PRODUCT INFO
Ear mushrooms are small to medium in size, averaging 3-8 centimeters in diameter, and are curved and wavy with an ear-like or cup-like shape. The fruiting bodies are brown to dark brown with a slippery or gelatinous texture and can be made up of smooth, wavy edges or many folds and wrinkles with some veining. With age, the gill-less and stemless fungus darkens, and the spores range in color from yellow, cream, to white. When cooked, Wood Ear mushrooms are firm, crunchy, and toothsome with a mild, musty flavor. Ear mushrooms contain iron, protein, fiber, and vitamins B1 and B2
USES
Ear mushrooms are best suited for cooked applications such as boiling, stir-frying, and sauteing. Before cooking, the fungus should be rinsed, and any tough patches should be removed. Used for their chewy and toothsome texture, they can be added to soups, salads, or stir-fries and readily absorb accompanying flavors. Ear mushrooms are commonly added to Chinese hot and sour soup and to Szechwan and Hunan cuisine to soak up the spicier flavors. Outside of China, ear mushrooms are most commonly found in dried form and can easily be reconstituted. To rehydrate, the fungus should be soaked in water for at least half an hour. Ear mushrooms pair well with potatoes, fermented black beans, green onions, onions, ginger, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, cilantro, parsley, bay leaves, allspice, snow thistle, cucumber, bamboo shoots, green peas, tofu, pork, ham, shrimp, and crab. They should be used immediately and will only keep for a couple of days when wrapped in paper towels and stored in the refrigerator.
Season
Ear mushrooms are available from early summer through early winter, while the cultivated versions are available year-round.
PRODUCT INFO
Shiitake mushrooms range in colors from amber to paper bag-brown. Each mushroom has an umbrella shaped cap with a curled rim. Their caps have a cream-colored supple-firm interior. Unlike mature shiitake mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms are entirely edible as their thin stalks are still tender when young. When cooked, shiitakes release a garlic-pine aroma and have a rich, earthy, umami flavor.
These shiitakes are farm raised and harvested on protein-filled sterile sawdust logs that have been inoculated with shiitake spores. The individual logs can produce over 4 pounds of mushrooms during their lifetime. They are also 100% recyclable; once the logs are exhausted they can be used for composting or as a natural fertilizer.
USES
Shiitake mushrooms, like mature Shiitake, are widely used in Asian cuisine. They are not limited to Asian recipes, though, and as a cultivated variety, they may be substituted in recipes calling for "wild mushrooms". Pair shiitake with Asian mustard greens, eggplant, rice, noodles, garlic, soy and chile. May be sauteed, roasted or skewered and grilled.
Season
Shiitake mushrooms are harvested on logs year-round. Their growth, and hence availability, is dependent upon how well the log feeds them.
