3658. Enoki Mushroom

The mushroom is available fresh or canned, the fresh mushroom being preferred. They are traditionally used for soups, but can also be used for salads and other dishes. They have a crisp texture. The mushroom can be refrigerated for about one week. Experts recommend fresh enoki specimens with firm, white, shiny caps, avoiding those that have slimy or brownish stalks.

The mushroom naturally grows on the stumps of the Chinese Hackberry tree, called enoki in Japanese, but also on some other trees as for example mulberry and persimmon trees. There is a significant difference in appearance between the wild and the cultivated mushrooms. Cultivated mushrooms are not exposed to light resulting in a white color, whereas wild mushrooms usually have a dark brown color. The cultivated mushrooms are grown in a high CO2 environment to produce long thin stems, whereas wild mushrooms produce a much shorter and thicker stem.
The variety available in the supermarket is always cultivated, usually in a plastic bottle or a vinyl bag for 30 days at 15°C and 70% humidity, on a substrate of saw dust or corn cobs, and a number of additional ingredients. Afterwards, the mushroom is grown for another 30 days in a slightly cooler but more humid environment. The growth is constricted in a paper cone to force the mushroom to grow long and thin. Mushrooms available in supermarkets often still show the impression of the bottle around the base.
The mushroom is relatively easy to cultivate, and has been grown in Japan for over 300 years[citation needed], initially on wood, and later in bottles. Home cultivation kits are also available.
In North America, a second species, Flammulina populicola has been cultivated and may be available in kits.

Enokitake mushrooms possess antioxidants like ergothioneine.
Research at the National University of Singapore first published in 2005 stated that the stalk of the golden needle mushroom contains a large quantity of a protein, designated Five, which helps to regulate the immune system. Animal testing indicated possible uses for vaccines and cancer immunotherapy. It also contains flammutoxin, a cytolytic and cardiotoxic protein that may possibly be poorly absorbed orally.