Mushroom MAGIC

They’re flavour-filled, nutrientpacked and a great meat-free option, so make room for the ‘shroom in your meal repertoire

We Kiwis love our mushrooms, with a recent study showing they’re our fourth favourite veg (even though they’re technically a fungi). And those mushrooms that end up on your plate are in all likelihood from Meadow Mushrooms farm in Christchurch, which has been supplying New Zealanders with fresh portabello, white button and swiss brown mushrooms since 1970, and where today they pick and process one million mushrooms every two days.

Grown in a compost mix, rich in selenium, Meadow Mushrooms pack a nutritional punch. When exposed to sun they increase in vitamin D, which is why putting your mushrooms on the window ledge 30 minutes before eating is beneficial. Cooking mushrooms also increases their levels of vitamin C.

Another fun fact: did you know the portobello mushroom is just a button that has been allowed to fully grow and unfurl to its frilly umbrella-like shape? Portobellos are generally more flavoursome than the swiss brown baby buttons. “Portobellos are a stronger flavour and can colour dishes like pasta, but button mushrooms will not,” says Meadow Mushrooms CEO John Barnes. He recommends a handful of mushrooms a day, particularly if you need an energy boost. Just a 100-gram serving gives you five out of the eight B vitamins – B7, B2, B3, B6 and B5 – as well as selenium, copper, potassium and phosphorus.

Storing mushrooms in a paper bag, cloth bag or cardboard punnet will help to keep them fresh. If they’re shrivelled or slimy forget it. If they look and smell good, bon appetit!

“Portobellos are a stronger flavour and can colour dishes like pasta”