In Season

Mushrooms might not be the first food that comes to mind when thinking about spring produce. Yet some varieties are as much a harbinger of spring as fiddlehead ferns and strawberries. From morels in the East and Midwest to porcini in the West, it’s mushroom hunting season, whether in your backyard or at the farmer’s market.

Morels to Chanterelles

by JANET RAUSA FULLER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

January February March April May June July August September October November December

It’s spring, the season of earthy deliciousness. To Iliana Regan, a Chicago chef and forager, April brings visions of morel mushrooms. “As soon as there’s any kind of sign of warmer weather, I start dreaming of them,” says Regan, who hosts monthly dinners to showcase her bounty of fungi and other wild foods.

In the winter months, coastal California’s cool valleys are able to sustain hardy varieties such as black trumpets, hedgehogs and yellow trumpets. But it is spring’s gentle warmth and moisture that usher in the wild mushroom hunting season across the country.

Morels, those fabulously meaty, cone-shaped specimens, come first and in full force, particularly in the Midwest. From there, as spring turns to summer, the foraging fun really begins: porcini out West; pheasant back, wood ear, lobster and yellow feet elsewhere; more hedgehogs and black trumpets in the East; and, later, chanterelles and maitakes.

“Then the wheel starts again,” says Connie Green, owner of the Wine Forest, a Napa purveyor of wild mushrooms and other edibles.

Mushrooms being the mysterious creatures they are, the fun is fleeting – four-week bursts here, six weeks there, and not always in the spot you last found them, or where you expect them to grow. Last fall, Regan spotted the unmistakable shaggy lion’s mane mushroom “on Fifth Avenue, right in the middle of Brooklyn, on an oak tree.” (continued on page 42) “Mushrooms are strange things. They have minds of their own,” says Bill Russell, author of “Field Guide to the Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic.”

sautéed morels

Morels are a perfect companion to ramps, spring peas and pea shoots. After cleaning the morels, sauté in a little brown butter, then add a dash of salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Add blanched peas, and top with fresh pea shoots.

pasta with mushrooms

(makes 4 servings)

12 ounces bucatini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 10 ounces beech or other small mushrooms, 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, salt and pepper, 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Click to view complete recipe »

The thrill of the hunt is only part of what enthralls mushroom lovers. The mushroom’s symbiotic relationship with the organisms around it is endlessly fascinating. Mushrooms grow underground from spores, feeding off tree roots while in turn feeding them, until the “fruit”—the part we see—is ready to push forth and disperse its spores. And the wheel starts again.

And there is the umami factor, the socalled fifth taste. Mushrooms often are described as meaty and earthy; some taste nutty, even buttery. The chicken of the wood mushroom, some swear, is chicken-flavored. The quirky candy cap mushroom “has a profound maple flavor,” says Green. “It’s magnificent.”

With any foraged mushrooms, it is necessary to rinse them with water to remove dirt and grit before cooking. Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator; Green likes to spread them out on a sheet pan, under a towel, to dry them out a bit more.

There are thousands of species of mushrooms, waiting to be found both at the market, on the forest floor, and even on Fifth Avenue. Happy hunting.

wild mushroom tart

(makes 4 servings)

pastry

1 sheet puff pastry (thawed), 1 egg (beaten)

filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 ounces fresh morels or ½ ounce dried morels (soaked in boiling water, drained and rinsed; reserve ¼ cup soaking liquid), 4 ounces beech, chanterelles, maitake or other mushrooms (slice larger varieties), salt and black pepper, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, 2 tablespoons sherry, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

Click to view complete recipe »

polenta with mushroom ragout

(makes 4 to 6 servings)

polenta

2 cups water, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, Salt and black pepper

ragout

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered or sliced if large, salt, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup chicken or beef broth, 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Click to view complete recipe »

Wild mushrooms can be found at farmer’s markets, green grocers, online and, of course, in the wild. Some varieties previously found only in the wild are now being cultivated year-round. If you’re new to foraging, go with an expert who can identify edible from the poisonous. Here’s a list of popular and/or prized varieties that chefs love to show off:

black trumpet (wild).

A common late-summer variety in the Midwest and East, it grows in Western coastal forest areas all winter.

chanterelles (wild).

Prolific in the West and Pacific Northwest starting in September through nearly the end of the year. They can be found in the Midwest and elsewhere in July and August.

hedgehog (wild).

A winter mushroom in the West, these grow in the summer and fall elsewhere.

lobster (wild).

These start around July in most areas and can continue into October on the West Coast.

maitake or hen of the woods (wild and cultivated).

A chef favorite in late summer and fall in the Midwest and East. They don’t grow wild west of the Mississippi River, though they are now commercially cultivated.

matsutake (wild).

Considered a crown jewel of the mushroom world by the Japanese. These are scarce in the States, found only in the Pacific Northwest and Maine starting in September.

morels (wild).

Synonymous with spring and most abundant in the Midwest, their season starts in April and can run into June. Dried ones are readily available in markets.

oyster (wild and cultivated).

Commonly found in late summer and fall, though certain types grow in the spring out East. One of the easily to grow commercially.

porcini (wild).

The West enjoys a short stretch of these in July, and foragers in the Midwest and East will find them in later summer. Dried ones are readily available.

wood ear (wild).

Clusters of these ear-shaped mushrooms grow widely in the East in early summer. Dried ones are common in Asian markets.

maitake (hen of the woods)

Maitakes have gained increased popularity because of their earthy, chicken flavor. In Japanese, Maitake means “dancing mushroom,” because the lore goes, whoever found it would dance for joy.