What Are mushrooms, Exactly?

Most of us have tried mushrooms at one point in our lives. But have you ever pondered as to the actual nature of the mushroom?

Neither had I. Not until I was 27. Fresh out of the Navy, and taking a psychology course at university. During that class, we spent a week looking at studies done on mushrooms, specifically regarding their effects on us. My major takeaway was this: we have just begun to scratch the surface on mushroom research and how they may benefit us. Check out some of the posts on specific mushrooms for more on that. For now, lets start with the basics. The biology basics, that is.

Mushrooms are a part of the Fungi kingdom, as we are part of the animal kingdom. This makes them distinct from us, as well as plants.

When most people see mushrooms, they think of the bulbous umbrella shaped structure poking out from the ground. Surprisingly, most of the mushroom mass is actually located underneath the soil, a mass of Hypha called mycelium. The protruding mushrooms that we see popping out, lookin' all cute, are actually the mushrooms reproductive organs! By the time we see these protruding from the ground, the mycelium below are in full maturation. Mycelium is fascinating all by itself. containing no brain, somehow a single hyphal strand of mycelium is able to replicate billions of time. In a way, mycelium can be considered immortal, given the right conditions. This is why growers will have mycelium cultures, in order to preserve genetics of an especially favorable strain.

When they reach full maturation, Mushrooms will drop millions of tiny cells, which can be likened to a plants seeds. For mushrooms, these are called spores. Both spores and mycelium can be used to propagate mushrooms for growing purposes.

Underneath the soil, a whole lot of activity is going on in the rest of the mushrooms mass, which can be likened to root structures of plants, if only in shape and structure. Mycelium is responsible for transporting nutrients, water, and fighting off competing bacteria. Even though we rarely see it in nature upon first glance, mycelium and mushrooms are sure to be everywhere around us. The mycelium can be eaten too, but like the primates we are, we always seem to go for the reproductive organs. sigh.

While we're on the topic of edibility, How many mushrooms are there, and how many can we eat?

We have identified over 10,000 species so far! Just as we are always discovering new flora & fauna, more fungi are certain to be discovered. This next part may surprise you: of these thousands of species, only an estimated 3% are poisonous! Still, accidental deaths do happen. According to PubMed, about 39 people experience harmful effects from eating mushrooms every year. this is often due to a case of mistaken identity. With that said, this is one instance where it does not pay to become a statistic. always use experts, spore prints, and mushroom features to identify any mushroom found in the wild before consumption.

Aside from the non edible mushrooms, there are some really great health benefits to mushrooms we do consume. They are gluten free, low in fats, high in carbs, rich in vitamins and glucans. In fact, mushrooms even contain vitamin D, which is not found in plants. Ranging in tastes from fish like, to tofu like, each mushroom species has a different flavor profile, usually made all the better with some butter, as fats carry flavor and mushrooms have little fat to offer.

mushrooms and their mycelial mats are fascinating. There is much we don't know on the topic, which makes them more mysterious, yet, oddly enticing. As we learn more about the often misunderstood fungus around us, we are often surprised by our findings.

In closing, I have merely scratched the surface on what mushrooms are, what they can be, taste and how we can use them. That's one of the best parts, how much there is still to be discovered. Its part of what drew me to mushrooms in the first place, and I hope, what will entice you.

References:

Brandenburg WE, Ward KJ. Mushroom poisoning epidemiology in the United States. Mycologia. 2018 Jul-Aug;110(4):637-641. doi: 10.1080/00275514.2018.1479561. Epub 2018 Jul 31. Erratum in: Mycologia. 2018 Dec 12;:1. PMID: 30062915.