For a long time, mushrooms have been known as food.
However, most people have only heard or eaten them and have had them on their plates without knowing how they ended up there.
The farming is thorough and rigorous and unlike the common types of plants farming like corn or wheat that we always come across, very few people practice mushroom farming.
This is partially due to how demanding it is and the lack of information on how to go about it. And with more than 50 thousand
different types of mushrooms out there, this is no surprise. So, I think it would be useful to start by looking at the most frequent types of mushrooms.
Most frequent edible mushrooms
There are very many types of mushrooms in existence. Some are edible, some are not. Some are poisonous to the extent that they could cause death, as discussed in one of the sections further below in this article.
We will lay our focus on the various edible varieties being our agenda. Though some are not very common, we can mention twenty types of edible mushrooms and discuss just a few.
White Button Mushrooms
You can also refer to them as baby mushrooms or white mushrooms. They are the commonest type of mushroom that you are sure to find in your next-door grocery store. This mushroom, being the most common, is cultivated in more than 70 countries, China being a major producer.
To ensure retention of taste, they are stored in a refrigerator wrapped in paper bag. Alternatively, use them within one week of harvesting.
While fresh, button mushrooms provide exceptional taste on pizza, salads, stews. They can also be dried, and used to give a deep, earthy flavor to stews and delicacies.
Cremini Mushrooms
These are also referred as ‘crimini’ mushrooms, and are a variety of the white button. They are a brown variation with a unique and slightly deep taste.
Cremini mushrooms are quite popular for their earthy flavor which adds complexity to food.
This mushroom is known to grow almost anywhere. Any area with well fertilized soil is a suitable habitat. This includes leaf mold, wood dirt, dead tree trunks, lawns, compost piles etc.
Portobello Mushrooms
Literally, they can be said to be overgrown buttons because their cap is completely open, exposing the dark bowels underneath.
They are way larger compared to cremini or mushroom pimples. Their texture is fleshier but the exceptionally sweet taste is retained.
The size of the portobellos allows for them to be used as vegetarian burgers or be stuffed with other ingredients. They are often cooked instead of fried. The largest producers are China, India and the United States.
Oyster Mushrooms
The oyster mushroom is scientifically called Pleurotus Ostreatus. It is one of the commonest type mushrooms in the world. They look like oysters, hence the name. However, they have a different taste altogether. They have a sweet taste and make a great contrast to portobellos.
Oyster is most renowned for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. You can dry them and have to be cooked to be eaten. Oysters have broad, thin, caps (with a fan shape). They are white, gray, or tan in appearance. Their underside is lined with gill like structures.
They can be fried, roasted, or grilled. This cooking styles helps to retain texture in the mushrooms. If braised or sautéed they become softer.
Hedgehog Mushrooms
These also go by the name sweet-toothed mushrooms owing to the gills under their hat.
By shape, they resemble the spikes of a hedgehog when they hang. There being no other mushroom with which they look alike, this mushroom is easy to identify.
The hedgehog mushroom most rampantly grows in the forests of North America. Scientifically, they are referred to as Hydnum repandum.
Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms
This mushroom commonly grows in clusters by the tree trunks. They are a conspicuous deep orange with a lighter orange color around the edges. A single look at it gives you the idea that it tastes like chicken, and therefore the name. Vegetarians have it as an excellent substitute for meat.
Besides edibility, chicken of the woods is also medicinal in some traditional cultures, being used by herbalists.
In Europe, it also has been used for fighting infections in folk medicine. Scientists have discovered that mushroom has many biochemical constituents with medicinal potential.
Narrowing down, for example, it is known to enhance estrogen production. It could thus be used for treatment of defects resulting from low estrogen levels. There are claims that this type of mushroom can help improve radiation damage especially where testosterone and androgen are involved, and thus it could therefore be useful for example in some cases of cancer patients.
Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Looking at them, they are not very attractive, but their taste is what makes them valuable. It is said to have a rich and smoky taste.
There being no toxic lookalikes, beginners have an easy time identifying them.
Enoki Mushrooms
These mushrooms are most commonly used in Asian cuisine, especially in Japan.
Often, they are a large cluster of small mushrooms with a very long stem and small top making them easy to be detected in the supermarket. They are popularly known for use in making soups the likes of ramen.
Botanically they are called Flammulina Velutipes. This mushroom is found most common on stumps of the enoki tree hence the name. The mushrooms are dark brown in appearance. Some people call them Velvet Foot mushrooms owing to a growth on their stem that resembles velvet.
Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms are one of the worlds best know type of mushrooms, being cultivated globally and representing approximately a quarter of all mushroom production in the world.
In some forms of traditional medicine it has also been used as a medicine for thousands of years. It is known to boost the immune system. Though there is no sufficient scientific information defining the dosage for shiitake mushroom, it is considered to help curb conditions such as common cold, HIV/AIDS, and some more. Factors such as age, health, and several others are considered to determine however to use.
Chanterelle Mushrooms
The Chanterelle is light to orange-yellow in appearance. The scientific name used to refer to it is Cantharellus Persicinus.
To identify it you need to know it has decurrent false gills that run down the stem of the mushroom.
Porcini Mushrooms
Porcini’s scientific name is Boletus Edulis. Porcini mushrooms have best outcome in Italian pasta, rice dish, soup and sauces. This type is most common in forests of the Northern Hemisphere like Europe, Asia, and North America.
More examples of edible mushroom include the Shimeji Mushrooms, Maitake Mushrooms, Reishi Mushrooms, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms, Gigantic Mushrooms, Magic Mushrooms, Cauliflower Mushrooms, Matsutake Mushrooms
Poisonous, unpalatable mushroom
It is important that you learn about poisonous mushrooms if you want to start eating specimens you find in the woods.
Eating the wrong wild mushroom has adverse effects ranging from dizziness to severe diarrhea and in extreme cases, even death. It is that serious, you could lose your life over a wrong choice of mushroom.
There are some myths that accompany mushroom hunting and the ways of neutralizing poison. Some include:
- All white mushrooms are safe to eat. This could be worst. The amanita as will be discussed below is one of among killer mushrooms yet it looks like any other.
- Any mushroom is safe for consumption provided you cook it thoroughly. There is no proof that the toxins are broken down by heat thus the assumption is unreliable.
- Poisonous mushrooms taste bitter/sour/bad. Those who have had poisonous mushroom claim it did not taste any worse than an edible one.
- Mushrooms that are poisonous cannot be infested by pests. A mushroom being deadly to humans does not necessarily mean it is deadly to a bug.
Some of the very poisonous mushrooms are:
The Infamous Amanita
Recognizing Amanita is a very important if you are interested in identifying of poisonous mushroom. Fortunately, they are easy to spot if you have an idea of what they look like.
Little Brown Mushrooms
Many LBMs, as they are often referred, are harmless while others are poisonous.
Some have the same amatoxins as the amanitas. Therefore, you had better avoid all little brown mushrooms when collecting for food. Better safe than sorry, leave these complicated identifications to the scientists.
The Jack o’Lantern
The Jack o’lantern has a different toxin called muscarine. This chemical leads to diarrhea and severe stomach cramps. Though not deadly, consuming it will bring about an extremely unpleasant experience.
Though so, mushroom hunting isn’t diffusing a bomb as some would make you believe. Many people, myself included, have eaten wild mushrooms at some point.
Most profitable mushrooms for farming.
These are among the most commonly farmed mushrooms that if optimum conditions are provided for will give loads of profit;
Shiitakes
Shiitake also referred to as ‘Chinese mushroom’ is most commonly grown in the southeastern Asia. It has a deep color and is renowned for its taste. To grow them you require a shade, a well-ventilated room or a raised platform. They are easy to farm, have a ready market due to their popularity and take a considerably short time to grow with minimal labor.
Oysters
Like Shiitakes, this is a gourmet as well. It is simple to grow. With ten hours a week, you can comfortably do the farming. The reduced labor always translates to increase in profits. They are very tasty to eat and thus have many consumers. You are assured of sales.
Maitake, Lion’s Mane, Almond Portobello, Wine Cap, Reishi are also among other popular mushrooms. Their being known could be said to lead to available market. Each mushroom too has a unique taste and thus having a variety means you have a potential group you aim to feed.
What to consider when selecting which mushrooms to farm
When making a consideration to farm mushroom you will need to look at several key factors:
- Your Capital: One key factor to consider in every investment you want to make is the capital. You require money for the raw materials, structures used in the farming, labor etc. To buy good spawn, labor etc., capital is required. This includes the feature of time. Some mushroom is more demanding of attention than others.
- The type of mushroom to farm: What mushroom a farmer decides to go for adversely affects and determines the amount the farmer will make from the enterprise. Think of the button mushrooms which statistics show are the most commonly consumed mushroom in the United States. You can bet on having someone to eat your mushroom.
- The space you have available for mushroom cultivation is one of the factors. If you want to grow large quantities of mushrooms, that will require to be grown outdoors as compared to an indoor space.
Small spaces such as we have on porches, dens, or kitchen corners can be used for indoor cultivation especially of exotic mushrooms which require shade.
Having this specialized space will help you to maintain optimum conditions for mushrooms to thrive and this in turn means increased productivity.
It is therefore advisable that you start mushroom farming only when you have sufficient space for your intended business.
- Your taste and texture preference. Each exotic mushroom has its unique texture and flavor. Select the type you like best. You could base this on whom it is you expect to be your market
- The market you want to feed. Some mushroom is more common than the others considering wherever you are. It would be wise to research on your prospective market so as to identify the right choice to farm.
- Consider the price for the different mushroom growing kits. Kits are a great way for the beginner to get started with mushroom cultivation.
On making the above considerations, you also need to consider the specificities of the mushroom variety you decided to farm, as this alone will have an impact in most of the above factors.
