Mushrooms

There are thousands of varieties of mushrooms, with different colors, shapes, and sizes. Because some wild mushrooms can cause stomach upset or allergic reactions, or may even be poisonous, your safest bet is to stick to store or farmers’ market varieties and avoid picking and eating raw wild mushrooms on your own.

Although considered a vegetable, mushrooms are neither a plant- nor animal-based food. They are a type of fungus containing a substance called ergosterol, similar in structure to cholesterol in animals. Ergosterol can be transformed into vitamin D with exposure to ultraviolet light. Mushrooms vary in appearance with more than 10,000 known types, but generally they are distinguished by a stem, fleshy rounded cap, and gills underneath the cap. China and the United States are among the top five producers of mushrooms worldwide.

Sweet and Spicy Mushroom Tongseng is a classic Indonesian recipe. Shamu Datshi is a mushroom and cheese dish eaten in Bhutan. Mushroom and tomato curry is eaten in Myanmar. Pidpenky is a Ukrainian mushroom and sour cream dish served over cabbage or pierogi but can also be eaten by itself.

This webpage includes a variety of educational materials, activities, recipes, and more about mushrooms for use at home, in youth or family programming, in the classroom, and in the cafeteria. For more New Hampshire Harvest of the Month resources for April, click here.

Lesson Plan for Mushrooms

Developed in partnership with UNH Extension, NH Farm to School, and the UNH Education department, the Harvest Lessons lesson plan and curricular activities can be used by education professionals to incorporate mushrooms into dynamic, long-lasting learning in the classroom and other education-based settings.