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Fresh Porcini


Pool Boy

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Is there any local or online resource where one can acquire fresh porcini? I have loads of dried porcini, but I am crazing fresh porcini. CRAVING IT I tell you.

Do I have any chance in hell of being able to get some (even frozen maybe?)???

Wegman's in Fairfax has them every once in a while, but I haven't seen them in several months. Might be a seasonal thing?
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Whole Foods carries some from Oregon in the fall. Very pricey, of course, and simply not the size or pristine condition of ones you'd find in Europe. I bought a tiny, somewhat craggy specimen for about $15 (so much less than airfare) and there was a definite hint of the flavor you might be craving along with the silky texture.

I've seen pictures of huge, water-logged (frozen?) porcini sold in Texas. Just not appealing.

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It is not the season. spring and fall would be more likely..I find the domestic porcini can be quite good.

Also, D'artagnan sells them from eastern europe and domestic when in season. D'artagnan can be found online and I believe they will sell to individuals in their homes as well as businesses.

Expect to pay upwards of $20 per # plus shipping.

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I found a website that offers fresh porcini in season: Oregon Mushrooms .According to the website, they are in season late June through August.

I knew I was out of season, but I just wanted to gather info for where to get it possibly so that when the seasons rolled around again, I'd be prepared. Thanks for the link. I found another one, too -- JR Mushrooms.

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FYI, I had forgotten reports of a very, very bad season in Italy due to lack of rain. (The alternative source for imported, dried porcini/cepes has always been China.) I hadn't related this to the fact that I couldn't find small packages of dried porcini at Trader Joe's. However, this weekend I noticed that the stores that carry a limited line of dried mushrooms in small packages have everything except porcini.

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FYI, I had forgotten reports of a very, very bad season in Italy due to lack of rain. (The alternative source for imported, dried porcini/cepes has always been China.) I hadn't related this to the fact that I couldn't find small packages of dried porcini at Trader Joe's. However, this weekend I noticed that the stores that carry a limited line of dried mushrooms in small packages have everything except porcini.
I've recently seen dried porcini in small packets at Whole Foods in Tenleytown FWIW
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I struck up a friendship with the produce manager at D & D a couple of years ago and asked him to call me when they came in. It worked until he left.

Also, Ferielle the mushroom lady at the Arlington and Dupont farmers' markets gets them on occasion. Not the quality you get in France or Italy, but cepes just the same. Hideously expensive wherever you find them.

You might also hunt for "cepes" which is what the French call them. I've seen them under that name at Dean & DeLuca on rare occassion.
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Is there any local or online resource where one can acquire fresh porcini? I have loads of dried porcini, but I am crazing fresh porcini. CRAVING IT I tell you.

Do I have any chance in hell of being able to get some (even frozen maybe?)???

I found fresh porcini at the Dupont Market this morning. They were $15 per container (about 1/4 pound). She had a pretty decent supply. They were not as pristine as if you found them yourself in the woods but were relatively fresh. I've bought them from her at this stage before and they cook up just fine.

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Anyone have any recent local leads on fresh porcini? Wegmans/whole foods? I inquired at the mushroom stand at dupont this past weekend, but was told that she would not be selling porcini in the foreseeable future. I figured we are approaching the season (am I correct?) and I would love to make a fresh porcini risotto.

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Wild boletus edulis (porcini) are Fall mushrooms in most parts of the world--they occur on every continent except Antarctica. Theoretically, this means that boletes from the Southern Hemisphere might start to be foraged about now, since our Spring is their Fall. And I have read about a small amount of boletes being painstakingly cultivated in what appears to be a complicated and slow process. My guess is that the only place you will find fresh boletes right now is on the internet.

However, the good news is that dried porcini have much more flavor than fresh ones. And make a much better risotto IMO. My recommendation is to use soaked dried porcini and their soaking liquid, or porcini powder (finely ground porcini)--which I buy at Surfas in L.A. or at Kalustyan's in NYC, both sell online. I saute sliced crimini mushrooms and sprinkle them generously with porcini powder, then add them to risotto near the end of the cooking process. When using soaked dry porcini, strain and incorporate the soaking liquid into the broth used to cook the rice.

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Thank you, Zora! Always a wealth of info. I'll get some dry porcini for my risotto. I also really like the idea of sprinkling other fresh mushrooms with ground dried porcini. Might do that with some of the other delicious looking mushrooms I saw at Dupont and toss with some fresh pappardelle this weekend.

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Porcini love a mix of wet and heat. In Italy, this means fall most likely. South Africa has a lot right now. Bu the shrorom of the moment is Morels, which are crazy expensive still but falling {$48 to $38 with quality going from OK to amazing}. They probably will be around $20 next week so I may buy some. These are wholesale prices BTW.

But there are places in the US where spring has a mix of rain and heat {Pacific Northwest} and so a few domestic porcini do pop up this time of year.

DC is reputed to have warm weather, but in deference to the climate change deniers is not showing any evidence of it currently.

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