We received a mushroom growing kit this past year as a Christmas gift. I have never grown mushrooms from a kit before. This one was dead easy; open the box, mist with water, keep out of sunlight and wait. They grew fast. In a matter of 5 days they grew to a harvest-able size.
Oyster mushroom are usually found on decaying wood but will grow on other media such as coffee grounds. I plan to saute them with a little shallots and garlic and serve them with broiled trout and a couscous pilaf.
From Wikipedia: "Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster mushroom, is a common edible mushroom. It was first cultivated in Germany as a subsistence measure during World War I and is now grown commercially around the world for food. However, the first documented cultivation was byKaufert. There is some question about the name Pleurotus corticatus, but no question he cultivated an oyster mushroom. It is related to the similarly cultivated "king oyster mushroom". Oyster mushrooms can also be used industrially for mycoremediation purposes. The oyster mushroom may be considered a medicinal mushroom, since it contains statins such as lovastatin which work to reduce cholesterol."
Chef Michael Hutchings
