Why It's a Good Idea to Grow Mushrooms

Grow mushrooms at home as a fun, family project and for good health

In our video Tricia shows how she grows both Blue Oyster and Portabella mushrooms at home. New research is showing the importance of mushrooms as a source of Vitamin D and other nutrients. Mushrooms also have an amazing capacity to eat only homegrown or organically grown mushrooms. The special, fresh-picked flavor you enjoy in homegrown produce is also there in homegrown mushrooms.

Nutritional Benefits of Mushrooms

Apple a day? Add mushrooms to that list, along with garlic. The Mushroom Council has links to medical research showing the high levels of Vitamin D, potassium, riboflavin, and niacin in mushrooms. Mushrooms are a great source of the antioxidant selenium, too.

Why Your Should Cook Mushrooms

According to our mushroom supplier, Fungi Perfecti, all mushrooms should be cooked before eating. They recommend sauteéing or grilling mushrooms. Mushrooms contain chitin, which we cannot digest, and the chitin is simply roughage in our digestive tracts. Cooking opens the cells of the mushrooms so we can get all their nutritional goodness -- plus the flavors of the mushrooms are dramatically enhanced by cooking.

Mushrooms to Grow Indoors

Keep the variety going in your kitchen when you grow different kinds of mushrooms throughout the year with our mushroom kits. Start with your favorite and then branch out for new flavors, shapes, and cuisines. The traditional White Button mushroom tastes SO much better when you grow it at home. Use Portabella mushrooms like little steaks, on or off the grill. Enjoy exotic Shiitake mushrooms for their beauty and taste. Are you an oyster mushroom fan? Grow different kinds: Pearl Oyster and Blue Oyster indoors. For more information on the ways mushrooms can rebalance the planet, read the riveting book Mycellium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. Find out how fungi act as the Internet of the forests, how they can clean up toxic wastes, and more. Ready to go in-depth with mushrooms?

 

The acknowledged authoritative book on the subject is Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Both these books were written by mycologist Paul Stamets. He's also an inspiring speaker, and Tricia was impressed when she heard his lecture at an environmental conference recently. If he's appearing in your area, be sure to go! Grow mushrooms indoors and give yourself a delicious, healthy treat!

For more information on when to pick your mushrooms or mushroom logs, see our recent article in the Resource Center.