FoodFood InformationMushrooms
Mushroom Mysticism and Modern Usage
There are over 120,000 species of fungi, which is the largest family of
plants that bear no functional greenery. Without chlorophyll, fungi do not
need to rely on photosynthesis for their energy supply. Instead, they survive
by feeding off other organic matter, dead or alive. Yeast, molds, smuts,
toadstools and mushrooms all fall into this category and within the realm
of mushrooms, there are nearly 2,000 varieties known to be esculent.
Mushrooms are one of nature's most wonderful curiosities. They have the
ability to appear suddenly overnight: their multiplicity of shapes, colors
and gastronomic effects - ranging from aphrodisiac to poisonous - have bewildered
humankind for centuries. It's no wonder that mushroom melodrama is a common
element of folklore.
Wherever a bolt of lightning had struck in the night, the ancient Egyptians
believed that divine magic was responsible for the eruption of mushrooms
that often resulted in the area. They routinely indulged in the appetizing
pleasures of mushrooms and marveled at their uniqueness. Bearing no resemblance
to fruit, vegetable, mineral or animal, the ancients were finally provoked
by curiosity to dig into the soil for further explanation In that way, they
discovered the underground prize of the truffle, while still holding onto
their original mystical beliefs. In the 1st century A.D., the author Plutarch
drew a more earthy conclusion, stating that truffles were "mud cooked
by lightning.' Early scientists countered with the proposal that they were
the less-than-holy result of stag's urine. For years. these kinds of hypotheses
and deliberations overshadowed the logic that, in fact. a combination of
warm weather, darkness and moisture bring the mushroom to life as the fruiting
body of an underground plant.
Another interesting theory concerning mushroom growth was fathered by William
Turner in 1544. Upon studying fungus formation on the rotting wood of ships.
he determined the mushrooms would eventually sprout feathers, become birds
and fly off, thus dubbing them the "barnacle goose."
In the 18th century' German women discovered profuse morel growth at the
site of a forest fire. It stood to reason in their minds that such a delicious
bounty on the heels of destruction could only be an imprint of the devil.
Surreptitiously. the women conspired to deliberately set small local fires
anyway to encourage morel growth, and then they prayed for their own salvation,
So irresistible was the delicacy of the morel, it warranted putting their
souls at risk! Nevertheless. their methods were good ones. Further evidence
that morels are attracted to burnt ground was
furnished during World War II. when morels were observed to be flourishing
at bomb sites across Europe Additional proof was provided by the explosive
morel population at Yellowstone National Park after the raging fires of
1988. We now know scientifically that ashes are simply the most ; potent
fertilizer for this particular kind of mushroom.
The earliest reference to mushrooms was made by the Pharaohs in ancient
Egypt. We also know through oral traditions that Chinese herbalists have
been using mushrooms medicinally for over 4,000 years. In the 5th century
B.C., the Greeks used truffles as articles of commerce and during the Roman
Empire, some mushroom varieties, including morels, puffballs and truffles.
were common indulgences of the nobility. In 54 A.D., the great Roman emperor'
Claudius, fell prey to a lethal plot conceived by his wicked wife, Agrippina,
who served him a meal of his favorite mushrooms laced with poison. Mushrooms
were a staple food source for early civilizations of people in Tibet, Africa,
New Zealand, Japan and Australia. In fact, mushrooms have thrived for centuries
all over the world in every latitude where it's humid.
The first commercial cultivation of edible mushrooms was developed in France
in the 18th century. In 1707, a Frenchman by the name of de Tournefort was
the first to describe how to successfully do this. Following his cue. mushroom
farmers turned caves around the city of Paris into mushroom farms. They
began with the cultivation of the popular Agancus hortensis, a variety similar
to today's common button mushroom. By the mid-19th century, the mushroom
industry in Paris had firmly taken root and farmers in other areas of France
began experimenting with different varieties. Droves of mushrooms from the
valleys of the Seine and the Loire rivers and the banks of the Grinned river
were sent to Paris for commerce. But, in 1754, there was an epidemic of
poisoning in Paris, and subsequently, a statute was issued forbidding the
sale of all but seven edible mushroom varieties, thereby vastly limiting
the hysterical production. This well documented incident probably mirrors
many others that had preceded it in other times and places. John Ramsbotton,
author of Edible Fungi, observes, "One gets the impression that there
were waves of popularity followed by troughs of distrust due to some catastrophe."
(Penguin Books Limited, 1948.)
In the 1890's, J.B. Swayne, the son of a Pennsylvania Quaker and carnation
grower, became determined to find a way to turn the empty space under their
commercial flower beds into a profit. With a stroke of inspiration, he traveled
to France to obtain some mushroom spawn. He returned to Pennsylvania to
successfully carry out his experiment, becoming the first in a long line
of commercial mushroom farmers in the United States.
Button mushroom production grew with the technological innovations in food
production throughout the first half of the 20th century. Canned and frozen
mushroom products were ushered into every household, with manufacturers
such as Del Monte and Birdseye leading the way. These products reached the
height of popularity in the 50's and 60's, declining after that for two
reasons: the Asian market began exporting the same items at prices that
undercut the American producers: and secondly, the fresh foods revolution
set the entire culinary world up side down in the 1970's and created a new
demand for fresh and exotic mushrooms. The Asian markets responded with
new dried varieties, and to this day, they still control the dried mushroom
market. The United States responded with massive cultivation of fresh exotic
mushrooms, propelling the country into the number one production position
in the world. Last year, over 780 million exotic mushrooms were grown in
the United States alone. making it a $300 million a year business. France
and Japan run a close second The boom in exotic mushroom production has
put J B. Swayne's hometown of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on the map. Mushrooms
are now the state's number one cash crop. Without rival, this small town
has become the mushroom Mecca of the world.
Phillips Mushroom Farm is the largest commercial grower of fresh, exotic
mushrooms in the world. They are one of over 30 producers in Kennett Square
that turn out tremendous amounts of fresh varieties such as criminis, portabellas,
shiitakes and oyster mushrooms for the market every year.
The method of production at Phillips is much like everywhere else. Concrete
climate-controlled houses. called "doubles," are constructed to
grow the mushrooms. Each double is set up for one kind of mushroom, with
about $30,000 worth of high-tech equipment to monitor humidity, temperature,
light, moisture and C.O. Ievels specific to that variety. The mushroom beds
also vary from house to house with different organic materials celled 'substrata,"
designed to give the maximum nourishment and maximum yield for each particular
mushroom. Shiitakes. for example. are grown on a brick-shaped substrate
made from bran, millet and red oak sawdust. The bricks are drilled with
holes and inoculated with the shiitake spawn. An elaborate root system called
the mycelium must colonize the brick before it begins to fruit-or mushroom.
The shiitake stem itself is an extension of the growing medium; in other
words, it's sawdust. Most people know not to eat shiitake stems, but if
it's attempted. it's nothing more than unpalatable. From start to finish,
shiitakes take about 15 weeks to mature.
Criminis take about 13 weeks to mature. turning into portabellas as they
are left to grow larger. The substrate used in the crimini beds is subjected
to a highly-monitored process of composting and aeration before it gets
laid in the doubles. It's made of 50% straw bedded horse manure, which is
taken from the local race tracks, with corn cobs, soy bean stubble, cotton
seed hulIs and cocoa hulls. recycled from the nearby Hershey Chocolate manufacturing
company in Hershey. Jim Angelucci. General Manager at Phillips, points out
that substrate production serves an important environmental purpose. He
says, "We take agricultural waste products and turn them into Pennsylvania's
number one cash crop!
Mushrooms of every flavor and color are readily available on the commercial
market as well as in their natural settings The Pacific Northwest has attracted
commercial mushroom growers. hobbyists and a new breed of fortune seekers
to harvest valuable wild mushrooms every year. The state of Oregon estimates
that wild mushroom foraging is a 540 million a year industry. Some even
say that the mad surge of pickers harkens to the days of the California
gold rush. A wake of robberies and even some scattered murders have marred
the peaceful mountain ranges of Oregon and Washington in recent years.
The call of the wild mushroom may best be left to the brave and daring.
For those of you at home. take heart in knowing that commercial access to
all the wild mushroom varieties requires only a phone call to your purveyor
or a trip to the local produce stand.