A week ago I received a phone call from Yanna, a new organic grower of shiitake mushrooms.
I personally am very happy for any new organic growers, even more so because Yanna is a woman!
Her first delivery of mushrooms was fresh, beautiful, and delicious and I’m really happy that she grows this crop nearby.
Mushrooms – a kingdom!
In the past mushrooms were classified as plants, but today mushrooms are a kingdom unto themselves!
Mushrooms consume oxygen from organic compounds produced by others and do not create oxygen themselves, unlike the kingdom of plants by photosynthesis …
Mushrooms do not digest their food inside their bodies, as in the animal kingdom.
Of course there are other substantial differences between the mushroom kingdom and the other two kingdoms…. The field that deals with mushrooms is called mycology.
There are over 100,000 recorded species of mushrooms that live mainly in the air, but also in water, soil, food, and our bodies. Of course not all are edible 🙂
Among the edible mushrooms, the shiitake mushroom is most common in the East because of its health benefits. It is called the "elixir of life" and considered "the" mushroom. Hence its name, "shiitake", which means "mushroom" in Japanese. There is evidence of its use for thousands of years by the Chinese, as a healing food and in medicine.
In the East, the shiitake is considered to strengthen the immune system. It stimulates, eliminates weakness and fatigue, and prolongs life.
What more could one desire?
It also increases male potency (!) and strengthens the respiratory system.
It aids in immediate cleansing of the blood and balances sugars and excess fats in the system. The mushroom assists pancreas activity and is therefore used to treat diabetes.
Shiitake mushrooms are also called "sun mushroom" because they contain ergosterol, related to the generation of vitamin D in our bodies, which is produced only by exposure to sun. A lack of vitamin D is quite common.
A tea of shiitake mushrooms is an effective gallbladder cleaner, as well as a thorough cleaner of the intestines. It is recommended to drink the tea in the morning at a dose of 300 ml.
Shiitake mushrooms are eaten mostly cooked, boiled, or fried. They have a dominant flavor and aroma and beautifully combine in pasta, vegetables, quiches, soups, omelets, and more. They are peace seakers 🙂
Mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator up to 10 days and be dried and frozen thereafter.
Mushroom recipes (in Hebrew) –
May this be a week full of all good things!
To health!
Yours,
Maggie and the garden team
I expect in ourorganic vegetable baskets (draft only):
Sweet Potatoes
lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
American sweet turnip
Celery
Potatoes
Kohlrabi
Leeks
cauliflower
In the larger organic vegetable baskets, also:
Cherry tomatoes
coriander
Green Garlic
Fennel
Organic fruit baskets ;
Red grapefruits
bananas
Oranges
In the larger organic fruit baskets, also:
Sweeties
Clementines
