Good morning, {nombre}!
Today I'm going to take you to the shade of Jesus, which is not an enchanted forest, although it may seem like one, but some rooms where white pearl mushrooms grow in the shade.
Here, shade is king, humidity is gold, and the temperature must be just right. If a orange tree seems finicky when the westerly wind blows, wait until you meet this divo of the fungi world.
The white pearl mushroom thrives when the thermometer stays between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius and humidity hovers between 80 and 95 percent. No direct light. Open a window and it pouts. That's why Jesus spends his days pampering them like someone caring for a newborn in its first week.
A little more heat and they get stressed, a little less humidity and they stop growing. They are truly fussy.
And yet, when you hit the spot, they reward you with a truly fleshy texture, firm on the outside and soft to the bite. I'm getting ahead of myself, because the good part is coming now.
Under those little white caps, there's a secret life that isn't seen: the mycelium 🍄. Imagine millions of tiny white threads connecting everything, sharing food and signals so that the whole works like a well-connected neighborhood.
It's as if nature invented the internet millions of years ago and didn't even send us the manual. Some scientists call this network the grand wood wide web, and it's no joke. Thanks to fungi, what dies decomposes, nutrients are recycled, and the soils that feed us are nourished.
Remove fungi from the map, and in weeks the countryside would be a monumental traffic jam. It's a bit dizzying to think about, I know, but wait, there's more.
The most curious thing is that fungi are everywhere, and we hardly ever notice them. In the ground you walk on, in the forest, on the bark of a tree, in the garden itself. They make no noise, ask for no spotlight, they work in silence.
And if you're wondering, no, I don't come from the world of shade-grown produce. I've been a citrus grower all my life, with the sun on my neck and muddy boots. This fungi universe is a world I haven't fully entered yet, but the more I learn, the more curious I become.
It's like looking into a cave and seeing that there's another room at the back, and then another...
But, {nombre}, back to our star, the white pearl mushroom. Besides its pleasant texture when you cut it, it provides good quality protein and has almost no calories.
And cooking it is the easiest thing in the world. A hot pan, a drizzle of olive oil, a clove of garlic, parsley, and sliced mushrooms. Five minutes, quick flip. You get a dish that brightens the table without having to assemble an Ikea furniture, I promise. If you like to give it an extra touch, a pinch of salt at the end and it's ready.
Here, we continue with our usual method, lifelong farmers who care for our crops with artisan hands, just like our grandparents did.
Every morning, I check orders, call my colleagues, and we go harvest what you've ordered. From the tree or the shaded area to your home. That way, you know what you receive hasn't been traveling for days, and that makes all the difference for a mushroom.
I confess I'd love to keep telling you stories of the mycelium and how forests communicate thanks to fungi, but I prefer to save a couple of surprises for next time.
They say great chefs have become obsessed with the white pearl mushroom for a reason few know. If you're interested, next week I'll tell you about it, and we'll share another smile, because we're still working hard and in good spirits here.
Thank you for supporting Spanish agriculture and the families who work it, selling directly to defend a fair price.
A big hug and see you next week 🍄
