I realize summer isn’t exactly “shroom season,” but I’ve been toting around a bag of dried morels and a jar of porcini salt while house-sitting. I mowed down some lawn mushrooms, inadvertently chose a mushroom-patterned cloth napkin, have been inundated with psilocybin ads on my Facebook feed, and was delighted by the colorful felt mushroom my daughter made at art camp. I’m surrounded by fabulous fungi!

Neither vegetable nor fruit, fungi exist in a botanical class of their own. I’ve studied several varieties to understand their nutrient composition, picked false chanterelles (and had the wherewithal to properly identify them), and I used to chop up shrooms finely so my kids wouldn’t notice them in my pasta sauce (a failed effort). A dozen years ago while my sister battled ovarian cancer, I read about medicinal mushrooms to reduce risk of certain endocrine cancers.

As with many foods, mushrooms are widely available in grocery stores, available all year round, and typically reduced in food culture to only a few common varieties: white button, cremini, portabella (or portobello), and shiitake. With thousands of varieties of mushrooms on the planet, only 25 or so are edible. Today, many of them are considered “functional” foods for disease prevention and overall wellbeing, which is why we’re seeing chaga in tea, lion’s mane in coffee, reishi in protein powder – and more!

I grew up thinking mushrooms – not even the white ones – offered no nutritional value. How wrong I was! Shrooms are loaded with fiber, pro-vitamin A, B-vits (including B12 in some varieties), and selenium. Some have vitamin D, antioxidants including glutathione, and bioactive phytochemicals like flavonoids and carotenoids. They also contain what’s called “secondary metabolites,” a fancy word for natural compounds that benefit human health in various ways like modulating the immune system, cholesterol, weight and glucose metabolism, and liver function. Mushrooms support bone, eye, and cardiovascular health. Some enhance brain function. Eating mushrooms regularly is associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and they are studied for their anti-aging benefits. Shrooms are antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-arthritic, and anti-cancerous!

Just eat them! You could also take shroom supplements, but let’s focus on shrooms as food and how to pair them with abundances of summer’s harvest. Mushrooms possess an umami – or savory – quality, filling up your mouth and deepening the flavor of other foods. Just be certain the mushrooms you procure are edible, as many are poisonous.

Here’s a quick guide to ten mushroom varieties, what they taste like, and how to prepare them with fresh summer produce. Start with butter or olive oil, then use what’s fresh from a garden, community supported agriculture, or farmer’s market.

1. Beech – sweet, nutty; sauté with garlic scapes and fresh thyme

2. Black Truffle – earthy, pungent; shave over fava beans, fennel, and leeks

3. Chanterelle – apricot-like; roast with garlic, rosemary, and potatoes

4. Enoki – mild, fruity; blanch and pair with cucumbers, scallions, and peppers

5. Maitake – earthy, gamey; pair with onions, wild rice, and walnuts

6. Morel – earthy, nutty; pair with green beans, ramps, or peas

7. Oyster – mild in flavor; sauté with shallot and chives

8. Porcini – delicate, woodsy; sauté with parsley, bell peppers, and zucchini

9. Shiitake – light, oak-y; stir fry with green beans, garlic, and ginger

10. Trumpet – big flavor; grill with garlic atop sauteed spinach

PS, if you find a mushroom like the one in the photo, don’t eat it. I found that one while hiking - it may or may not be edible!

Want to keep up on my latest blog posts? Make sure you subscribe to my email list at the bottom of my home page.