Mushroom kingdom

As harvest peaks, earthy flavors are added to Chinese dishes for signature taste, Liu Zhihua reports.

A troop of raincoat-clad foragers are tramping through a forest in deep mountains damp from a recent rain, their eyes searching the ground for any trace of summer's treasured treats - wild mushrooms.

That scene is likely playing out all over Yunnan province, as summer - especially late July and early August - is mushrooms' harvest peak in the largest production area of China. As hot weather blankets the country, market stalls burst with the freshly plucked, earthy delights. Some go to local dinner tables, but plenty find their way to other parts of China and the world.