Shy Delicacies

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 963, 5 May 1930, Page 8

Shy Delicacies

MUSHROOMS FOR MARKETS QUANTITIES of mushrooms are making their appearance on the retail markets. .Gathered in dewy fields on the outskirts of the City, they are snapped up eagerly by housewives who welcome a departure from the everyday culinary round. The climate of Auckland is such that the growth of mushrooms is regulated by weather conditions rather than by the seasons. They are exceedingly difficult to grow at will, as many amateur gardeners have found to their cost.

One of the shyest forms of vegetable life, the mushroom deeply resents any interference with its natural plans. Here and there, in seemingly unfruitful paddocks and gardens, it flourishes- exceedingly, yet the arranging of artificial conditions which arte calculated to please it is one of the most difficult of horticultural jobs. This is vouched for by an Auckland seedsman, who has made a study of the delicious fungus. He claims, however, that there is an excellent opportunity in Auckland for someone who is prepared to tackle the problem of growing mushrooms regularly for the markets. “It can be done, and there is always a demand,” he asserts. “One man of my acquaintance used to cultivate mushroms in Auckland, and did very well out of sales to clubs and the large hotels where variations to the regular menus are greatly sought after. However, he has now given it up. As far as I am aware he is the only Aucklander who has tried mush-room-growing on that scale, although lots of people have dabbled with it in a small way.” CHIEF PECULIARITY The chief peculiarity of Auckland mushrooms is that they are liable to put in an appearance at any time. The regular seasons are during the spring and late autumn rains, but when on other occasions the weather clerk produces heat and plenty of rain, as during the last fortnight, they disregard the calendar and pop out of the turf. In the main, Auckland’s mushroom supplies come from pickers who operate more or less casually in fields known for their productivity. In other words the mushrooms are picked “wild.” Small quantities of spawn are imported in the form of muchroom “bricks.” These have been made in Auckland by enthusiasts, but, generally, the resultant opinion has been that it pays better to use the imported variety, providing that it is fresh. The limited nature of the demand for this may be gauged from the fact that one large Auckland firm imports only a gross of bricks each year. “Frequently gardeners are seized with the idea of growing their own mushrooms, but as often as not the difficulties which arise cause an abandoning of plans and a waste of the bricks,” said an importer today. “Some years ago we grew mushrooms in our cellar below the shop, and succeeded in getting enough to’

keep a display in our window for six weeks. However, this was merely an experiment.” MUSHROOM "BRICKS” Mushroom bricks are prepared by mixing straw and manure in a mould similar in shape to that of the average bar of common soap. Four or five mushrooms are grown in this and their spawn drops from among the soft, edible tissue on the under-side. This spawn or mycelium penetrates in a cob-webby formation through the bricks which, when dried and hardened, are ready for the market The bricks imported into New Zealand come chiefly from France, where the culture of mushrooms has been carried on for many generations. The United States at one time imported from France, but in latter years has produced its own mushroom bricks. English bricks are also obtainable. Despite the extent of mushroom culture in England, large quantities are still grown by the French for the London market, one of the chief and recognised sources of supply being the catacombs of Paris. There the absence of light and the facilities for maintaining an even temperature enable the growers to operate practically all the year round. Besides liking heat and plenty of moisture, the mushroom insists upon doing its growing in the dark—another proof of its extreme sliynes^. CAREFUL WORK The Auckland grower who wishes to test his skill on the temperamental fungus must prepare for careful work and many disappointments, but if he follows the correct formula he may succeed. In theory one brick will supply the average-sized family with mushrooms for about two months. In practice it may produce less, or much less. It may even remain a stolid brick until it melts provokingly into the carefully-nourished loam surround ing it. After such a happening the enthusiast probably will feel the necessity for a run into the country to cool down, and there, if the weather has been favourable, he will see mushrooms galore flourishing in the most impossible places. Then he will take a deep breath and tell the wide open spaces all about it. Despite all this, a healthy market for mushrooms is awaiting in Auckland for the gardener who is clever and patient enough to supply