Wood Ear Mushrooms...

[gratus fermentatio]

I was thinking about making hot & sour soup the other day & one of the key ingredients is wood ear mushrooms, AKA black fungus. It occurred to me that I haven't seen wood ear mushrooms in any of the stores that used to carry them. I don't think I've seen them for sale ANYWHERE locally for well over a year. Anybody else notice this lack of wood ear mushrooms? Is it just here in MT? I've tried searching for any news on a shortage, but nothing about such a shortage comes up on my searches. Just wondering if there's actually a shortage & if so, why.
Regards, GF.

 

[Rhumbline]

The last time I bought a pack was months ago but the oriental grocer near me seems to always have them. Amazon has a lot of listings for them.

 

[FatDragon]

Strange, I have no problem finding wood ear here...

I was Stateside this summer and saw fresh wood ear at an Asian grocery (99 Ranch in Houston) and dried wood ear at the same place and a couple mainstream supermarkets in all three parts of the country we visited (Norcal, western Arizona, Houston).

Since dried wood ear stores and rehydrates like a champ, you might just want to buy a pound (which is a metric poop ton of rehydrated wood ear) wherever you can find it locally or online and you'll be good for ages. Find the right seller and you could save a ton of money too - it's often $5-8 for an ounce at grocery stores where you can get a pound for just over $10 on Amazon, $18-20 if you want the pricier stuff for your peace of mind.

Also, I'm disappointed. I clicked this post hoping to find some beautiful maniac using wood ear in a beer. Might I suggest a brown with some late Fuggles?

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Strange, I have no problem finding wood ear here...

I was Stateside this summer and saw fresh wood ear at an Asian grocery (99 Ranch in Houston) and dried wood ear at the same place and a couple mainstream supermarkets in all three parts of the country we visited (Norcal, western Arizona, Houston).

Since dried wood ear stores and rehydrates like a champ, you might just want to buy a pound (which is a metric poop ton of rehydrated wood ear) wherever you can find it locally or online and you'll be good for ages. Find the right seller and you could save a ton of money too - it's often $5-8 for an ounce at grocery stores where you can get a pound for just over $10 on Amazon, $18-20 if you want the pricier stuff for your peace of mind.

Also, I'm disappointed. I clicked this post hoping to find some beautiful maniac using wood ear in a beer. Might I suggest a brown with some late Fuggles?

We don't have an Asian grocery store here. Closest we have is a pricey, hippie store. They used to carry the dried wood ear, as did Albertson's & Safeway, but not anymore. They carry other varieties of dried mushrooms (porcini, shiitake, oyster, etc...) from the same company though. I don't buy much online, guess I'll have to look into getting wood ear that way.
Regards, GF.