A simple approach to growing tasty mushrooms

Here at Fungi, we want to share information with you about mushrooms. Not everyone is an experienced gardener and even less have mushroom growing experience. Since so few people have had experience growing mushrooms, and while mushrooms are technically classified as a vegetable, they are not a plant, they are a fungus. This is not to say however that your mushrooms will not need a little effort, patience, care and love.

Mushrooms contain almost no fat, sugar or salt, but they are a valuable source of dietary fibre, creating the perfect snack for those on a diet. Mushrooms are the sixth most valuable horticultural crop and the third most valuable fresh produce item in the vegetable section of the supermarket.

What you will need

• An indoor area out of direct wind and sunlight, preferably off the ground and out of the way of the family pet
• Newspaper to cover the area around your kit
• A spray bottle with some water

Selecting your growing area

• Mushrooms love humidity – find a growing area that can be contained (A bathroom or laundry is perfect!)
• Allow the area some fresh air – Do not grow deep inside a cupboard or pantry
• Find an area where a little mess is OK

Example download growing instructions

• White Button and Swiss Brown
• Oyster Mushroom grow bag
• Shiitake Mushroom log
• King Stropharia (Big Bucket of GIANT mushrooms)

More about mushrooms

The standard for the name “mushroom” is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word “mushroom” is most often applied to those fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae, sing. lamella) on the underside of the cap. These gills produce microscopic spores that help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface.

“Mushroom” describes a variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used even more generally, to describe both the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota and the woody or leathery fruiting bodies of some Basidiomycota, depending upon the context of the word. – cited in wikipedia

Mushrooms & Vitamins

Vitamin D: Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth.

Vitamin B1 – Thiamin: Controls the release of energy from carbohydrate, which is needed for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system.

Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin: Mushrooms are high in Riboflavin which promotes good vision and healthy skin.

Vitamin B3 – Niacin: Found in mushrooms, helps to control the release of energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate.

Vitamin B5 – Pantothenic Acid: Provides assistance with the production of hormones; found naturally in mushrooms.

Vitamin B9 – Folate: Mushrooms are a rich source of Folate, which is essential for the formation of red and white blood cells in bone marrow.

Vitamin H – Biotin: Is essential in the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates and is found in mushrooms.

Although these vitamins are also found in many vegetables, they are lost when cooked in boiling water: as mushrooms are rarely prepared with boiling water, they retain their valuable vitamin content when eaten.