Every time my family ordered pizza when I was a kid, my dad would find some way to sneak mushrooms onto a corner of that pizza, possibly tucked under a layer of cheese per special instruction to the pizza parlor. He loved them but I was stubbornly convinced that a single mushroom would ruin the entire pizza. Now that I'm older and have developed a more refined palate (ok fine, I still love Cinnamon Toast Crunch), I've come to understand how just special mushrooms are in the world of cuisine. They provide an extraordinary variety of texture and flavors which seem to adapt to any kind of dish. And, as a bit of icing on the cake, I've learned how mushrooms are truly wonderful for your health. Consider this my ode to the mushroom Jamaica Retreat.
Health Benefits
When it comes to health, edible mushrooms are a right up there with other super-foods green tea and broccoli. After all, the first antibiotics were extracted from fungi. Being 80-90% water, mushrooms are low in calories, while still being high in fiber. They are fat-free, cholesterol-free, and low in sodium (especially good for those on a hypertensive diet). Here are some other reasons to sneak more mushrooms into your cooking:
It is definitely quite clever to begin mushroom hunting as soon as feasible for the reason that early morning daylight helps you to find edible mushrooms and refreshing atmosphere supports you to smell these. Other mushroom pickers will likely not disrupt you and by lunch break you will be done leaving the complete afternoon for cleaning as well as preparing mushrooms.
So, I arrive to the particular selected woodland and I look at the trees and shrubs. I head towards pine and spruce trees checking at the surface which is coated by pine and spruce fine needles. From time to time, here and there I see green moss. I inspect such sites with moss to begin with as there is more dampness that mushrooms appreciate. I look for the convex (outwardly curved) formed mushroom cap (most of wild edible pore fungi have convex cap form). It will be tinted in any kind of shade of brown from light yellow-brownish right up until dark-brown. Among pine trees tend to be found more typical wild mushrooms with dark brown convex cap.
As a fungi food variety, mushroom is produced by above the ground cultivation. These come in different varieties and you need to know the type you want to farm. There are wild and edible mushrooms. Edible mushrooms are nutritious and provide a good source of vitamins and mineral sources to the diet. They taste like meat and vegetarians and vegans will find this scrumptious. As you make a choice of the types of mushrooms you want to grow, consider the various types including; white, crimini and Portobello varieties. You could also find options of the oyster, maitake and shiitake mushrooms. Edible mushrooms will provide a great meal. You can blend mushrooms with other foods to make tasty meals.
Oyster mushrooms are one of the easiest varieties of mushrooms to grow and knowing how to plant mushrooms can bring you almost unlimited supply of the mushrooms at your dinner table. Although oyster mushrooms grow in woods, there are other growing media that you can use in raising them. Consider straw and sawdust, they are easier to gather than logs.
Oyster mushroom resembles oysters, and they have a rich culinary and medicinal history to boast. Chinese medicine, from some three thousand years ago, uses oyster mushrooms as a tonic to enhance immune system. It has ergothioneine which is an exceptional antioxidant that can protect the cell. Even if oyster mushrooms are cooked, the antioxidant level remains the same. The mushrooms have been proven to possess anti-bacterial properties as well. Oyster mushrooms have significant levels of potassium, iron, zinc, vitamin C, calcium, niacin, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B2, and folic acid. The study revealed that eating oyster mushrooms contributes to suggested dietary requirements.If I am picking wild mushrooms I make perfectly sure that I do not collect all edible mushrooms out of the actual place where I have discovered them. I leave behind (really don't even touch!) about 10% of edible mushrooms to develop further to ensure that those species can be protected in the nature.
I pick up younger edible mushrooms (let's say 7-9 cm in height). Old mushrooms usually are not really as firm and tight as they have to be for transporting; they aren't as tasty as young ones and do not fit for storage.
