Mushroom Season is Upon Us!

Agaricus Augustus

I am torn between rain and shine during these late summer days. On one hand, the rain is only inevitable because Vancouver is situated in what is supposed to be a rainforest. The rain is what makes this city such a lovely green, and causes most mushrooms to come to fruit. On the other hand, warm weather is so nice! And my tomatoes (the ones that bothered to fruit) haven't all ripened, so I still need Mr. Sun to hang around for awhile. In any case, it is September, and mushroom season is upon us. Although we may be experiencing some unprecedented warmth, I am going to give some mushroom collecting tips for the late-summer/early fall varieties such as the Almond Portobello (Agaricus Augustus).

Agaricus Augustus is my favourite mushroom variety to pick because it grows gregariously, it is commonly humongous, and it tastes like a sweet almond version of a portobello (seriously delicious). However,  in order to fully appreciate the wonder of this agaricus, please be sure to choose mushrooms that have lighter gills because they are younger and will last longer. These two caps in the photo above are actually the same type of mushroom in different stages. The cap on the left still has its veil mostly attached and the spores haven't begun to drop, so the gills are a whitish pink. Upon maturity, the spores turn darker pink until they reach a chocolate brown colour and are dispersed into the air and on the ground.

Also, be sure to collect mushrooms that do not have bug-eaten stems. If the stem is gnarly, brown, or full of holes, there will very likely be maggots throughout the cap. A couple worms are okay if you are drying the mushrooms, but nasty to deal with if you want to eat the shrooms fresh or sauteed, or if there are too many. When you slice the cap it should look pristine and white. Occasionally there will be some yellowish discolouration or an oxidized darkening. So, it is OK if there are a few holes here and there, but if the holes are riddled with worms or are turning brown, discard these parts of the mushroom, or the entire thing if you are squeamish.

I picked the mushrooms in this particular series of photos last week in my special spot. I hope you have a chance to take a gander now that the Gods are crying fungi into erection. (tee hee)