Yun Hai Organic Dried Lion's Mane Mushrooms - 2.5oz

Sourced from a family-operated mushroom farm in the high mountains of Yunlin, Taiwan, our organic lion's mane mushrooms are cultivated by hand in a cellulose medium inside an open-air bamboo-raftered shed.

Also called monkey head mushrooms 猴頭菇 in Mandarin, lion's mane mushrooms are valued by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners for their health benefits, including aiding digestion and nourishing and strengthening the body.

Because lion’s mane mushrooms are sensitive to heat and humidity, the cold climate of Yunlin’s high-altitude mountains provide the perfect environment for their growth. Once the mushrooms are harvested, the farmers promptly begin a labor-intensive drying process. The mushrooms are smoke-dried over a low-temperature longan wood fire, fueled by wood from the pruning of fruit orchards. This smoke imbues the mushrooms with the lightest touch of smoke, almost a coffee-like aroma. The layers of mushrooms must be rotated in the smoker for an even exposure, and the low, slow fire is watched for 48 hours to make sure the flame persists. Because the fire is so delicate, the farmers sleep next to the smoker, taking turns stoking it.

Lion’s mane mushrooms, which have a tender, slightly chewy texture, can be used as a meat or shellfish substitute. In Taiwan, they are most often cut or torn into soups and stocks like Sesame Oil Lion’s Mane Soup 麻油猴頭菇湯, but can also be battered and deep-fried into dishes like Salt and Pepper Lion’s Mane 鹽酥猴頭菇.