Everyone's favorite fungi–the mushroom, is a nutrious powerhouse. Filled with prebiotics, antioxidants, vitamin D and champion of the mysterious fifth taste umami it's a health-food dream. Differing from a plant in that it has no chlorophyl and produces spores instead of seeds, mushrooms are a special vegetable–they can even glow in the dark. Petrichor Mushrooms are offering a unique mushroom perfect for a plate with a springtime color-scheme; the Pink Flamingo.

SRQ: What is a pink oyster mushroom?
Petrichor Mushrooms: Pink oyster or Pleurotus Djamor is a fluorescent pink variety of the Pleurotus family which is the latin name for oyster mushrooms. Their beauty is matched by medicinal benefits in this mushroom, they contain fiber, potassium, copper, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate and ergothioneine (an antioxidant that may reduce cardiovascular disease by helping to prevent plaque build-up in the arteries).

SRQ: What is the flavor profile of a pink oyster mushroom?
PM: Similar to most other gourmet mushrooms the pink oyster has quite an umami flavor but it stands out from other oysters for its ham/bacon like flavor and especially meaty texture.

SRQ: How do they differ from mushrooms that you can buy in the grocery store?
PM:  The vast majority of grocery stores carry mushrooms grown in massive industrial farms that grow on manure or an otherwise yucky environment. The varieties that they sell are chosen for their shelf life and travelability, whereas ours are chosen for outstanding quality, taste and beauty. You can find gourmet mushrooms in grocery stores but generally if they are not local, they will be sub-par quality and much more expensive than our mushrooms. Gourmet mushrooms are an inherently local product. In order to be of optimum freshness and quality they must be locally grown, hence the need for many many more small gourmet mushroom cultivators.

SRQ: How would you suggest people cook them? Any fun recipes?
PM: We recommend frying until crispy then glazing with some honey or maple syrup and you'll feel like it's Christmas morning. A fun recipe would be to cook the mushroom in this fashion and then use them as a ham replacement on eggs benedict!

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