There are SO many oyster mushrooms grown and or wild-harvested for food around the world. And in the gourmet mushroom growing community, it is certainly the most ubiquitous of species, or rather, genus, as many different species are lumped under the umbrella term "oyster," or "common oyster." Indeed, you may have noticed that two of the above mushrooms NOT labeled as "oyster" here are also within the genus Pleurotus. To further confuse the matter, one of the "oysters" listed below, the elm oyster, isn't actually in the genus at all! The oyster mushrooms are as a whole considered the easiest to cultivate, the most prolific, and fastest growing of the gourmet fungi, which is certainly a heroic trio of attributes and thus it is understandable that they are so widespread. They may also be the most pungent and the heaviest flavored of the bunch. That's not the same thing as saying they're the most delicious - I don't believe they are; however, they are great choices in any dish where more delicately flavored mushrooms may get drowned out by other strong ingredients. Their powerful and adaptable taste make them favorites in the restaurants (and the fact that they are more available and generally cheaper than other gourmets. We will likely always continue trying out new oyster strains and species, but here are some of what we already grow...