I'm sure you know better than I do. And I haven't shopped there in a few years. I remember the mushroom vendor at the Berkeley farmer's market (part wild and part cultivated if I understood correctly) claiming that she couldn't sell to MM because they wanted too low of a price. Which was consistent with my experience with their 'standard' mushrooms. But then again I never bought the 'specialty' stuff from them. Some of which did look tasty. (Although their truffles often looked shriveled).
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The Anticipation Builds
- Thread starter SFJoe
- Start date
I'm sure you know better than I do. And I haven't shopped there in a few years. I remember the mushroom vendor at the Berkeley farmer's market (part wild and part cultivated if I understood correctly) claiming that she couldn't sell to MM because they wanted too low of a price. Which was consistent with my experience with their 'standard' mushrooms. But then again I never bought the 'specialty' stuff from them. Some of which did look tasty. (Although their truffles often looked shriveled).
Joel Stewart
Joel Stewart
originally posted by SFJoe:
As seen above, toss them with a little melted butter, S&P, maybe some Madeira and put them straight into the fire until their ridges are crispy. Eat them hot from toothpicks. Nothing better in the world.originally posted by Joel Stewart:
back to morels, do you have a favorite recipe for fresh ones?
Sounds excellent....will remember and try, thanks.
Christian Miller (CMM)
Christian Miller
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by SFJoe:
How curious. Things must have changed dramatically in the last year or so. Prior to that, MM has sold me the best wild mushrooms I've ever purchased at retail, bar none.
originally posted by Rahsaan:
I thought Monterey Market was all about cultivated mushrooms.
I'm sure you know better than I do... But then again I never bought the 'specialty' stuff from them. Some of which did look tasty...
In the past 6 months, their black trumpets have been superb. The various sources of chanterelles come and go, some have been excellent with that unique fruity fresh chanterelle flavor, some have been bland. Porcini were a touch on the "diesel" side last Fall. But the morels just never seem to have very much flavor, at least compared to the dried versions or the ones I've had in France.
All that said, my impression was that morels and black trumpets (and perhaps chanterelles?) could not be cultivated, at least not in any commercial sense. Whereas nearly all shitake were farmed.
"Doctors suspect that mushrooms have mutated and became extremely poisonous."
There you have a non-parsimonious explanation.
Back atcha from the LA Times: Santa Barbara.
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
In the past 6 months, their black trumpets have been superb. The various sources of chanterelles come and go, some have been excellent with that unique fruity fresh chanterelle flavor, some have been bland. Porcini were a touch on the "diesel" side last Fall. But the morels just never seem to have very much flavor, at least compared to the dried versions or the ones I've had in France.
All that said, my impression was that morels and black trumpets (and perhaps chanterelles?) could not be cultivated, at least not in any commercial sense. Whereas nearly all shitake were farmed.
Mushrooms that make a living by symbiosis with trees are tough to cultivate. This group includes porcini, Craterellus, chanterelles, the tasty Amanitas, and so on. The relationship is hard to simulate.
Shiitake, ordinary champignon, and so on are saprophytic, more or less. They eat decaying wood, which is easily mimicked with sawdust, chips, or logs.
Morels are a bit less clear--they may do some of both. There are cultivated morels, but the ones I had years ago were expensive and not so great. Haven't had any recently.
Your blacks over a 6 month period came from places hundreds or thousands of miles apart, so good taste could be from anywhere. California coastal fall boletes aren't bad, but they aren't as good as the western European ones I've had. Spring boletes from the Seirra are better.
Similarly, your morels came from a variety of places. I would bet that the places I picked last weekend are barren today, and I would promise that for the middle of the week after the heat we're having.
Many mushrooms develop more intense flavors after drying, boletes and morels prominently on the list.
I would hesitate to generalize about the foraged mushrooms in a store from an anecdote or two, except with regard to purchase and care issues like any other vegetable. Are they fresh? Are they well cared for in the store? But sources through a season are extremely variable. Summer chanterelles could be from South Africa or Turkey or Scotland.
The best guarantee of quality, of course, is to pick your own.