Different Kinds of Mushrooms in Oregon

Truffles (Tuber Aestivum/Unicinatum/Melanosporum)

• Truffles are the most expensive (up to $1,000 a kilogram) of wild mushrooms. Of the 20 varieties of truffle, Oregon West Coast truffle species include both white (found between November and May) and black (found between October and March). Dogs and pigs have been used to hunt truffles by scent, as they grow up to a meter underground around oak trees. Truffles mushrooms are irregular in shape, between the size of a fist and a marble with a strong scent and flavor. To include truffles in your cooking, insert thin slices into cuts made in roast joints of meat, add them to stuffing and pates or shave them on top of dishes just before serving. Clean truffles gently with a dry brush, reserving the skin for adding to soups and sauces.

Morels (Morchella Esculenta)

• Morels are visually interesting as well as delicious edible mushrooms. The fungi are up to 4 inches tall with caps that close over the stems and are decorated with a pattern of regular ridges and pits (unlike the poisonous false morel, whose caps feature irregular folds). Morels vary from gray to blond and black, thriving in burned areas of forest and appearing in the spring, especially the month of May. Morels possess a meaty, smoky flavor and are prepared fried, baked or stuffed or make a good addition to sauces and stir-fries.

Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria Sp)

• Honey mushrooms are the world's largest living organisms. Oregon is home to an edible honey mushroom that measures more than 3.4 miles across and is 2,400 years old. Honey mushrooms have light brown or red-brown caps, tan or light brown gills and appear in a variety of shapes and sizes from belled to flat. This mushroom is not only a fungus, but also a parasite, responsible for destroying plants and trees (even though the mushroom's bulk is underground) and spreading its spores through the air and by contact with infected plants. Among the most vulnerable to infection are cedar, apple, cherry, plum and lilac trees. Honey mushrooms glow in the dark, a phenomenon use by World War I soldiers who put small pieces of infected wood on their helmets to enable them to distinguish between friends or foes in the dark. To prepare honey mushrooms, clean gently under running water and cut off the stalks. Use caps in recipes for soups stews after boiling for five minutes to reduce a slightly bitter taste.