Oyster
Golden oyster
Pleurotus citrinopileatus
Never eat a wild-foraged mushroom you identified from a website, this one included. Wild mushroom misidentification can be fatal, and no page can rule a specimen IN. This reference is about cultivated and shop-bought mushrooms only: species you buy, or grow from bought spawn, where there is nothing to identify. To identify anything wild, consult a qualified local expert holding the actual specimen, never a description on a screen.
Also sold as
- Yellow oyster
- Tamogitake
In the kitchen
Flavour
Nutty and mild, with a hint of cashew; the bright yellow fades toward cream on cooking.
Texture
Delicate and thin, so it crisps readily and overcooks quickly.
In the kitchen
Roast or fry in clusters to keep the colour and crisp the edges. Like the pink oyster it is a warm-season, poor-keeping mushroom best eaten fresh.
How it is cultivated
Substrate
Pasteurised straw or supplemented hardwood sawdust.
Fruiting temperature
18-30°C (64-86°F)
Humidity
85-95% relative humidity
How it is grown
Pasteurised straw in warm conditions
Time to first harvest
About 2 to 4 weeks
How much, how long
Bright clustered flushes; short shelf life
Difficulty at home
Beginner. A warm-weather oyster, as easy as the pearl but as short-lived as the pink.
What is worth knowing about it
A warm-climate oyster grown as much for its colour as its flavour. Note that it fruits so freely that in parts of North America escaped cultivated strains have naturalised in the wild.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Pleurotus citrinopileatus
- North Spore and GroCycle grower guides (fruiting range)
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