Ever since we found a giant morel mushroom in our compost pile, we’ve been thinking about adding Team Mushroom to our growing list of one-block diet projects. Well, last week, with fall on the way, the thought of cooking up a bunch of earthy mushrooms was just too tempting, and we went ahead and ordered a couple of grow-your-own “mini farms” from Far West Fungi, in Santa Cruz.

They were not impressive upon arrival. They looked so much like moldy loaves of bread that I worried they might get accidentally trashed.

 

 

 

Shiitake loaf on the left; oyster mushroom loaf on the right.

They came on Thursday. Tiny nubbins had formed on Sunday. Today it’s a freaking forest. We’d better start cooking!