Mushrooms

Mushrooms are not actually vegetables, but are the above ground, fruiting parts of a fungus. Care must be taken with mushrooms as very many mushrooms growing wild are poisonous, or only edible once properly cooked. A safer way of course is to buy cultivated mushrooms from a store, or ones where you can guarantee the source.

The most common edible mushroom is the white field mushroom. This is commonly sold as the small 'button' mushroom, which means the gills haven't formed and the cap is still closed. 'Cup' mushrooms are the next stage when the gills are starting to show and 'flat' mushrooms are the mature stage when the cap has opened fully. The more older the mushroom the stronger the flavour. This mushrooms are grown on a vast scale, in the dark, on specially prepared substrate, which produces 5 or 6 crops of mushrooms, all hand picked.

The consumption of mushrooms, which goes back thousands of years, isn't limited to little white ones. Some grow on trees, on living or dead wood with no stalk and cap like field mushrooms. Some have prominent gills while some do not. They vary in meatiness and flavour. For example, fan shaped oyster mushrooms are 5-6cm, soft in texture with a delicate flavour, shitake mushrooms are typically shaped, brown capped mushrooms with a spongy cap and a distinct flavour, and enoki mushrooms are up to 10cm long and slender with a crisp texture. The exception to all rules is the truffle, a sought after delicacy that is found below ground. It defies cultivation and is difficult to locate, hence the high price it commands.

Mushrooms are a source of B vitamins and a few trace elements, though not much else. Before cooking, avoid washing but just wipe with a damp paper towel. They don't need peeling and the stalks can also be eaten. Store in the fridge, preferably in a paper bag. You may also find mushrooms available in a dried form.