Savor Summer Grilling with Cultivated Wild Mushrooms

Summer’s officially here and as lazy days stretch into twilight, cultivated wild mushrooms make the journey from the dinner table to the picnic table with ease, aplomb and “umami.”

The Kinoko Company, which distributes four varieties of fresh organic cultivated wild mushrooms to US retail brands including the Hokto Kinoko and Golden Gourmet brands, offers several healthy and delicious ways to enjoy maitake (“hen of the woods”); king trumpet; brown beech; and white beech mushrooms throughout the summer and beyond.

“These mushrooms work great as an ingredient or side dish. Our own experience and preferences have taught us a few key ways to prepare wild cultivated mushrooms to enhance summer dishes,” says The Kinoko Company’s Dylan Anderson. “But of course, we encourage people to improvise.” We’ve both adapted and improvised a few simple recipes below.

MUSHROOM GRILL SIDES

One of the simplest ways to enjoy cultivated wild mushrooms is as a grill side.

• 1 package (about 4 oz.) each maitake, brown beech and white beech mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 2 red or yellow bell peppers

Mix mushrooms and vegetables in sauté pan on grill side burner with a little oil. Season with leftover marinade from whatever protein is on the grill: steak, chicken or fish. Sautée over medium heat until desired consistency. Serves 4
You can also make a mushroom bruschetta with these. Just whisk together some balsamic vinegar, oil salt and pepper and drizzle over the mushroom mixture. Cool in refrigerator, serve over grilled bread garnished with chopped Italian parsley and grated Romano cheese.

MIXED MUSHROOM HOBO PACK

This recipe is adapted from a potato cooking technique we learned while camping with our Dutch friends. The hobo pack can be placed on a grill or campfire, or even on the dutchtub: www.dutchtub.com.

• 1 lb. mixed wild cultivated mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• ¼ cup sliced red onions
• ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, salt
• Olive oil to taste

Combine mushrooms and onions on large piece of heavy duty tinfoil, shiny side up. Drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste with lemon pepper and salt. Place another square of foil on top of mixture and roll up all four sides to trap it inside securely. Grill directly on low heat for 15 minutes, turning once after about ten minutes. Serves 6

GRILLED KING TRUMPET MUSHROOMS

• 1 package whole king trumpet mushrooms (approximately 6 oz.)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. steak or grill spice blend, or Herbes de Provence
Clean and trim stem ends of mushrooms if needed. Marinate mushrooms, oil and seasoning in a plastic bag.
Place crosswise on grill and cook, turning once, for about ten minutes until heated through and grill marks are clearly visible. They can also be cooked on skewers or in a grill pan. Serves 4

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About the Kinoko Company

Taking its name from kinoko—the Japanese word for mushrooms; literally “children of the woods,” The Kinoko Company will distribute mushrooms from a state-of-the-art growing facility currently under construction in San Marcos near San Diego by premier Japanese grower/distributor Hokto Kinoko Corporation. The Kinoko Company distributes the four varieties of fresh, cultivated wild mushrooms it currently imports and that will soon be grown at the new 250,000 square-foot facility.

Quality Assurance International (QAI) has certified these mushrooms organic since January 2007 and will also certify the new facility by the time product rolls out there later this year. At capacity, the new facility can turn out six million pounds a year of these healthy and delicious mushrooms.

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Contact Information

Henry Eshelman

Managing Director

Platform Media Group

Contact via E-mail