How to Hunt for Shiitakes

The hunt for shiitake mushrooms can be a fun and rewarding endeavor with tasty results. This variety has also been called the Chinese, Oak and Black Forest mushroom. They have woody and fibrous stems and grow on the sides of trees like the Japanese Shii.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gloves
• Cloth bag

1. Find shiitake mushrooms by locating Japanese Shii trees for traditional Japanese varieties.

2. Consider that western shiitake mushrooms can be grown on oak, chestnut or even hornbeam trees.

3. Locate shiitakes grown in two grades. The first grade is known as Donko. This is the preferred variety with rounded caps that are partly open and thick. The second grade is Koshin, which are the thinner, more open-capped variety.

4. Grade shiitake mushrooms by size with larger ones being the more highly prized. Some shiitake mushrooms may be graded by tastes of garlic, autumn leaves or even pine.

Tips & Warnings

• Shiitake mushroom spores can be purchased and grown on poplar logs in Western cultures. These produce very woody stems for soup stocks and nutty additions to meals.
• Dried shiitake mushroom have a very woody flavor when reconstituted in water. This water can also be used in recipes.
• Shiitakes have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. They are believed to help lower cholesterol and fend off the flu.
• As with any mushroom, be certain of the species being ingested as some mushroom varieties can poison and even kill humans.
• Be certain that all mushrooms are properly identified and washed prior to cooking or eating. Some mushrooms have parasites living in and on them that must be removed before human consumption.

Resources

• Starchefs is a mushroom resource for recipes and cooking techniques.
• The Mushroom Council is a great mushroom authority website.