Mushrooms are generally thought to bring on the umami, and there are thousands of strains that are incredible at doing just that. However, did you know that there are mushrooms that bring on the sweetness as well? It’s true, and they’re appropriately called Candy Cap mushrooms.
Waxcaps get their name partially from the fact that the caps are covered in a substance that makes them look wet or waxy. The Parrot Waxcap, Gliophorus psittacinus, has a colorful pattern that’s similar to a parrot’s coloring, giving it its name. It’s a tiny mushroom, with its cap reaching only 1 ¼ inches wide at the largest.
When mushrooms start to colonize trees, they damage the wood in various ways. This causes new designs to show up on the wood. There are three different types of spalting: pigmentation, zone lines, and white rot. Each one has a different effect on the tree.
Unfortunately for those budding vegetarians looking for the perfect meat replacement; although it has a meaty texture, it doesn’t taste anything like meat. In fact, while often sought throughout Europe, it’s known for having a sour or acidic taste that doesn’t appeal to some. It is, however, one of the few mushrooms that is fine to eat raw.
The process of sectoring cultures takes time, especially if you’re doing a big stack of dishes all at once, but it’s really not complicated. To start, you need to collect a spore print from your mushroom by placing it gill or pore side down on a piece of clean paper, glass, or aluminum foil, covering it, and leaving it overnight.
Of course, the Wooly Neptune isn’t a real mushroom, however, I figured it would be amusing to find an actual mushroom that it resembles or a couple that could be merged together to create something similar.