Man, I am so happy to have a reliable source of oyster mushrooms right in my back yard! My oyster tree fell over earlier this year, but that hasn't stopped it from producing. This particular tree is colonized by a species of mushroom called Pleurotus ostreatus; commonly known as winter oysters, because they thrive in the cold temperatures of November and December here in the southern United States.
I have had my eye on this particular flush of mushrooms for about a week, now. There is a delicate balancing act I try to let the mushrooms mature as much as possible while also making sure I pick them before they get infested with bugs. And, I have to say, I nailed it! That's not to say there weren't any bugs at all, though.
In this video, I show you how we forage, clean, and cook oyster mushrooms. I try to detail how to get all of the dirt off of your mushrooms without using too much water (they have a tendency to get waterlogged), and we pay specific attention to checking for bugs inside of the mushroom fruiting bodies. Finally, I show you mine and my kids' favorite oyster mushroom recipe: Fried oyster mushrooms.