AlwaysInformed: Mushrooms (Grand Army Plaza)

Michelle Kiefer — July 16, 2009

Oyster Mushrooms at the Grand Army Plaza market (Mycomedicinals Madura Farms, Goshen, NY).

If you’re a fan of greenmarkets and mushrooms you’ve been missing out if you haven’t visited Dan Madura at his stand on Saturdays at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. Dan is the mushroom man of Grand Army Plaza— he eats mushrooms everyday and started cultivating them on his family’s farm, Mycomedicinals Madura Farms in Goshen, NY, seven years ago after taking an interest in their medicinal value.

Ask Madura one question about mushrooms and he launches into endless facts about the vitamins and health benefits of each type. Maitake mushrooms, for example, he said, have anti-cancerous and immune-boosting benefits, and are used by yogis to make meditation tea. Shiitake mushrooms are used by the Japanese to combat the effects of chemotherapy. He noted that mushrooms are best stored in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator, and that one good way to save them is by leaving the bag out on the kitchen counter and allowing them to dry out.

But Madura’s knowledge about mushrooms isn’t limited to storing them or their purported medicinal value— he’s also full of suggestions for pairing and preparing them in the most tasty ways possible. He called King Oyster mushrooms, “the filet mignon of the mushroom world,” and recommended cooking them with scallops or slicing them into linguine-thin slivers and sautéeing them. He claims to be the sole cultivator of Piopinno mushrooms in New York, and said they’re excellent in risotto.

Yellow Oyster mushrooms, Madura explained, have a more delicate flavor and are awesome when added to omelets or any egg dishes. But, he reminded us, mushrooms are well-paired with most egg dishes. He raved about one of his favorite breakfast combinations, oyster mushrooms cooked with scrambled eggs or in an omelet along with a toasted English muffin.

Madura’s favorite mushroom dish? Homemade mushroom pizza, assembled with the tomato sauce he makes from the heirloom tomatoes he also grows on his farm.