The Colorful Oyster Mushroom

Aptly named for their resemblance to oysters, many have never tried this mushroom, including myself at the time of writing this. Lets learn a little about this mushroom.

Taste and cooking:

I am told these mushrooms taste meaty, but very mild.

**** UPDATE****

Yes, this is a correct interpretation, I ate them plain as soon as I could once I started growing them!

They go great as an addition to many dishes like Pasta, grilled cheese, and soups. Oyster mushrooms contain protein, are very low in fat, and also contain B and D vitamins.

About/ Habitat:

Pleurotus Ostreatus, the fancy scientific name, translates to sideways oyster. That's the least interesting thing about these beauties.

Ranging in colors from pink, to blue, to brown, and even yellow, this species is naturally occurring throughout the worlds forests, including here in the PNW!

These mushrooms grow on hardwood trees such as Alders, Oaks, and Beeches. In addition, they can be sought out on decaying logs. Their habitat includes both wetlands and forests with suitable trees.

According to Health line, there are over 40 different types of Oyster mushrooms.

Research being done on Oyster Mushrooms:

In my reading of Paul Stamets' book " Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms", an interesting application for these mushrooms immediately piqued my interest: using oyster mushrooms to soak up oil spills. So naturally, I did some research. These are brief highlights, but feel free to check it out for yourself at https://fungi.com/blogs/articles/the-petroleum-problem. According to Stamets site, Oysters have been shown to soak up and even thrive on Oil spills. In a 16 week period, the oil content in the soil went from 10,000 PPM to less than 200. Worms, which die when exposed to the hydrocarbons in oil, live when introduced to oyster mushroom treated soil. There is still much we don't know, such as whether or not this soil can support edible plants afterwards, or how effective this would be on a large scale, but either way, a promising lead in helping the environment. Anyone who pays attention knows we can use all the help we can get!

References:

Kubala, J. (2021, May 26). 7 impressive benefits of oyster mushrooms. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oyster-mushroom-benefits

Stamets, P. (2010, June 3). The petroleum problem. Fungi Perfecti. https://fungi.com/blogs/articles/the-petroleum-problem