I love mushrooms. I didn’t when I was younger, but I think mushrooms are those types of things that either you love them or hate them. You never really hear anyone say “Well, you can put mushrooms on the pizza, whatever.” It is usually either a “Yes!” or “No!” reply.
But the thing about mushrooms that keeps me from eating them so much is they tend to be a bit expensive and even when I do buy them, they don’t last for very long. But, there are home mushroom kits where you can grow your own at home.
Now, you may be thinking “That sounds like a good idea, but I have kids, I have animals, I don’t have the space, I don’t have a green thumb,” but growing mushrooms inside is not quite as tedious as you might think.
I have found some mushroom kits online that only require a 6 “ by 6 “ space. Yes, that is inches. And as for care, the site boasts that the mushrooms will need no more care than the average tropical plant. Hum, I tend to kill most plants I try to take care of, but I think I may give this a try.
There are several types of mushrooms you can grow at home. The favorite among fans seems to be the shiitake. The caps can grow from two to four inches in diameter. When I was on a low carb diet, I loved making pizza out of these by using them as the crust. Trust me, it was tasty! You can also bake, grill, broil, or sauté the shiitakes and they are excellent in salads. Some people even like to put them in soups and stews. And then there is my favorite – stuffed. I love a good stuffed mushroom!
If you aren’t a shiitake fan, you can also grow hericium (also known as Lion’s Mane or Beard mushroom). Hericium is white with a firm texture and tastes a bit like crab meat. I’ve never had these, but I’ve read you can just drizzle them with butter and bake them for 3 – 5 minutes and they are incredible.
Kits are sold to grow trumpet royale mushrooms, which have a nutty flavor, saonoma brown oyster mushrooms, which have a meaty-oyster taste, and blue oyster mushrooms which have a silky feel.
The kits I found online are relatively inexpensive ($16.95-$18.95). They grow within about 3 to 5 weeks and you have the satisfaction of knowing you grew these mushrooms yourself.