We do not sell matsutake mushrooms, but it's the season..

For a unique flavor, try the matsutake. This heavy white or brown meaty delight has a thick cottonlike partial veil. The surface is smooth and dry, the stem short and broad. With age, the cap and stem develop rusty stains where bruised. But it is the odor that identifies this mushroom. It is very spicy and clean, like no other foodstuff. Japanese chefs treasure this delicacy, and their preparations reveal how to bring out its strong fragrance and individual flavor.

Try marinating matsutakes for 10 minutes in soy sauce, dry sherry or sugar, and good-quality bland oil. Then roast them on a grill until golden brown and serve alongside a main course. Matsutakes will do wonders for chicken broth and stir-fried dishes. Cut both stem and cap in small pieces, as this mushroom is firm and chewy. It has a magnificent penetrating unique flavor not like anything else: spicy, but not peppery.

When making rice, quickly lift the lid of the cooking pot and throw in a handful of matsutake bits. Replace the lid to allow the rice and mushrooms to harmonize inside the pot. This elevates a bland grain to ethereal heights.

Matsutakes blend well with chicken or fish. Even when frozen for a whole year, they retain most of their original zesty flavor.

Fresh or frozen mushrooms may be used interchangeably in all recipes.

[Source: http://www.mssf.org/cookbook/matsutake.html ]

Matsutake Gohan

Ingredients:

• 2 large matsutake mushrooms (or 3 medium ones)
• 2 1/2 cups Japanese rice
• 2 tablespoons sake (Japanese rice wine)
• 1 tablespoon mirin (a sweet-tasting Japanese cooking wine, can be omitted if you can't find it)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups kombu dashi (soup stock made from kelp and water, amazingly good!)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and cut them lengthwise into 1/8'' pieces.
Add all the ingredients in a small cast-iron or stainless steel pot. Stir them well, and let them sit for 20 minutes to an hour to let the flavors start melding.

Bring the mixture to a boil by turning the heat to high. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat, but keep the lid on and let the dish cook for another 10 minutes or so. Then remove from heat, fluff, and wait until it cools to an edible temperature.
This recipe is really simple but really good! It's an easy matsutake mushroom recipe that serves as a good introduction to their complex flavor.

When harvesting, please consider the environment, the relationship of the mushroom to the soil, the pine trees, and the animals living in the forest.  Don't overdo it, please. It is important to respect matsutake as you would any mushroom. Don't pick more than you need. If picking commercially, leave some in every patch so they can drop their spores and propagate..