The Fidel's Gourmet Growers table is easy to find: a white banner with a sunburst logo that says Fungi since 1980, and under it, in smaller letters, We grow what we sell. The stand sits under a white canopy with a pickup parked behind it, and the mushrooms are laid out in cardboard trays, black containers and blue baskets.
The board
A laminated board lists the prices per basket. Oyster is $8, shiitake is $8, and a mixed basket is $15. That makes the mixed basket cheaper than two single baskets.
What's on the table
Oyster mushrooms in pale ruffles, shiitake with brown caps, small brown mushrooms in black trays, white clumps that looked like beech mushrooms, and frilly grey-brown clusters that looked like maitake. I took a basket home and liked what was in it.
At a glance, the front of the table is brown caps in black trays, and the back is pale oyster clusters in cardboard. The blue baskets on the right hold the frilly and the white ones.
Which basket to buy
Oyster mushrooms are the delicate ones: pale, ruffled and quick to cook. Shiitake are meatier, with a brown cap and a stem you'll want to cut off. The mixed basket is the one to pick if you can't decide, and at $15 it costs less than two single baskets. That's the whole strategy.
Cooking them together works because they take different amounts of time. Start the shiitake first and add the oysters a minute or two later.
Three names on one banner
The banner lists three growers. Gourmet Growers, in Sonoma County since 2009. B&D Brand FFM Mushrooms, in Santa Clara County since 1978. And Mycopia Gourmet Mushrooms. I didn't ask who grew which basket. Next time I will.
Taking them home
Keep mushrooms in a paper bag in the fridge, not in plastic. Wash nothing until the pan is hot, then give them room, because crowded mushrooms steam instead of browning. Oysters need a few minutes. Shiitake need a few more. Save the stems for stock.
A basket of mushrooms is also one of the few market purchases that goes straight into dinner without a plan. Butter, salt, a hot pan and bread is a meal.
More from the same lot: Three Stalls, One Thing From Each.
Eight dollars is a small price for finding out which one you like.