National Mushroom Day

On October 15th, it’s time to celebrate National Mushroom Day! Whether you love mushrooms or are just starting to explore this fungi kingdom, there are plenty of types of mushrooms to choose from. Let’s dive into some common mushrooms and how you can use them in both cooking and non-culinary applications.

Cultivated mushrooms are those most commonly found in grocery stores. These include white button, crimini (baby portobello), shiitake, oyster, and more. They have a mild flavor that is great for adding subtle earthy notes to dishes. Button mushroom caps make a great addition to salads, omelettes and pizzas while the stems can be used for soups, sauces and broths. Shiitake and oyster mushrooms are a bit heartier so they hold up well when cooked on their own as part of a stir fry or side dish.

Wild mushrooms may look similar or even identical to their cultivated counterparts but they offer far more intense flavors than cultivated varieties. Common wild mushrooms include chanterelles, maitakes (hen-of-the-woods) and porcini (cep). These are considered luxury ingredients because they generally need to be foraged in the wild—they cannot be grown commercially like cultivated varieties—and as such can be quite expensive if purchased from specialty grocers. That said, if you do get your hands on some wild mushrooms, they make an excellent addition to risotto or pasta dishes due to their meaty texture and robust flavor profile.

The benefits of mushrooms don’t stop at the dinner table; there is also a growing trend in using them for non-culinary purposes such as skincare products and supplements. Many species contain antioxidants that fight free radicals that lead to skin damage like wrinkles and age spots. In terms of supplements, there is evidence that suggests certain types of medicinal mushrooms help boost the immune system by fighting bacteria and reducing inflammation in the body overall—just make sure to consult with your doctor before taking any kind of supplement!

Whether you’re looking for something savory or something medicinal, it’s time to celebrate National Mushroom Day! From white buttons on pizza pies all the way up through rarer wild species used in skincare products or supplements, each type has its own unique flavor profile and set of health benefits that make them worth exploring – especially on October 15th! So head down to your local grocer today and check out what kinds of tasty treats await in the fungal kingdom!