GoGreen Mushrooms

05/18/2022

7. ENOKI MUSHROOM
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PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK
Alternate Names: Enokitake, enokidake, futu, winter mushrooms, winter fungus

Characteristics:__ The edible variety of these mushrooms feature small, shiny white caps attached to thin stems and possess a distinctive crunch. They're good raw. In the wild, they grow on Chinese Hackberry trees, ash trees, mulberry trees, and persimmon trees.

05/16/2022

6. OYSTER MUSHROOM

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PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK
Alternate Names: Tree oyster, angel's wings, pleurotte en huître, abalone mushroom, shimeji

Characteristics: Although these can be found in the wild growing on the sides of trees, the ones you'll find in the store or on a menu are most likely cultivated. Like their namesakes, they're whitish in color and fan-shaped, and possess a delicate odor and flavor. Oyster mushrooms are found in many Japanese and Chinese dishes such as soups and stir-fries.

05/05/2022

5. MAITAKE MUSHROOM
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PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK
Alternate Names: Hen of the Wood, sheepshead mushroom, ram's head, kumotake, dancing mushroom

Characteristics: From afar, this mushroom can look like a head of cabbage. Cultivated, as well as found in the woods, these mushrooms are often sold in clusters with their soft, feathery caps overlapping. This mushroom has an earthy aroma and a gamy flavor, and is native to both the northwestern United States and Japan. They grow wild east of the Mississippi River in August and September.

05/03/2022

4. SHIITAKE MUSHROOM
Pre-sliced mushrooms: are they ever okay?
PHOTO BY GRANT CORNETT
Alternate Names: Sh*take, black forest, black winter, brown oak, Chinese black, black mushroom, oriental black, forest mushroom, golden oak, Donko.

Characteristics: In Japanese, shiitake means "oak fungus," which describes where the mushrooms can be found in the wild. These days, however, most shiitakes are cultivated. They're best identified by their umbrella-shaped brown caps, which curl under ever so slightly. Fresh shiitakes have a light woodsy flavor and aroma, while their dried counterparts are more intense.

05/03/2022

3. PORTABELLO MUSHROOM
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PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK
Alternate Names: Portobella, field mushroom, open cap mushroom

Characteristics: Common in Italian cooking, dense, rich portobellos lend depth to sauces and pastas and make a great meat substitute. When portabellos are young and small, they're called criminis. If you want a bun-substitute, you can even use the mushroom's flat cap. Mushrooms of this variety are as wide as the palm of your hand, and their meaty texture stands up to grilling and stuffing (or both!).

05/03/2022

1. WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOM
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PHOTO BY CHRIS GENTILE
Alternate names: able mushroom, cultivated mushroom, button, champignon (de Paris)

Characteristics: The most common and mildest-tasting mushroom around. Ninety percent of the mushrooms we eat are this variety. Less intensely flavored than many of its more exotic kin, it can be eaten either raw or cooked, and works well in soups and salads, and on pizzas.

05/03/2022

2. CRIMINO MUSHROOM (CRIMINI, PL.)
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PHOTO BY MIKE LORRIG
Alternate names: Cremini, baby bellas, golden Italian mushrooms, Roman, classic brown, Italian brown, brown mushrooms

Characteristics: A crimino is a young portobello. Although the crimino is darker, firmer and more flavorful than its cousin the white button mushroom, the two can be used interchangeably. Increasingly, retailers hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the portabellos are selling crimini mushrooms as "baby bellas."

05/03/2022