Happy Holidays

With only 5 days left til Christmas, we at Desert Moon would like to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's! We look forward to 2013 and all the possibilities it will bring.  For your Christmas meal we encourage you to cook up and serve oyster mushrooms! We at Desert Moon, just want to give a great big shout out to all of our blog readers. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog posts! Share our blog with others, so they may know the goodness of oyster mushrooms as well!

As always, here is nice oyster mushroom recipe that can be served as an appetizer on Christmas Day! Enjoy!

Oyster Mushroom Chowder
    4 tablespoons butter
    1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped
    1/2 cup minced onions
    1 cup cubed peeled potatoes
    2 cups milk, scalded
    Salt and pepper to taste
    Dash of ground mace or ground all spice
    Dash of Tabasco sauce
    Pinch of dried thyme
    2 egg yolks
    1/4 cup vegetable stock
    1 cup half and half
    Bread cubes browned in butter and drained well
    Minced fresh parsley
 
Directions:
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms and onions, and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and slowly cook the potato cubes for 10 minutes or until tender. Gradually stir in the milk. Add the salt, pepper, mace or all spice, Tabasco, and thyme. Allow this to come to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, vegetable stock, and half and half and slowly blend the mixture into the chowder. Add the onions and mushrooms and heat almost, but not quite, to a boil. Taste to correct the flavoring. Serve at once in soup plates. Float the bread cubes in the soup and sprinkle with parsley.

Oyster mushroom fruits

Exciting! Fresh, new oyster mushrooms are taking form. It's always fun when we see new pinning appear on the straw logs because it means that wee will be seeing oyster mushroom fruits in about 4-6 days!  With this post, I have decided to share with you some of the pictures I took this morning. One of the pictures will be showing our green house where the oyster mushrooms fruit. The beauty of this green house design is that it is portable! Which means we can pack it up and move it anywhere. Hope you are having a great Wednesday! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at:   desertmoonfungi@gmail.com

Or you can reach us at one of our other links...

twitter.com/DesertMoonFungi                                            

http://linkedin.com/in/desertmoonfungi/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Desert-Moon-Mushroom-Farm/503295666370913

 Big, beautiful oyster mushroom fruits that Brandy picked this morning.

 More oyster mushrooms ready for picking. This log came out to be 5lbs and it was 1st flush!  :-)

Some pinning taking place for a 2nd flush.

More pining for a 2nd flush.

The portable oyster mushroom green house.

Desert Moon Mushroom Farm's Owner's profiles

Well it has occurred to me that it might be nice to get to know the faces behind the business of Desert Moon Mushroom Farm. As a small business, we only have 2 employees, thus far. As our company starts to expand, we will be looking into adding more people to the business. But until that day comes, us business owner's run the show. I would like to introduce to you my business partner, the other co-owner of Desert Moon, Brandy Casuse. She has been with the company since the start. We each shared a little about ourselves. Hope you enjoy reading it!


CHRIS GOSE
Co-Owner/Chief of Operations
Desert Moon Mushroom Farm

Chris went to school at UCLA, during his senior year of college, he had the opportunity of a lifetime; to Travel! Knowing this opportunity only comes up once in a lifetime, he jumped on it. Leaving it all behind, he began his one year journey to India, Nepal and southeast Asia. He came back to the states a "changed" person. He wanted more out of life than the mundane routine. His love for mycology and knowledge led him to southern Mexico. While traveling through Mexico, he came across a mushroom farm. There they grew oyster mushrooms, shitake, enokitaki, reshi and more. He spent some time there, learning the trade of the mushroom farm business and production. Finally, coming back to the states, he had the idea of starting his own mushroom farm. 5 months ago, was the starting point of Desert Moon Mushroom Farm. 

Brandy Casuse

Co-Owner/Chief Executive Officer

Desert Moon Mushroom Farm

Brandy grew up in a small town near the border of Arizona and New Mexico, next door to the Navajo Nation. Being Navajo, she knows all about community living. After High school, she went to Fort Lewis College to pursue a degree in Exercise Science. Her junior year of college, she got injured playing soccer and had to leave the academia world behind. She had to heal and recover before returning to academia, so she took a substitute teaching job at one of the local schools. Thinking teaching would be her life passion, she continued to work on her education degree. But teaching wasn't cutting it. She then tried going to school out of state, but that didn't work out either. Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life, she ended up taking part-time jobs here and there. She met Chris in 2003 and he shared his love for mycology with her and how mushrooms can help people, communities and the world. This sparked a major interest in Brandy and she wanted to learn more. So Chris took her under his wing and taught her all he knew of mycology. In 2009, they got the opportunity to go travel to Mexico, where they came upon a mushroom farm. To their delight, they were able to work on the farm and learn the trade of running a mushroom farm and business. Just 5 months ago, their dream of starting a mushroom farm has come reality. Desert Moon Mushroom Farm is open for business. 

Good Morning! What a beautiful Monday morning it is! Time to start the work week. And just to get you going I have some health benefit information for you on oyster mushrooms. 
 Oyster Mushrooms don't have a label attached to them, like other boxed foods or products. So to get you more familiar with exactly what oyster mushrooms do and what goodness they have in them, I have put together a little more information on them.
 Oyster mushrooms have been around for centuries and have often been used for its medicinal and health benefits. These mushrooms became popular through Chinese medicine. There have been so many discoveries regarding the mushrooms’ medicinal properties that they have also been nicknamed ‘medicinal mushrooms’. These mushrooms have typically been more popular in Eastern and East Asian cuisines. 

Health Benefits Of Oyster Mushrooms

Research has shown that extracts from different kinds of oyster mushrooms help in different ailments.

• Cholesterol: Oyster mushrooms are also suitable additions to the diet of people with obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. This is primarily because these mushrooms are low in sodium and have a low starch ratio. These mushrooms also contain statins which are cholesterol lowering drugs. It is a good idea to include oyster mushrooms in diet for high cholesterol.
  
• Cancer: Extract from the pink oyster has shown to stop the proliferation of cancerous cells. Extracts of king oyster mushroom has shown to stimulate the immune function. Use of mushroom in cancer treatment is an on-going research activity that has a lot of promise.
• Hepatitis: Oyster mushrooms are also known to benefit people trying to quit tobacco products or even counter the Hepatitis C virus.
• Other people who will benefit by including them in their daily diet are people suffering from anemia, hyper-acidity, constipation and of course, to boost general immunity.

This, however, does not mean you should discontinue drugs just because you have added mushrooms to your diet. All advice on drug courses should come from a certified doctor. 


And to get you going on your work week, here is an oyster mushroom recipe.  Enjoy!

 Stir-Fried Oyster Mushrooms
    2 tablespoons peanut oil
    1/2 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
    One 1/8-inch-thick slice fresh ginger, peeled and minced
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced or torn in even pieces
    1 cup fresh peas
    2 tablespoons chicken broth
    Pinch of sugar
    2 Chinese-style ( firm ) tofu cakes, cut into cubes
    2 tablespoons soy sauce or more
 
Directions:
Using a wok or skillet, heat the peanut and sesame oils together until bubbling. Add the ginger, garlic, mushrooms, peas, and sugar and quickly stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth. Cover and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tofu and soy sauce. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Serve immediately over rice.

 

Humidity and fresh air exchange

Hello Friday and hello to everyone reading this post. What a gorgeous day it is, here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Let me define "gorgeous" for you...overcast clouds, light rainfall and mild temperatures. What a great combination that is is.....especially for an oyster mushroom!  Oyster mushrooms love humidity and fresh air exchange.  Those two aspects, humidity and fresh air exchange, will produce lovely oyster mushroom fruits.  

Over at Desert Moon we control the humidity and control the fresh air exchange flow, so we can bring to the public some wonderful and delicious oyster mushrooms.  My hope now is that people are giving oyster mushrooms a try. Remember, one of the easiest ways to eat oyster mushrooms is to saute them. Saute' them in butter with garlic and thyme.

Here is yet, another recipe to help  you get cooking with oyster mushrooms!  Enjoy!

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH OYSTER MUSHROOMS AND CHAMPAGNE SAUCE

    4 single chicken breasts, skinned and boned
    Salt and pepper to taste
    3 tablespoons flour
    2 tablespoons butter
    2 tablespoons light vegetable oil
    1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced
    1 cup heavy cream or half and half
    1/4 cup cooking champagne vinegar
    Parsley sprigs
 
Directions:
Pound the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of waxed paper until slightly flattened. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts Roll them in the flour and shake off excess. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan or skillet and saute the chicken over low heat for about 3 minutes for each side. Add the mushrooms and cover the pan for 10 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, over low heat. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and keep warm. Add the champagne to the sauce and bring it to a boil, cooking until it becomes creamy. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with sprigs of parsley and serve.

Desert Moon Mushroom Farm

In order to get to know me a little better, I have decided to tell you about the Oyster mushroom farm I co-own. It is called DESERT MOON MUSHROOM FARM. Desert Moon is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At Desert Moon, we maintain absolute quality control throughout the entire mushroom cultivation process, and only work with the best available culinary genetics.  We generate our own mushroom spawn, vigorously maintain the health of our genetic library, and fruit our mushrooms using only clean and locally available materials.  The result is a truly local product of the highest quality, with the best flavor and provided to you at a fair and reasonable price. At Desert Moon we pride ourselves on quality and service. 

Here are a few pictures of what our oyster mushrooms look like.

And just because I love oyster mushrooms so much, and would like to start seeing other people eating them too, here is another recipe. Enjoy!

Oyster Mushroom Pasta Sauce
3 tbsp Olive Oil      
1 ½ lbs Fresh Oyster Mushrooms                                                                                                                                                
1 cup of water                                                                                                                                                
1 can (28 oz) Whole Tomatoes, undrained
1 Onion, chopped
1 large Garlic Clove, minced
2 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped
1/2 cup Chicken Broth or Stock
1-2 tsp Sugar to taste
1 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
  In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high heat.  Add the button mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Set aside.  In a large sauce pan, heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook 3-5 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and basil and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid, plus 1 cup water, stock, sugar, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce, uncovered, for 20 minutes.Add the fresh mushrooms and simmer 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.  Serve with ravioli, other specialty pasta, or over chicken.

Information on Oyster Mushrooms

Buying from a grocery store or at a farmer's market, I can relate to how you might think oyster mushrooms may be a little scary. Scary in the sense of how in the world is one to eat them, let alone cook them??  Well, to get you a little more familiar with oyster mushrooms, I have put together some information for you. So the next time you are in the grocery store or at the farmers market, you can feel more at ease and comfortable in purchasing oyster mushrooms with enough confidence to cook with them!

 

 

Current Facts 

At markets, the term 'oyster' is often used to refer to a single type of mushroom. However, many species and types of 'oyster' mushroom are available today, which have significant differences in texture and flavor. The Oyster mushroom is also referred to as the abalone or shellfish mushroom. The common pearly oyster is scientifically classified as Pleurotus ostreatus: this is the common oyster mushroom. Other species of mushroom are commonly sold as 'oysters' owing to similar texture, flavor and appearance

Description/Taste
Oyster mushrooms have scallop-shaped caps that range in sizes from that of a button to sand dollar. Their color varies from snow grey to pale brown. Oyster mushrooms are rather mild and sweet in flavor. They have a soft, fragile texture with good melting qualities and a light fruity fragrance. 

Nutritional Value
The Oyster mushroom is one of the few members of their genera that contains vitamin C. It also contains eight amino acids, B vitamins, a high amount of protein and equally high amounts of essential fatty acids. 

Applications
Oyster mushrooms pair well with seafood and white meats. The Oyster mushrooms meaty texture lends well to frying, stir-frys, and braising. Complementary flavors include Asian greens, soy, garlic, vinegar and rice wine. As they are perishable, it is best to use Oyster mushrooms as soon as possible for optimum flavor and quality. Do not wash mushrooms until just before use.

Oyster Mushroom Soup
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound Magnificent Mushrooms Oyster Mushrooms, sliced
3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup parsley, minced

Directions:
Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot. Sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent. Add the mushrooms. Cover and cook on medium heat until mushrooms are tender. Add the broth, tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and then mix in the cheese and parsley. When the 10 minutes is up, dip out about 2 cups of the soup into the bowl of egg yolk mixture. Stir until well blended. Add this mixture back into the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread.