"Mushrooms and Fungi"
Fungi are just as nutritious as vegetables and don't have to be treated as a luxury crop. They have their own particular seasons, and different species of fungi require different conditions to thrive. They taste good too :-) and can be grown in kit form throughout the year. Add them to the family meal every night .. mm, how good is that! .....................................
NB: Never eat any form of fungi without a positive identification first. Some wild varieties really are highly dangerous and should not be eaten However, once you know what to look for, collecting wild food is a rewarding and tasty experience! As a family, we have collected and eaten chanterelles, giant puff balls, shaggy ink caps, field mushrooms, and, my particular favourite, 'chicken-of-the-woods'. The chicken-of-the-woods fungi lives on the bark of trees like the beefsteak fungi. One sizeable 'chicken-of-the-woods' will feed a family for 2 days. And it really is delicious!
 Life cycle: Mushrooms are the fruit of a fungi, as a pear of a pear tree. The fungi lives under leaves, in grassland, under the bark of trees and anywhere else that suit them! When conditions are right the fungi will produce its fruit -which starts to deteriorate almost as soon as it's fully grown and therefore should be picked and eaten while still young. Wine growers have to be very precise in the timing of their harvest of grapes and the fungi enthusiasts need to develop that same skill. But luckily it's not that hard! Watch how they develop and decay. It all happens over the course of a couple of days, and a scientific experiment and a little research won't take up much of your time and will benefit you and your family in the long run. Using a kit will demonstrate the life cycle beautifully... the three stages are: spawning: the spawn is established in a growing medium
 Growing: If you've never grown them before, a kit really will help with the fungi learning curve! Each stage of development requires different conditions. Button varieties will develop without light, while other species may require light during one or more of its stages of development. They can also be grown in those out of the way dark corners in the garden, where nothing else will grow. Many varieties can be grown outside in mild climates. They rarely cope with very low temperatures though and should be grown indoors during cold weather conditions.
 Nutrition: Mushrooms are not just a tasty addition to every meal, they also have plenty of nutritious qualities! They are relatively high in protein, low in fat, high in fibre, and they also contain a range of vitamins. Lots of great reasons to grow your own. They have been found to have anti-cancer properties and can help with all kinds of medical conditions, from menopausal problems to immune system deficiencies. For more information.. try The Mushroom Council - Their factsheets are fascinating. You can find more about growing food and even a few recipe ideas in my book recently published with Findhorn Press. Grow Your Own Pharmacy You really can grow enough fruit and veg to keep your family glowing with good health!  Happy Gardening! More "Fungi" Reading
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Button Mushroom Kit. 