The herb mushrooms available in Germany all come from conventional or organic mushroom culture. In contrast to the porcini mushroom, which Pleurotus eryngii looks and tastes very similar to, the king oyster mushroom can be cultivated on simple straw. The fungus, which is mainly native to southern and southwestern Europe, thrives in nature primarily on the dead roots of umbelliferous plants. Like all mushrooms, fresh king oyster mushrooms should be processed as quickly as possible.
How do I recognize mold on king oyster mushrooms?
You can recognize mold on king oyster mushrooms by their black or other atypical color, an unpleasant smell and rotten or greasy spots. In contrast, mycelium is white, cobweb-like and has no unpleasant odor.
Mold or mycelium?
Basically, mold and mycelium – the fungal network that usually grows underground – are quite easy to distinguish from one another. Mycelium is always white and has a cobweb-like, fine structure. It sometimes appears within a few hours on mushrooms that appear fresh and still make a good visual and odor impression. Mushrooms colonized by mycelium smell pleasant and have no rotten spots. Mold, on the other hand, usually has a completely different color and is often black. In addition, moldy mushrooms smell unpleasant and no longer look appetizingly fresh. Please dispose of these specimens immediately and do not prepare them again: otherwise you risk unpleasant mushroom poisoning.
Are the mushrooms still fresh?
You can tell from these features whether the infected king oyster mushrooms are still fresh or not:
- The mushrooms still smell pleasantly mushroomy, they don't “stink”.
- The mushrooms still look fresh on the outside and have no rotten or greasy spots.
- The flesh of the cap and stem is elastic.
- Cap and stem still have the same, he althy color.
- The flesh is uniformly colored.
If the criteria are correct, you can use the mushrooms without hesitation.
Store herb mushrooms correctly
To prevent the king oyster mushrooms from actually becoming moldy or going bad, you must either process them immediately or store them properly. Although these mushrooms can be stored in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for eight to ten days, if you expect such a length, you should choose more durable methods such as freezing. If, on the other hand, you just want to store the mushrooms for one or two days, wrap them - cleaned but not cut - loosely in a damp cotton or linen cloth. In the refrigerator, the individual mushrooms should be airy and not squashed.
Tip
You can either eat the mushroom mycelium on the king oyster mushrooms or cut it off and use it for your own mushroom cultivation.
