Straw Mushrooms - Where To Buy?

[Chicog]

I'm quite partial to straw mushrooms and can usually get them in my home country, but supplies dried up, so on a recent visit I thought I'll pick some up and take them back (lots of unused baggage allowance).

I tried:

Big C

Villa

Lotus Tesco

RimPing (in Chiang Mai)

Foodland

Not a bloody sign of them anywhere, in fact mostly imported, tinned mushrooms.

Anyone got any ideas?

I was surprised I couldn't find them in the fruit and veg sections either, quite a few different types but not the straw ones.

Any advice would be appreciated, as I'm back in December and I'd actually like to buy them fresh in Bangkok or Pattaya if I can.

[beano2274]

Fresh markets usually will have them, I live in Nonthaburi and have a few places near that have them.

[sometime]

They grow straw mushrooms next to my house to sell at the local markets,but they only last a few days after being picked, then they go slimey with a foul smell.

[Chicog]

Hmmmm that might rule out taking them home then. Do they dry them at all?

[ripstanley]

In which country do you live? I would check with their quarantine before you import them.

[Chicog]

In which country do you live? I would check with their quarantine before you import them.

The Middle East. They never seem to bother about food for personal use. I know several people that regularly bring back haggis and square sausage.

[notmyself]

Seen them fairly often (maybe 3 times a week) at my local market on Samui. They always fly of the shelf (out of the large plastic bowl really) so are always gone (if there was any in the first place) by 6:30-7.00. A member above mentioned they have a very short shelf life which is why (I imagine) the bowl is covered by a black plastic sheet, could be that they start to degrade very quickly in sunlight after picking. Can't say about shelf life myself as they never last more than my next meal before they are eaten and the vendor will not sell me more than around 150-200g. I fry them up in butter with a hint of garlic and have them with rice for my dinner, awsome mushrooms IMO.

With this in mind, I suggest the OP get down the local market early doors

[Chicog]

Thanks for the tip.

[Chicog]

A little bump: I was wandering around Pattaya with my language instructor a couple of days ago, and when I told her you couldn't buy these anywhere, she wouldn't believe me. So we did all the usual outlets and in the end I took her to the market near TukCom and proved the point.

She then had a word with a nice lady in the market who save me a kilo to take home yesterday.

They've lasted the trip back to the sandpit, so some are cooking up now and the rest have been boiled in salty water, left to dry and then frozen, at her instructions.

Next time I go she said give her some notice and she'll do all the preparing and vacuum packing herself.

Happy Straw Mushroom bunny here, and they are the really nice big ones, too.

Bt140 a kilo. Bloody lovely!