In the past few decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the popularity of various forms of mushrooms and their use as an ingredient in a variety of culinary activities.

Of course, those of us who love mushrooms will appreciate this. For a number of years, devotees were constantly perturbed to see mushrooms poorly prepared, often served as a sort of plate filler, and looking decidedly unappetizing.

The tremendous growth of mushroom recipes and mushroom facts has changed all of that, as has the increasing awareness of Ukmagicmushrooms the public and health professionals of the beneficial properties inherent in many types of mushrooms.

However, there is one area where there is still room for improvement when it comes to use in the typical household – and that is storage.

Fresh mushrooms don’t have a very long shelf life in a household, at least not if you want to preserve them at their best. That said, there are a few basic tips you can follow to ensure they’re in good condition when considering them for your mushroom recipes.

As an aside, keep in mind that there is not always general agreement on this topic.

Some people have their own very idiosyncratic views on fresh mushroom storage and you may end up doing what makes sense to you based on a lot of slightly different advice!

• You can keep them in the fridge, usually for about three days. Try this in something other than a plastic bag, but cover them gently with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.
• They can also be stored at normal room temperature for a few days. Again, don’t be tempted to put them in that freezer bag, instead put them in an ordinary paper bag and let them breathe. Provided there is some air circulation you can keep them open on the shelf like you might see in the supermarket but again it’s a good idea to cover them gently to reduce the tendency to dry out.
• When picking wild mushrooms, make sure they are placed in any open straw basket and not in the plastic bag again. This is partly to help them maintain their freshness, but also to allow their spores to circulate in the air as you walk. Of course, you should never pick and eat wild mushrooms unless you are, or have someone with you who is, an expert at identifying mushrooms that might be dangerous.
• Dried mushrooms usually have a much longer shelf life, but of course they must be kept in a dry and airtight container. Keep in mind that some mushroom recipes require dried varieties to be soaked before use.
• Signs to look for when they are past their prime include brown, damp patches on the cap, limp and lifeless looking stems, or a shriveled appearance on the cap or stems. Also look out for obvious discoloration on the gills.

Nothing in the above is intended to suggest that this is a major engineering challenge. In contrast, storage is relatively easy if you use a little common sense, and this way your mushroom recipes will end up with ingredients that are in tip-top condition!

Nutritional Values of Mushrooms

It’s a sad fact that much of the information we read about different types of food today is actually designed to warn us about the dangers of one thing or another.

Cholesterol, fats, sugar, salt, additives, preservatives, prions – the list sometimes seems endless.

Therefore, it is a very pleasant change to think and read about mushrooms and mushroom nutritional values.

First off, it’s really awesome to note how devoid of “bad things” mushrooms are. They contain virtually no cholesterol or harmful fats, and if you choose your mushrooms from a reputable supplier or grow them yourself, you should be fairly confident that they’re also free of harmful artificial additives and preservatives.

Of course, to say something should be eaten simply because it doesn’t do you any harm is more like condemnation through quiet praise. It’s also not something you have to do with mushrooms because they really are a wonderful food that has an incredible number of beneficial properties.

At about this point, when discussing the nutritional values and benefits of mushrooms, a cynic will usually say something like “Ah, but what about poisonous mushrooms?”.

First of all, this will not be a problem with cultivated mushrooms. It only occurs in wild mushrooms and even there, if you are knowledgeable and an expert at identifying wild mushrooms, it really shouldn’t be a problem. The vast majority of problems arise from amateurs who simply don’t know what they are doing, or the occasional more experienced person making a mistake while collecting wild mushrooms.

Farmed mushrooms bought from reliable suppliers can be extremely good for you and here’s why:

1. They are rich in antioxidants. These are the compounds that help scavenge “free radical” molecules in the body. It is now known that free radicals have a potentially dangerous effect by damaging cell structures. This can be a contributing factor to some cancers.
2. Mushrooms are rich in vitamins B and D. Both vitamins are absolutely necessary to help the body function optimally.
3. They’re very high in fiber, with all the benefits that this has for your digestive system.
4. They also contain a number of things, including selenium, that help stimulate your immune system. This helps fight viral infections and some cancers.

Hopefully it goes without saying that along with all these impressive nutritional values of mushrooms, it should not be forgotten that Ukmagicmushrooms they are also delicious to eat – especially when prepared as part of an expert recipe. You can find many such recipes on the Internet.

The bottom line here is pretty clear.

It arguably we should all be eating far more healthy foods like mushrooms and far less other foods like those high in saturated fat, salt and artificial preservatives.

At one time, the potential health and wellness benefits of mushrooms and the associated nutritional values of mushrooms were controversial. That’s not usually the case anymore and they’re now more commonly referred to as a kind of “superfood”!