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Richmond Company's Business is Mushrooming
Misty Mountain Specialties was recently featured in the Vancouver Sun for unprecedented success in 2002. Read the full article online and learn more about our business!
Catching Fungus Fever
Restaurant patrons across Canada are devouring grilled hedgehogs, savoring their meaty, sweet taste and spiky texture, B.C.-grown hedgehog mushrooms, that is.
These and other B.C. exotic fungi, such as chanterelles, angel wings, black trumpets, lobster, cauliflower, pine mushrooms and white morels, are hot commodities in upscale Canadian restaurants. "The demand Canada-wide for B.C.-grown, exotic mushrooms has grown about 200 per cent in the past two years," says David Lee Kwen, president of Richmond's Misty Mountain Industries Ltd., specializing in foreign and domestic distribution of B.C. mushrooms. " The demand is also increasing in Japan, and sales are strong in Europe," he adds.
Lee Kwen believes the current popularity of wild mushrooms is due to a recent influx of European chefs to Canada, who incorporate more unconventional mushroom varieties in their cuisine. But Canadian chefs are quickly catching on.
"We go through a lot of B.C. mushrooms, usually about 25 lbs. a week," says Chris Johnson, head chef at Vancouver's Raincity Grill. Johnson blends dried or fresh wild mushrooms in risotto, meat or game dishes, and adds an exotic mushroom melange to salads.
The bulk of Canada's wild mushrooms are picked and distributed in B.C., although chanterelles also grow in Nova Scotia and pine mushrooms in Montreal. B.C.'s temperate, humid climate is ideal for mushroom cultivation, but availability is seasonal. White morels are generally available in March and April, lobster mushrooms in July, while angle wings, hedgehogs, chanterelles, yellowfoot and pine mushrooms are ready in the fall.
Kari Reinhardt
Mushroom Hunting
Ever wondered where the sumptuous fungi you eat originally grew? For those who are curious about where we get our fine product, here are some photos of mushroom gathering in the wild.
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Copyright © 2003 Misty Mountain Mushrooms. All rights reserved.