Types Of Edible Mushrooms

There are many different types of edible mushrooms and these have been used for thousands of years. The Chinese are the first to have used them for food and medicinal purposes. Since then many other cultures have adapted them into their diets They are a form of fungi and each type has it's own distinct flavor. Many types of mushrooms are not edible and not all have the qualities to be used for food. Many of the mushrooms in the wild are not edible and are highly poisonous. But the ones that are edible are highly prized for their culinary and medicinal uses.

Morel mushrooms

The appearance of this mushroom looks like it died and shriveled up. However, these mushrooms are desired by restaurants and gourmet stores.

Maitake

The Maitake looks like a small tree with the leaves overlapping one another from top to bottom. They are a wild mushroom that attaches to the roots of tree, This mushroom has qualities that are used medicinally in many cultures. It is said to help increase the immune system.

Giant puffballs

Theses mushrooms look exactly like their name sounds. They grow in grasslands and meadows and the size varies from four to 30 inches in size. They grow rather quickly and within a week, they are full grown. After this point, the mushroom turns brown and dies off.

Black trumpet

This mushroom grows in forests hidden in the leaves and is very easily over-looked. It is gray to black in color and has an opening at the top that is funneled to the base. They grow to a height of four to seven inches and two to four inches in width.

Oyster

The oyster mushroom has several other species that look similar to it. So it is hard for the average person to identify it unless they have been shown one. This mushroom has an oyster appearance and grows out of decaying wood in the forests. It's growing season is usually in the spring and then again in the fall. The mushroom comes in several shades of pink, yellow, brown, tan and white.

White buttons

These are the most common mushroom and are the ones that are readily sold in stores. They are also the ones that are chosen when a recipe calls for mushrooms. These are easily cultivated and grown in the commercial market. The home grower will also find these to be a simple mushroom to grow, and there are even kits created for growing them. These are also said to help enhance the immune response system.

Even though there are a lot of mushrooms that are not edible, there is still a large variety that are. They are a very useful fungi for humans, both for medicinal and culinary uses. The ones that are in the wild can have the appearance of an edible species, but actually be a poisonous variety. Therefore, extreme caution should be taken when choosing wild mushrooms for food.