Mycorrhizae (myco = fungi, rhizza = root) refers to a relationship different fungi form with plants, a mutually beneficial, or symbiotic, relationship. There are no fungi called mycorrhizae. The fungi that might be found in the forest most likely will not be what flowering or vegetable plants form that mutually beneficial relationship with because the fungi the work with trees and shrubs are not the same as those that work with flowers and vegetables, As long as the mushrooms added to a compost pile are edible they are good. To get fungi to form that mycorrhizae relationship work on getting the soil plants grow in into a good healthy condition with adequate amounts of organic matter and they will come. An article in a recent issue of Fine Gardening magazine by Jeff Gillman, phD in soil science, pretty much said spending money on "stuff" containing mycorrhizae is a waste for the above reasons and the storage and shipping of the material most likely will kill any fungi that might exist in the package unless very strict attention is paid to temperature and humidity. Whether the finished compost is bacterially or fungally dominate will depend on what you put in. If the majority of the material is vegetative then the compost will be bacterial. If the majority of material put in is woody then the finished compost could be fungi dominated, just as the forest floor usually is.

They won't come fully back to life, as in eating them fresh. But for cooking purposes, soak them in warm water to cover, for about 20 minutes. Then add to whatever dish you'll be using them in. If you'll be sauteing them in, say, butter, wring them out well before adding to the pan.

Their display gardens looked AWESOME! Totally different from how it looked over there a month ago. I was blown away with all they have done. They have worked really, really hard. I was there but my blue tie-dye shirts were not clean, so I was wearing a white t-shirt. Oops! :P I scored a couple of new plants too. I got a [rare] Yellow Scabiosa, a Lemon Yellow Helianthus (perennial sunflower) and, my favorite, a bronze fennel! I have the fennel in a pot for the summer...it has a taproot, and I'm not 100% sure where I want it, so I'm going to have to nurse it through the summer until I figure it out. It was really fun! Glad you made it! Evelyn, did you make it too? I didn't see you. I was there from about 10-12.

Mushrooms are fairly expensive around here, for some reason, so when the store marks down packages for quick sale, I buy them up, slice them and put them into the dehydrator. Dried mushrooms have a stronger flavor than fresh, but are very useful in soups and sauces. I like to powder a handful in my spice grinder to add to cream of mushroom soup, both thickening the soup a bit and adding a much more intense mushroom flavor. Also, you can extend the life of your mushrooms in the fridge by letting them dry a bit. They don't end up great on salads, but they last quite some time for cooking that way. If they're sold in a foam box, take them out of there and put them in a plastic bag with a paper towel in it. When they start darkening a bit, the first sign of age, leave the bag open at the end so air can circulate a bit. They will start drying without turning slimy. Also, duxelles freeze quite nicely. Just chop the mushrooms and then cook down into a paste in butter (a good amount). These can be frozen in a zip lock bag, pressed thin enough so that you can break off the amount you need or in an ice cube tray etc. Omelets are wonderful with a layer of duxelles, they make a gravy especially nice, and are terrific as a simple topping for burgers, steaks or chops. If you cook the meat in a pan, deglaze it with a wee bit of stock or wine and then quickly heat the duxelles through in the "pan gravy". Yum.