Where to Buy Fresh Gourmet Mushrooms in Houston
If the only mushrooms you've ever bought came in a plastic tub at the grocery store, you're in for a real surprise. Fresh gourmet mushrooms, picked days or even hours before you buy them, taste like a completely different food.
We're Amanda and Derek of TKF Mushrooms, a small family farm in Huffman, TX. Every weekend we load up the harvest and bring it to farmers markets around Houston.
What We Grow
Lion's Mane and Blue Oyster are our staples, so you'll find them on our table every week. We grow the others too, they're just not a weekly thing. They show up when the harvest is ready, so if you spot one you love, grab it. Mushrooms keep their own schedule, and we've learned to just go with it.
Lion's Mane: White and shaggy, mild and a little sweet, with a texture people compare to crab.
Golden Oyster: Bright yellow clusters with a nutty, delicate flavor.
Pink Oyster: The one that stops people walking by. Savory and a little meaty. Fair warning, the pink fades when you cook it.
Blue Oyster: Blue gray caps with a mild, earthy flavor. A great everyday mushroom.
King Trumpet: Thick, meaty stems that hold their shape. So good seared.
Chestnut: Little brown caps on long stems, nutty and earthy with a nice crunch.
Where to Find Us
Here's our Houston area farmers market schedule:
Saturdays (every week)
Farmers Market on Grand Parkway, 1225 W Grand Pkwy S, Katy, TX 77494. 8am to noon.
The Woodlands Farmers Market, 7 Switchbud Pl, The Woodlands, TX 77380. 9am to 1pm October through June, 9am to noon in summer.
Sundays (rotating)
Rice Village Farmers Market, 2504 Amherst St, Houston, TX 77005. 9am to 1pm, 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month.
Heights Mercantile Market, 711 Heights Blvd, Houston, TX 77007. 9am to 1pm, 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month.
There are no Sunday markets in months with a 5th weekend. Come early if you can. Some varieties sell out, and we hate telling people we just ran out.
Keeping Them Fresh
Fresh mushrooms like to breathe. Here's what we do at home:
Keep them in a paper bag in the fridge, not sealed plastic. Plastic traps moisture and they get slimy.
Don't wash them until right before you cook. If they need it, brush them off or give them a quick rinse and pat dry.
Lion's Mane keeps the longest, often a couple of weeks.
Blue Oyster lasts about 7 to 10 days.
Chestnut and Pioppino last about a week.
Pink and Golden Oyster are the most delicate, 3 to 5 days tops, so cook them first.
How We Cook Each One
Lion's Mane: Tear it into thick pieces, press them in a hot dry pan to get the water out, then add butter and a pinch of salt. Try it as "crab" cakes.
Golden and Pink Oyster: Cook them fast over high heat. They're delicate, so add them near the end of a stir fry or pasta.
Blue Oyster: Good at everything. Sauté, roast, or toss into soups and tacos.
King Trumpet: Slice the stems into thick coins, score them, and sear them like scallops.
Chestnut: Keep them whole and sauté with garlic. The stems stay nice and crunchy.
One tip for all of them: don't crowd the pan. Give your mushrooms some room so they brown instead of steam. Derek will tell you this every time.
Our Go To: Garlic Butter Mushrooms
When we're tired after a market day, this is what we make. It works with any mix of mushrooms.
Tear or slice about 8 ounces of mushrooms into bite sized pieces.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with a tablespoon of oil.
Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes until browned.
Stir, then cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
Add a tablespoon of butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook 1 more minute.
Finish with fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon.
Pile it on toast, rice, pasta, or a steak.
Farm Pickup
Can't make it to a market? Call or text us at (346) 579-5707 and ask about farm pickup.
See More and Shop
You can see photos of everything we grow on our Fresh Mushrooms page at https://www.tkfmushrooms.com/team-1. We also make small batch Lion's Mane and Reishi tinctures from our own mushrooms, shipped anywhere in the US for $5.95, or free on orders of $75 or more. Take a look at https://www.tkfmushrooms.com/shop.
Hope to see you at the market soon!
Amanda & Derek
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