The amazing nutrition of mushrooms
The amazing nutrition of mushrooms
Mushrooms are an amazing source of nutrition and should be considered a valuable food source in every home. More people need to take advantage of this abundant fat free food, all it takes is a little effort and curiosity to try new things.
Some of the most common mushrooms that are easy to cultivate at home and also very easy to cook with include: White Button, Brown Crimini, Portabella, Shittake, Oyster, Enoki, and King Oyster. There is many more mushrooms available but these seven strains are the most popular for flavour and simplicity when it comes to growing and cooking at home.
Mushrooms provide a wide array of textures and flavours to work with so there is no end to the combinations you can create. Most edible mushrooms are also packed full of cancer fighting compounds, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin D, naicin, and riboflavin just to mention a few. Mushrooms also contain absolutley no fat or cholesteral and approximately only 14 calories per cup.
These are only some of the important assets that mushrooms provide. Also consider the fact they can be eaten immediatly after they are grown. There is very little preperation and no chemicals or fertilizers necessary to produce this amazing food. Even when you do use them as an ingredient in other recipes all they need is a quick rinse under the sink and a little drying with paper towel, no need to scrub or wash them like other vegetables. You can create amazing meals chock full of nutrient in very little time without sweating in a hot kitchen. Or just use them as a snack right out of the bag anytime for adults or children.
Another important factor to prove the importance of this food source is that they are not dependent on the seasons. You can grow most mushroom varieties indoors 24/7, 365 days a year and store or ship them all over the world. If you are growing your own mushrooms or bringing some home from the grocery store it is best to keep them in a brown paper bag instead of plastic, this way they can stay fresh for about 5-7 days in the fridge.
Some other wild mushrooms that are edible like truffles and morels are considered a delicacy as they are much more difficult to acquire and cannot be cultivated indoors. They do depend on the seasons and other environmental factors so they only grow in specific locations and times making them much more valuable.
It is important to know and respect the mushrooms that grow in the wild as they can be much more dangerous than the ones found in your grocery store or grown at home. There is many poison or psychoactive varieties that can look just like an edible strain so it is best to leave the wild picking to the experts.
Anyone can get involved in this hobby relatively easy without a big investment you can start a mushroom farm in your backyard, garage, or any space were you can control the environment. Depending on the strains you want to cultivate you can easily create renewable and very nutritious food source right in your own home.
