Area tailgate farmers markets are full of freshly farmed fare, but there’s also wild-harvested finds such as mushrooms to discover.
Some mushrooms are cultivated much like other produce, for example Shiitakes and Oyster mushrooms, but so many of the most culinarily delectable mushrooms must be foraged for.
Right now, Asheville Fungi (Asheville City Market and West Asheville Tailgate Market) has some wonderfully exploratory varieties of mushrooms. And if you have questions, Chris of Asheville Fungi, is a wealth of knowledge and more than happy to tell you about each of the mushrooms he has that week. What are some of the options this week?
Milky Cap mushrooms — according to Chris — are best when cooked for a long time. He recommends dicing and sautéing the stalks, then mixing with cheese (such as Three Graces Dairy goat chèvre, which you can find at West Asheville Tailgate Market and North Asheville Tailgate Market), piling that on the caps and roasting that whole until well-cooked.
Chicken Fat mushrooms are named that because of their slimy texture, characterized as similar to okra. This makes these mushrooms great for adding to soups and stews to help thicken your dish. They have a subtle and savory mushroom flavor.
Two-colored Bolete mushrooms smell vaguely of french onion soup and curry, and when cooked they have a very nutty flavor. According to Chris, these are a favored mushroom and exciting to cook with.
Lobster mushrooms have a seafood-like flavor, which comes as no surprise based on their name. They are also bright orange-red like cooked lobster!
Perhaps you’d rather stick with familiar, reliable Shiitakes? Stop by Ivy Creek Family Farm (Weaverville Tailgate Market and North Asheville Tailgate Market) for their wonderful Shiitakes.
Area farmers tailgate markets take place throughout the region. As always, you can find information about farms, tailgate markets, and farm stands, including locations and hours, by visiting ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.
Prepared by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.