Mushrooms

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies produced by some fungi. The typical Mushrooms look like umbrellas. They consist of a stalk topped by a flat or cup-shaped cap. Their spores are produced on special cells called basidia, located on the underside of the cap.

There are more than 2,000 mushroom species exists And among them, Some are edible and delicious, while the remaining are poisonous. The poisonous mushrooms are used to be called as "toadstool".

Mushrooms are not formed until temperature and moisture conditions are right for them. During mild or warm weather, they often appear 7 to 10 days after a good rain.

Some Commonly Popular Mushrooms

• Shiitake: (Lentinula Edodes) Shiitakes have led the way for other mushrooms acceptance in local and national markets. They can be grown on straw or fresh cut hardwoods, have a very well understood culture and can relied on for timely harvests. There are many very specific strains, some are better suited to certain regions or temperature regimen, while others are classified by either indoor or outdoor culture.
• Agaricus: "White Button" (Agaricus. brunnescens) and "Portobello" (Agaricus portobello) also known as "Italian Agaricus".
• Enoki: Also known as Enokitake mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) and the winter mushroom.
• Reishi: "Ganoderma lucidum" is widely used in the orient for its' medicinal properties.
• Lions Mane: Considered to be edible and choice by mushroom fanciers. Hericium erinaceus is claimed to taste like lobster. Produces cascading, icicle-like clusters that enlarge to baseball size.
• Hen Of The Woods: Also known as Maitake and Grifola frondosa (Polyporus frondosus). This mushroom has rapidly gained popularity and can produce enormous (up to #100) mushrooms. These prefer hardwood stumps.
• Morel
• Maitake
• Nameko(Pholiota nameko): Japans No.2 mushroom after shiitake, very edible and is considered to be very choice; And are very easy to produce.
• Oyster: Pearl (Pleurotus ostreatus), Pink (Pleaurotus djamor), Grey (Pleurotus pulmonarius and P. sajor-caju), plus several others. These are prized for their oyster-like flavor and ease of culture
• Patty Straw: (Volvariella violaceae) This is one of the oldest mushrooms in cultivation and is very simple to produce in some kind of controlled temperature growing area due to their high temperature (86-95F) demand.

Some eating tips
- Do not eat mushrooms raw.
- Eat only mushrooms in good condition.
- Eat only one kind at a time and do not eat large amounts.
- Eat only a small amount the first time; even morels, generally considered to be excellent, may cause illness/allergy in some persons.

A collection of Mushroom Recipes
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/vegetables/mushrooms/mush-coll.html

(Herbed Mushroom with White Wine)