For the Love of Mushrooms

I am not certain when my love for the intriguing world of mushrooms began. I think deep down I have always found them fascinating and beautiful in their own freaky, weird ways. I have always been drawn to them whilst spending time in nature, admiring their peculiar features and varied habitats. I am often found wandering the forest, hunting new ones to inspect and photograph.

In the past year or so, I have been delving deeper into the mystical world of mycology, studying the multitude of different kinds and their uses, habitats, history, etc. One fact I find to be particularly interesting, is that research indicates fungi, or mushrooms, is the largest and one of the oldest living organisms on the planet:

“According to a new study led by Steeve Bonneville from the Université libre de Bruxelles, the first mushrooms evolved on Earth between 715 and 810 million years ago, 300 million years earlier than the scientific community had believed until now.”

https://phys.org/news/2020-01-mushrooms-earlier-previously-thought.html

Additionally, fungus happens to be one of the most beneficial creatures, and in ways you might not expect. I use the term creatures, because although they share traits of both plants and animals, their DNA is actually closer to animals. For example, mushrooms appear rooted in place, with an underground network of “roots” or the mycelium.

Secondly, they have a plant-like structure with a stem, and a fruiting body called the cap, which releases spores, as other plants do. However, being incapable of photosynthesis, they cannot make their own food. They must absorb and “digest” outside sources of food, usually in the form of decaying matter. Therefore, although their DNA indicates that mushrooms are closer to animals, their characteristics reveal that they are not quite either classification.

Interestingly, some types of mushrooms “eat” insects and animals. These are called parasitic mushrooms. Varieties in this category include the lobster mushroom, caterpillar fungus, and the zombie-ant fungus. Yes, that is indeed as disturbing as it sounds. Now only if we could find a way for them to infect ticks and mosquitoes…it would make for a much more comfortable summer in many regions. No matter the make-up of their diet, the first benefit of mushrooms for people is as a source of sustenance.

This brings us to the class of gourmet mushrooms, many of which are popular in Asian cuisines. These include the morel, chanterelle, oyster, shitake, maitake, and enoki species, to name a few. Although you don’t necessarily have to go visit an international market to find them. The grocery store chains Kroger and Albertsons carry a “gourmet mushroom blend” containing a few of those.

Two other common types you can find in many grocery stores are white mushrooms, and my personal favorite, portobellos or Agaricus bisporus. That is my staple cooking mushroom I always have on hand. If you don’t have a use for them right away, they freeze well after being sauteed. However, the large ones are great for stuffing with vegetables, meat, and cheese for a light and savory lunch or dinner.

For the smaller/younger ones, you can stuff those as well, but I prefer to slice and sauté them for topping steaks, gravies, homemade cream of mushroom soup, pasta or casserole dishes, you name it. I also love throwing fresh slices on homemade pizzas, subs, wraps, salads, and a Korean dish called bibimbap. It’s easy, healthy, and sooooo good. I LOVE Korean food.

Before we move on, I must take a moment to rant about a grotesque, ruinous habit of many pizza chains: using canned mushrooms. A horrid trend I truly wish would end and never return. Canned mushies=slimy and flavorless. Fresh mushrooms bring a flavor profile and texture that canned ones couldn’t hold a match to on a stale, searing summer day in the middle of the Southwestern desert.

My favorite pizza is pepperoni and mushrooms, sometimes with jalapenos when I’m feeling sassy. Once I learn of a pizza place committing the pizza injustice of using canned mushrooms, I never order from them again. If you own a pizza joint, please for the love of good food, NEVER use canned mushies. Your customers will take notice and will thank you for using quality ingredients.

In the words of American cooking teacher Julia Child, “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces-just good food from fresh ingredients.”

Next, there are the medicinal variety of mushrooms, hailed for their health benefits. Not surprisingly, many mushrooms classified as gourmet, are also used in ancient Chinese medicine. The most well-known being Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Cordyceps, Shitake, and Maitake. A few honorable mentions are Tricholoma matsutake, Lactarius hatsudake, and Boletus aereus.

The Chinese (and many other countries, to be frank) are way ahead of us in the Western part of the world in terms of natural medicine, also referred to as naturopathic or alternative medicine. China is also where chiropractic, acupuncture, and cupping therapies originate from.

Though, I am ecstatic to see that we are catching up. The truth is patients need choices, so they can make the best informed health decisions. Some folks just do better with naturopathic medicine for many ailments, and some traditional medicines do more harm than good. Ever looked at the list of side effects for a pharmaceutical medication? It is a long list, more often than not. Here’s one for a common diabetes medication, Metformin:

• diarrhea
• bloating
• stomach pain
• gas
• indigestion
• constipation
• unpleasant metallic taste in mouth
• heartburn
• headache
• flushing of the skin
• nail changes
• muscle pain

Anyhow, aside from being rich in B vitamins and Vitamin D, mushrooms offer a variety of advantages to the health conscious. These benefits range from overall wellness and vitality, to aiding in blood sugar regulation and healthy hormone levels, liver and heart protection, boosting the immune system, cancer-fighting properties, and neuroprotection.

Time for a necessary disclaimer:  I am not a medical provider of any kind, and this is not to be considered medical advice. These opinions are my own, and the information provided is merely a useful tool to advocate for one’s well-being with their doctor. I only wish to share what I have learned on my own journey.  Going “natural” has been the best route for me many a time.

Finally, the third benefit to the human world and the planet, is their potential use as a solution for the growing landfill problem. There’s the standard household waste, a great amount of which are plastics. “Landfills receive about 27 million tons of plastic every year in the United States alone.” Kayla Vasarhelyi colorado.edu. Reducing the amount of plastic we use is ideal. However, I feel that that change would only be impactful if it changed on a corporate level as well. Personally, I would love to see more beverage companies use glass, for starters.

Then there’s construction and demolition materials as well, which are also notoriously hard to break down. What’s more, a pilot program involving myco-remediation companies, resulted in an important discovery. After the mushrooms break down those difficult materials, what was once waste becomes a valuable, renewable source of packaging and insulation material. Janelle Penny Buildings.com.

As you can see, there are many ways to utilize mushrooms for positive impact. Fungi are likely the most under-utilized natural resource we have. I feel it is the future of naturopathic medicine, cleaning up our environment, and so much more. Research and implementation are slow going, as despite these established benefits, outdated laws and lack of funding remain barriers to their use. Still, a slow-moving solution is better than no solution. I am excited to see where the science takes us.

Final disclaimer: if you want to go mushroom hunting, make sure it is legal in your area. Furthermore, I would not advise consuming wild mushrooms, unless you are 100% sure what species it is, and whether or not it is legal to consume. Meaning you would bet your life on it…because you are doing just that by consuming wild mushrooms. To my knowledge, you can safely and legally photograph, read about, and therefore study them anywhere in the U.S.

That being said, if you have more information to add, or a relevant experience you wish to share, please comment below! Since it is St. Patrick’s day, I will leave you with an Irish blessing:

“May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness come through your door.”