Magic mushrooms
Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve seen?
I’ve never seen oyster mushrooms so beautifully bunched together like this — it could be a bouquet, presented to a lover, partner, or friend. Whenever I’ve bought them off aisles in the supermarkets or eaten them off of plates in restaurants they’ve been separated out into individual pieces. But these, wow. No wonder why mycophiles fall in love with mushrooms — these are stunning.
These beautiful oyster mushrooms are sourced from a local wholesale distributor, specifically someone who owns an organic mushroom farm.
!!
That’s so cool.
And it’s these types of relationships and exposure into networks I knew of, but never was a part of that, which make what I do right now, the life I live right now, so incredible and amazing.
Currently on rotation at the bakery is a magic mushroom toast. It’s a marvel: a slice of croissant bread (scrap dough rolled into a loaf pan in order to reduce waste), slathered with a cashew cream (shallots, garlic, and butter make this heavenly), topped with a medley of pan roasted mushrooms, and then finished with picked chili peppers. The owner tries to source locally wherever possible, hence the wholesale mushroom distributor.
Working at the bakery has been more interesting and illuminating than I imagined. Yes I get to start my morning with a deep inhale of crispy caramel-y buttery goodness and make (roll — I’m definitely not in a position to be trusted with lamination, yet) pastries, but I’ve also gotten to take a peek inside how a small business operates firsthand — exposure to the supply chain and suppliers, understanding how the industry works, and learning what exactly goes into a bakery and coffee operation. It’s fascinating and makes me have a lot more respect not just for those local business owners but also for the food I eat and coffee I consume. And it’s fun. It’s fun because it’s an area I genuinely enjoy learning about. It’s like working at a start-up, but with way lower stakes (for me personally). I have access to people, ideas, and spaces that I never thought I’d be a part of, things that a younger version of May dreamed of, and I don’t want to take this for granted because I know it won’t be forever.
Ready and shredded.
Crispy and yummy!
P.S. Of course prior to going to my mushroom farmer (okay the bakery’s, not really mine!), I did some sleuthing in the supermarket to price compare (girl is on budget here!) and boy was my mind blown. You’ll see oyster mushrooms at Coles are $53/kg as compared to $20/kg from the mushroom farmer, and don’t even get me started on shiitake. Of course I logically understand why pricing is the way it is (suppliers, distribution, premium pricing, etc.), but this afforded me a glimpse into the supply chain that I wouldn’t otherwise have had.