High Elevation Gardening Web Log "Blog"

Although I wasn't sure that growing mushrooms in Flagstaff would work, too much light, too dry, but, lo and behold, in about three weeks a few mushrooms began to appear. The few in my first batch grew very large, cap about 3-4 inches. I used them in salads. As with everything else freshly picked, the flavor was so much more intense than "store boughten." After that first crop, the next had so many more large mushrooms that I made mushroom soup, again delicious. My third crop was smaller but still plentiful. Don't know if I will get another crop, but I am still keeping the box moist. It's a great way to satisfy the need to garden in January, and something on which to focus after Christmas.

Mushrooms are in the lore of many cultures. The Irish think of them as umbrellas for leprechauns, and the English think that to be edible they must be gathered under a full moon. The Egyptians have characterized them as the sons of god, sent to the earth on thunderbolts. They have appeared all the way back to the Stone Age as puffballs, a mushroom found locally. The ancient Romans and Greek cherished them. The shitake was used more than 2000 years ago in Asian civilizations.

Commercial growing did not appear until the 17th-century in France. Called Campignon de Paris by French chefs, they can still be found in quarry tunnels near Paris.

U.S. farming began in Pennsylvania in the early 20th century and continues in more than 20 states, Pennsylvania the largest grower followed by California. There are many commercial varieties available now with something for every taste. Many mushrooms are poisonous so foraging is safe only with expertise.

In Flagstaff, more information about mushrooms can easily be satisfied with August participation in the annual Mushroom Retreat sponsored by the Arboretum at Flagstaff. Last year, I enrolled and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The retreat is at the Nature Conservancy's Hart Prairie Lodge, possibly the best place for a retreat in Flagstaff. It's 2 nights and 3 days enjoying the beauty, learning about local mushrooms from experts, foraging, and then taking a culinary adventure with a local French chef. We tasted mushrooms in soups, quiches, and cooked in butter. I was amazed at the variety that can be found here. We did not find any morels, a favorite of most cooks, because of the lack moisture last winter. According to Rachel Edelstein at the Arboretum, "With a massive amount of winter snow, we may see a bounty of morel mushrooms this spring." Choice edible mushrooms require the right conditions for a bountiful harvest. When the snow melts, an extended warm period is needed for the morels.

The best place to look is under aspen leaf litter in places where pines are mixed with aspens. Morchella elata, "black morels" often look like pine cones with their elongated, honeycomb-shaped caps. Be sure to positively identify the mushrooms with several guide books or an experienced mushroom hunter, even bringing the mushrooms to The Arboretum for identification.

Anyone who wants to grow mushrooms on dead things in dark places can google "mushroom growing". Mine were purchased from Gardener's Supply (www.gardeners.com), which carries a variety of fungi. If you want to forage, join Rachel from the Arboretum on their yearly retreat in August. More information is available on their web site (www.thearb.org).

Loni Shapiro is a Master Gardener volunteer. Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call Hattie Braun, Coordinator of the Master Gardener Program, at 774-1868 ext.17 or visit our Web Site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.