms have been certified both organic and kosher. Once the wood-based substrate on which the mushrooms are grown is exhausted, it is turned into highly prized compost used by local farmers and wineries.

The company's current edible mushrooms include Alba Clamshell, Brown Clamshell, Forest Nameko, Trumpet Royale, Velvet Pioppini, Nebrodini Bianco and Maitake Frondosa. They are widely available, including at markets throughout Sonoma County. Gift baskets and Mushroom Modules - growth kits with lesson plans designed for teachers - are available at the company's web site.

Gourmet Mushrooms recently purchased a facility in Michigan, which allows them to expand production, something not possible in Sebastopol, where they still have their original location on Frei Road as well as their main facility on Highway 116, adjacent to Merry Edwards Winery. The company grows a large number of mushrooms in addition to those sold on the fresh market; these species are sold to producers of nutriceuticals, a growing market.

Sonoma County, in part because wild mushrooms thrive here and in part because Gourmet Mushrooms is located here, is regarded as a pioneer in the specialty mushroom market, and we have long appreciated these gifts of the forest. But it has only been in the last few years that much of the rest of the country has discovered both the delicious and nutritious side of mushrooms.

The market for specialty mushrooms and mushroom products is enjoying a growth spurt, like the forest floor after an autumn rain.

Both vegetarians and vegans appreciate them, and their interest has spawned a new industry: mushroom jerky. Two local companies, Jewels of the Forest, founded in 2017; and Sporgy, established this year, are selling their flavored mushroom jerky online and at local farmers markets.

Jewels of the Forest, operated by brothers Hunter and Wyatt Bryson, use dried organic oyster mushrooms from China and Thailand and recently opened a retail shop and production facility in Sebastopol. They offer several flavors and more are under development.

Sporgy, founded this year by husband-and-wife team Adam Alexander and Carlee Leonhard, both of whom are chefs, makes its jerky from maitake mushrooms purchased from Gourmet Mushrooms. The new company is based in Healdsburg and sells its products online, at several local farmers markets and at Shelton's Natural Foods Market, also in Healdsburg.

When it comes to cooking mushrooms, especially wild and specialty mushrooms, it is best to let the mushroom itself take center stage. Some foods enhance mushrooms - butter, olive oil, a judicious splash of fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil, eggs, cheese, bread, pasta, polenta, rice, cream, homemade stock and of course, salt and pepper, encourage mushrooms to blossom. Other ingredients, including tomatoes, sweet peppers and hot chiles, can eclipse the nuanced flavors of the ‘shroom.

And if, one morning you hear an urgent knock on your door and open it to find a friend standing there, hands full of the delicate shaggy mane, run to the kitchen, melt a little butter in your best sauté pan and toss in the precious morsels, which need just a few minutes on the heat. Add a little salt and pepper, take a bite, close your eyes and savor what seems like the most extraordinary poached eggs you have ever tasted. Ahhh, the magic of mushrooms.

For more mushroom recipes, including mushroom risotto, pasta with mushrooms in cream, mushroom polenta and mushroom strudel, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

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This simple and simply delicious dish is adapted from a recipe by Chef Patrick Hamilton of the Sonoma County Mycological Association. It is a lovely way to use freshly harvested porcini (also known as boletes), which should be available sometime soon. To use another mushroom, consult the variation that follows the main recipe.

Raw Porcini Salad with Mozzarella

Serves 6

1 pound very fresh, small porcini mushrooms, cleaned

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

- Juice of 1 Meyer lemon

4 tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

- Sourdough hearth bread, hot

Use a very sharp knife or a mandoline fitted with its thinnest blade to slice the mushrooms lengthwise; they should be no thicker than about 1/16 of an inch.

Put the sliced mushrooms into a medium bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, add the lemon juice, olive oil and parsley and toss gently but thoroughly. Cover and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

Taste a bit of mushroom and adjust for salt and acid, adding a bit more olive oil if it seems too tart.

Arrange mozzarella on a platter or individual plates and spoon the mushroom mixture on top. Enjoy right away, with bread alongside for sopping up the delicious juices.

Variation: If you do not have fresh porcini, use Trumpet Royale instead. When I do, I prefer to sauté them first. To do so, cook in a dry pan over medium high heat until the edges begin to caramelize; add a splash of olive oil, turn the mushrooms in the oil, transfer to a bowl, cool to room temperature and then continue as described in the main recipe.

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Bruce Riezeman of Park Avenue Catering served these delicious roasted mushrooms at a special event at GreenString Farm early this summer and did so at the end of the meal, with cheese and nuts. It was an innovative and delicious way to conclude a meal. I like to serve them with a bit of membrillo - quince paste - alongside, too. They are also excellent as an appetizer, with a bone-dry sparkling wine alongside. If you have a convection oven, be sure to use the fan, as it facilitates the drying of the mushroom edges, which intensifies their flavor. If you do not have a convection oven, be certain that the oven is preheated to full temperature before you begin to cook the mushrooms.

Oven-Roasted Maitakes

Serves 6 to 8

1 pound maitake mushrooms

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Break the mushrooms into pieces about the size of a tennis ball or a bit smaller and put them into a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper and use your hands to gently turn the mushrooms over several times to distribute the oil, salt and pepper.

Spread the mushrooms, stem ends down, over a baking sheet, set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the outer edges of the mushrooms have begun to dry out.

Transfer to a platter, let cool and enjoy right away.

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You can vary the flavors in this soup by using different mushrooms, a mix of mushrooms or smoked mushrooms. Many recipes call for flour when making a creamy soup but I find it unnecessary and, often, unpleasant, unless you use the flour to make roux, as you do for gumbo. In soups such as this one and in cream sauces, flour is unnecessary.

Creamy Mushroom Soup with Chévre and Chives

Serves 3 to 4

2 tablespoons butter or bacon fat

2 shallots, minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

- Kosher salt

8 ounces specialty mushrooms of choice, trimmed and broken into small pieces

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons Rainwater Madeira, optional

2 cups mushroom stock (see Note below) or chicken stock

1 sprig thyme

1 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed

3 ounces fresh chévre

- Black pepper in a mill

3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

Put the butter or bacon fat into a medium saucepan set over medium heat and, when the butter is melted, add the shallots and sauté is soft and fragrant, about 7 minutes; do not let the shallots brown or burn. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt.

Add the mushrooms and turn to coat them with butter. Cook for about 2 minutes, add the white wine, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. Uncover and cook until the wine is nearlay completely evaporated. Add the Madeira, if using, and cook until it is nearly evaporated. Season with salt.

Add the stock and sprig of thyme, cover and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until the mushrooms are completely tender. Add the cream and the chévre, stir, cover and remove from the heat. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes.

Uncover, stir well to make sure the chévre is fully incorporated, season with several generous turns of pepper and correct for salt. If the soup is a bit too thick for your liking, thin with cream and heat through. Use tongs to remove and discard the thyme sprig.

Ladle into soup bowls or soup plates, garnish with minced chives and enjoy right away

Note: To make mushroom stock, sauté a minced shallot and minced carrot in butter, add about 2 cups of mushroom trimmings and/or chopped mushrooms, season with salt, 4 cups of water and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Let cool and strain into a clean jar. Use within 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Variation: Dice the mushrooms before sauteéing them. After removing the thyme sprig, use an immersion blender to purée the soup.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “California Home Cooking.” Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com

Mushroom Resources

Book: “All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms” by author David Arora (Ten Speed Press, 1991, $15.95) davidarora.com

Cookbook: “Cooking Wild: More Than 150 Recipes for Eating Close to Nature” by John Ash and James O. Fraioli. (Running Press, 2016, $35)

Gourmet Mushrooms: On most Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m., Mycopia hosts a public sale of available mushrooms at wholesale prices. Three pound bags only. Visit the web site or Facebook page to confirm. 2901 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol. mycopia.com

Jewels of the Forest: Producers of mushroom jerky and purveyors of nutriceuticals, mushroom art and jewelry, and more. Retail outlet: 175 Pleasant Hill Ave. North, Sebastopol. shroomjerky.com

Napa Truffle Festival: A four-day extravaganza, from Jan. 18 through Jan. 21, at several venues in the Napa Valley. napatrufflefestival.com

New Carpati Farm: Purveyors of shiitake and oyster mushrooms; workshops for would-be home mushroom growers. 4241 Bartleson Road, Sebastopol. farmtrails.org

Sonoma County Mycological Association: Membership organization holds public events, mushroom identification workshops, foraging, free emergency identification services to hospitals, veterinarians and individuals. The next foray is on October at Salt Point State Park. Attendance is limited to 40 individuals; for information, visit somamushrooms.org.

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