Oyster Mushrooms

Today I thought I’d introduce another mushroom!

I don’t often write about fungi, but a recent score inspired me to talk about them this week.

These mushrooms are actually quite easy to identify, and great for beginners despite how intimidating it may seem!

I would just advise you to not overthink it and just go through the steps to identify them.

Let’s get into it:

Fungi Profile:

Scientific Name: Pleurotus sp.

Preferred Habitat: Dead wood logs, especially hardwood like oak and beech.

Edible Parts: Fruiting body

Distribution: There are oyster mushroom species nearly worldwide

Harvest Season: Spring, and fall in my region, some species will fruit into the summer or winter depending on your climate.

Key Identifiers: Smooth cap, bracket (shelf-like) formation, and with gills on the underside that go nearly all the way down to the base. They tend to be fan-shaped as well.

Toxic Look-Alikes: There are a number of mushrooms that can look similar to oyster mushrooms, but no true toxic look-alikes exist in the US that I’m aware of. Elm oysters are very similar but are also edible, just not as tasty.

Angel Wings is a dangerous species to confuse with oysters, however there are a few things that set them apart:

• Angel wings are much smaller than harvestable oysters and grow exclusively on conifer wood. You will never find oysters growing on conifer wood in the wild, they prefer hardwoods.

• Angel wings are also way thinner and more delicate than oysters and tend to be pure white like snow and not tan, gray, or golden.

• Angel wings fruit in late summer through fall, so you won’t find them in the spring like many oysters.

• Oysters have a distinct mushroomy-sweet smell that almost has a hint of licorice.

If your mushrooms are growing on hardwood and have gills running to the base, then you have oysters.

Nutrition: (Per 1 Cup)

• Calories: 28

• Fat: 0.3g

• Sodium: 15.5mg

• Carbohydrates: 5.2g

• Fiber: 2g

• Sugars: 0.95

• Protein: 2.9g

• Niacin: 4.27mg

• Potassium: 361.2mg

• Vitamin B2: 0.3mg

• Vitamin B3: 4.3mg

• Vitamin B5: 1.1mg

Uses

Oyster mushrooms make a great addition to many savory dishes.

They can be fried, cooked into sauces, dehydrated for soups, used to make stock, dried into mushroom jerky, or sauteed.

I do love oyster mushrooms, but admittedly I could be better at cooking them.

The advice I was given by my brother (an excellent chef and my culinary consultant) was to not use much oil when you cook them since they absorb a lot which can slow their ability to cook well.

They are a very versatile treat and are easy to add to a meal!

Growth Habits

Oysters always fruit on dead or dying trees since they feed on decaying wood.

As we’ve discussed before, what you see above ground is called the “fruiting body” of the fungus, while below ground is the “mycelial network” (or “mycelium”).

Oysters are a fairly fast growing and aggressive species of mushroom and once they start fruiting, they will often double in size every day until they reach full size. This can take as little as a week if conditions are favorable, or as long as two.

Oysters are actually one of the easiest mushrooms to grow as well!

Additional Information

Around the Midwest there are a few species of oyster; blue/gray oysters, golden oysters, and white oysters.

In warmer climates there are also pink oysters which are beautiful! They prefer slightly warmer temps, but they can still be grown further north by us.

You may think that mushroom cultivation requires fancy equipment or a lab, but they are incredibly easy to cultivate at home! I would argue even that they are easier than most garden plants!

I won’t go into every method this week but let me know if you’d like more general information on mushroom cultivation and I’ll try to write that soon.

Cultivars

There are a number of grow-kits sold for oyster mushrooms, so here are a few that I recommend (again, I’m not an affiliate I just like these companies):

• Golden Oyster: a pretty golden yellow species

• PoHu Oyster: A more upright beige oyster with a domed cap

• Blue Oyster: A gray-blue species, the classic variety

• Pink Oyster: A bright pink species, very showy and pretty

• King Trumpet: An upright form of oysters, very different formation but incredible flavor (my favorite)

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