Mushrooms - Field

about

Mushrooms are cultivated in the UK all the year round. Though as we all know, they can be gathered wild from our fields during the Autumn and Spring times. Young specimens have closed caps and bear tightly-packed bright pink gills that are covered by a veil. As the mushroom matures the cap opens and becomes less and less convex, eventually flattening out.

The Ancient Egyptians believed that mushrooms gave eternal life - so only the Pharoahs were allowed to eat them.

The vast majority of mushrooms sold in the UK are the white mushroom variety agaricus bisporus. These are either seen as button mushrooms, close cup mushrooms, open cup mushrooms and large open cup mushrooms. Only a tiny minority are the more specialist varieties, which include chestnut, shitake, porcini and oyster.

nutritional info

Healthwise, mushrooms are low in calories, but provide more bulk (i.e. fill you up) than many other low carbohydrate vegetables. They are also an easily-digested form good source of protein. Mushrooms are an excellent source of B vitamins and contain useful amounts of folic acid and vitamin C. They're also good for minerals including iron, potassium, zinc and phosphorous.

storing Mushrooms - Field

Keep mushrooms in the salad drawer in your fridge. They're best stored in paper bags, rather than plastic bags. If you've got a punnet that's covered in clingfilm, remove the film and cover with a piece of kitchen paper, to absorb any moisture.

source

Local North Devon producers. We may also source from other South-West markets in times of high demand.