Mushrooms have become increasingly popular in recent years. Easy to grow at home and profitable, they’ve been a boon for home growers and mushroom farmers alike. Mushrooms take up very little space and are ideal for growing in small spaces, which makes them great for apartment dwellers. If you’re new to growing mushrooms, it can be challenging to know where to start. This article will look at the most common types of mushrooms that are easiest to grow in home conditions and their benefits.   These include: Oyster Mushrooms White Button mushrooms Enoki Mushrooms Lion’s Mane Winecap Mushro ..read more

A truly unique and varied mushroom are puffball mushrooms, which gets its name from the puffy spores it emits. Puffballs exude clouds of brown, dust-like spores when they are hit, popped or burst. The puffball mushroom is part of the Basidiomycota division of fungi and has several different genus, or species names: Calvatia, Calbovista and Lycoperdon. There’s the gem-studded puffball, the pear-shaped puffball, the giant puffball and more. The feature that makes the puffball really unique is the fact it has a single opening on top through which its spores are puffed out or emitted. Let’s learn ..read more

Not all mushrooms are created equal, especially the Death Cap Mushroom. Some varieties are healthy additions to your diet. Others are dangerous and even toxic. The Death Cap mushroom is one of those types that you should avoid. In fact, the Amanita phalloides is poisonous and deadly. They’re found across Europe and are now spreading to other parts of the world. And since they resemble safe varieties of mushrooms, it’s worth knowing about them and understanding their danger. If you’ve often wondered: What is the most lethal mushroom? The answer is likely the Death Cap. So let’s take a look at D ..read more

Mushrooms aren’t all created equal when it comes to using them in the kitchen, especially the yellow mushroom. Some are edible, safe to eat and delicious. Others should not be eaten, but still play a role in our ecosystems. And some just pop up one day in your houseplants, like the little yellow mushroom that is often found in greenhouses and potted plants. Yellow Mushrooms – “Leucocoprinus birnbaumii” The yellow mushroom, whose scientific name is Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, is a species of gilled mushroom in the family Agaricaceae. Commonly found in the tropics and subtropics, we find it in tem ..read more

The turkey tail mushroom is common in our forests, prolific around the world almost everywhere trees are found. Its scientific name is Trametes versicolor, with other common names being Coriolus versicolor and Polyporus versicolor. It’s a common polypore, meaning it forms large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside. It’s also known as a bracket fungus because it forms thin structures in concentric circles and grows almost everywhere trees are found. Versicolor is also a good description, since it means “of several colors” and the turkey tail does in fact have multiple colors. Th ..read more

As we all look to stay healthy, or improve our current health, there are any number of fad diets, supplements and drugs that are reputed to be a wonder cure. Natural foods are sometimes forgotten in the search for a magic bullet to health. And among healthy natural foods, mushrooms are not always at the top of the list. Fruits like blueberries that are high in Vitamin C and K, or super-vegetables like spinach that boast Vitamins A and K, are usually promoted in discussions about healthy diets. But clinical studies continue to unearth the healthy advantages of mushrooms, which add flavor and te ..read more

Is A Mushroom a Vegetable? Classification & Nutritional Value Mushrooms are delicious and healthy, and can be added to many different dishes. You can throw them in a salad or fry them with your steak. Which raises the question: Is a Mushroom a Vegetable? If it’s in a salad, it must be a vegetable. If it’s a side dish to a steak, it must be a vegetable. In fact, it’s often used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes, like a big, grilled portobello mushroom “burger” in a bun instead of a meat patty. But does that alone make a mushroom a vegetable? Let’s explore: what exactly is a mushroom ..read more

If you’re out foraging for mushrooms and find one that resembles a pine cone, you may have stumbled upon an Old Man. The Old Man of the Woods mushroom has been so named in recent decades because of its resemblance to an old man living in the woods. But its original, scientific name, Strobilomyces floccopus, roughly translates to “woolly mushroom that looks like a pine cone.” This should assure you that this fungus is unique in its look: its colors are black and white and gray; it looks woolly and scaly; and its overall look is shaggy. Hence it is said to look like an old man living in the wood ..read more

Chestnut mushrooms should be added to your “must eat” list. As you expand your love of mushrooms, it’s fun to try new varieties. The chestnut mushroom or Pholiota adiposa is a species of fungus that was first noted by a German naturalist in the 1700s. It is most commonly found in Europe, living on beech trees. It can be both a saprophytic mushroom or a parasite on living and dead stems of trees. So let’s take a look at this less common fungus and why chestnut mushrooms are worth knowing. What is a Chestnut Mushroom? Agaricus bisporus vs. Pholiota adiposa First we have to clarify the correct ch ..read more

A Lion’s Mane mushroom recipe will add flavor and texture to any hearty dish. This and many other mushrooms also provide health benefits, making them a double-dose of goodness. Most of us are accustomed to cooking with button mushrooms, which are the smaller, white variety most commonly found in grocery stores. Portabella is another type of mushroom that is common in stores. But to really expand your culinary tastes and add a punch of health advantages to your diet, Lion’s Mane mushrooms are an excellent choice. What Is Lion’s Mane? Lion’s Mane are mushrooms that may not be well known in the k ..read more