At our house we have a song, its called “my dad is eating all the mushrooms”  and although I can’t really tell you the melody of the song as I may have to record it and upload it at some other time,  I can tell you that the words describe exactly what is happening.    Snacking on Mushrooms is an easy and extremely healthy way for the whole family to have those essential vitamins and minerals available to the body to use.     And as mushrooms can be picked directly from your garden cooking mushroom box, its no wonder more people aren’t doing this.   

Now I know the flavor of the mushroom is quite and intense one and that its one that not alot of people like, however, raw mushies as opposed to cooked mushrooms,  I think tend to have a less concentrated flavor.   And they are just great for parties etc as a biscuit substitute.  After removing the stalk you can then fill the mushroom with a mixture of cream cheese and spring onions, even add in some lemon thyme and salt n’ pepper to taste, load a half a cherry tomato on top and WOW what a sensational  snack.     There are many variations on this method,  mixing up your mushies, has some other fantastic ideas for using mushrooms with other ingredients for entertaining. 

Grab a handful of raw mushies  (5 in a bunch) to eat and you are taking in a low fat, low cholesterol snack.  But  in addition to that mushies contain some of the  highest levels of antioxidants.  As well as this they contain selenium and copper which also aid the immune system, the thyroid systm, assist in cancer prevention and the male reproductive system.  So this means they are great for boosting the immune system.. They are an excellent source of fiber which helps you to feel full and keeps you regular.  They are rich in vitamins like D, phosphorus, and vitamin K and B vitamins such as Riboflavin, Niacin and Biotin.  Riboflavin assist to promote healthy skin, good vision and keeps the digestive and nervous system in tack.  

It is good to remember however, that mushrooms just like any vegetable tend to loose their vitamin content once cooked.  So if you can entice your kids to eat them raw, all the better for them.   Still I prefer to eat the mushrooms any way I can

But possibly the best advantage to growing mushies is that you can virtually grow them all year, you can involve your children in the process and they will LOVE watching them and seeing them grow.   All you need to do is buy a mushroom growing kit and you’re off.   The instructions are easy to follow and really the only real issue I had was ensuring the box is kept in a dark warm cupboard, and watering them.   But once one or two “babies” start appearing its not long before you will have loads of fresh available mushrooms to enjoy.

I would love to hear how you go with this, looking forward to your mushroom feedback!

Ny.

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