11/08/2024
Here are some interesting facts about mushrooms you might not know!
Mushrooms double in size every 24 hours.
Mushrooms are 90% water
Mushrooms are grown and harvested year-round.
Store mushrooms in a porous paper bag for prolonged shelf life.
In a lab, cereal grains are inoculated with mushroom spores and incubated until they develop into spawn or âmushroom seeds.â
Every mushroom harvested in the U.S. is harvested by hand.
One Portabella mushroom has more Potassium than 1 medium banana.
Mushrooms are low in calories and sodium, and fat, cholesterol and gluten-free.
Scientists at City of Hope were some of the first to discover that mushrooms could suppress growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer cells in cell cultures and in animals. City of Hope researchers have conducted a small clinical trial in patients with prostate cancer.
Mushrooms are the leading source of the antioxidant nutrient selenium in the produce aisle. Antioxidants, like selenium, protect body cells from damage that might lead to chronic diseases and help to strengthen the immune system, as well. In addition, mushrooms provide ergothioneine, a naturally occurring antioxidant that may help protect the bodyâs cells.
Mushrooms are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle and one of the few non-fortified food sources.
All mushrooms contain some vitamin D, but mushrooms have the unique ability to increase vitamin D amounts due to UV-light or sunlight exposure. Similar to humans, mushrooms naturally produce vitamin D following exposure to sunlight or a sunlamp: mushroomsâ plant sterol â ergosterol â converts to vitamin D when exposed to light.
Mushrooms are grown year-round, across the nation, and donât require much land. On average, one square foot of space in a mushroom bed can produce 6.55 pounds of mushrooms.
One acre of land can produce 1 million pounds of mushrooms annually. In recent years, mushroom growers have produced just over 900 million pounds of Agaricus mushrooms each year. Put another way, one acre of land can produce enough mushrooms in a year to fill the length of nearly 4,700 football stadiums. Even more, 900 million pounds of mushrooms is enough to circle the circumference of the globe â mushroom cap to mushroom cap â 19 times!
U.S. mushroom farms support more than 21,000 jobs and $864 million in compensation.
U.S. mushroom farms contribute $3.3 billion to the economy.
