Posts Tagged “mushrooms”
Mushrooms are considered a superfood by some.
Highline Mushrooms of Leamington, Ontario considers mushrooms to be a superfood, packed with vitamins and minerals.
Research shows that mushrooms:
- Decrease the risk of cancer.
- Lower sodium intake.
- Promote lower cholesterol.
- Protect brain health.
- Provide a source of vitamin D.
- Stimulate a healthier gut.
- Support a healthy immune system.
The company notes mushrooms are a natural meat extender or substitute.
Instead of eating processed meat alternatives, diners can choose healthy mushrooms, which have a meaty texture and umami flavor.
The company notes eating meat can be reduced or replaced by adding mushrooms to recipes. Chefs can use half the amount of ground beef in tacos and add diced mushrooms, which reduces the cost, increases the nutritional value and adds to the flavor.
At Monterey Mushrooms Inc., of Watsonville, CA mushrooms are recognized as a more important part of a balanced, nutritious diet that is high in vitamin D and has numerous cancer-fighting properties, [three times] the vitamin D of fortified milk and more selenium than any other fruit or vegetable.
Packed with savory flavor and nutrients that many other types of produce don’t have, mushrooms are a tasty and healthy addition to all kinds of dishes and cuisines.
Dozens of varieties are available year-round because they’re grown indoors.
’Shrooms are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle. A single portabella mushroom has more potassium than a medium-sized banana, and fungi are a leading source of selenium, an antioxidant that strengthens the body’s immune system and can help prevent heart disease.
Packaged fungi outperformed bulk mushrooms in dollar and volume sales, according to IRI data for the four weeks ending Nov. 6, 2022, with prepackaged options representing almost 96% of pounds sold. Eight-ounce packages were, by far, the biggest sellers. Cut or prepared mushrooms made up half of pound sales, reflecting shoppers’ desire for convenience.
ACCENTUATING THE POSITIVE
Fresh mushrooms have a lot going for them, from nutritional advantages to sustainability. The Mushroom Council highlights these fungi benefits:
- Families can stretch their grocery budgets by incorporating meaty-tasting mushrooms into recipes that call for ground beef — such as burgers and meatballs.
- Substituting mushrooms for meat can enhance weight loss and boost nutrition without leaving consumers hungry after a meal.
- Mushrooms rank high in sustainability. An environmental footprint assessment found that production of a pound of mushrooms requires less than 2 gallons of water, 1
By The Mushroom Council
Redwood Shores, CA – Big bowl. Small bowl. Rice bowl. Grain bowl. No matter the preferred bowl, you can always make it a better bowl with mushrooms.
For Mushroom Month, the Mushroom Council will be devoting September to reminding consumers and chefs about the health and taste benefits of making mushrooms the main ingredient in your favorite bowl build.
“Bowls are continuously ranking among the most trending foods among both foodservice and consumers, and there are plenty of reasons why,” said Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council. “For consumers, it’s the ultimate convergence of convenience and the globalization of cuisine. At foodservice, you couldn’t ask for a less expensive, more filling dish on the menu – after all, it’s mainly grains, veggies, and not a lot of meat.”
“When it comes to great bowls, mushrooms are the answer,” Minor added. “You need umami in a bowl build, and mushrooms will bring that meaty, satisfying umami flavor.”
Throughout Mushroom Month, the council’s “Build a Better Bowl with Mushrooms” campaign will engage with consumers, influencers and menu developers through a variety of activities, including:
- “Build a Better Bowl” recipes and videos sharing simple ideas for crafting delicious bowls starring mushrooms recipes.
- A September 26 Facebook Live session featuring Melissa d’Arabian demonstrating how to build a better bowl using mushrooms. Viewers who stay tuned throughout the whole segment will have a chance to answer a secret question to be entered to win special prizes.
- The Council spotlighting its Top 5 Bowls at Restaurants Nationwide, with chefs sharing why mushrooms are a must in their bowls. Restaurants include Bubu’s Zen Bowl (Denver, CO), Radio Room’s Barley Buddha Bowl (Portland, OR), ediBOL’s Ginger Sesame Bowl (Los Angeles, CA), Nourish Café’s Golden Gate Bowl (San Francisco, CA), and Sweetfin Poké Miso Eggplant & Shimeji Mushroom Bowl (Santa Monica, CA).
- Media outreach nationwide spotlighting favorite bowls.
- Social media “bowl polls” allowing audiences to vote for their favorite bowl of the week. Audience members who vote will be entered to win weekly giveaways.
For more information, visit the Mushroom Council’s Build a Better Bowl with Mushrooms feature at MushroomCouncil.com.
About The Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service.
North Carolina is shipping light to moderate amounts of greens ranging from cilantro to kale, plus cabbage. These items handle the colder weather better than a lot of other vegetables which would normally be shipping now, but are up to two weeks behind schedule.
In mid June there should be loadings of veggies such as sweet corn, bell peppers, and tomatoes, among others.
North Carolina continues, pretty much on a year around, to ship sweet potatoes.
Georgia Vegetables
The Georgia Vidalia onion shipping season started out as a disaster due to disease problems caused by weather factors. Now Mother Nature has since shined on Southeastern Georgia, and suddenly, shippers have more onions than they know what to do with. The crop is now past the disease problems, quality is good, and shippers are shipping like crazy. Loadings are expected to continue into August.
Meanwhile, mixed vegetable loadings have got underway, primarily from Southern Georgia.
Mushrooms
Mushroom may not be at the top of your list when looking for produce loads, but it continues to grow in popularity. Pennsylvania is huge when it comes to growing and shipping mushrooms, along with California and Illinois. However, many states have mushroom growing facilities.
Sales of the 2011-12 U.S. mushroom crop totaled 900 million pounds, up 4 percent from the 2010-11 season.. This amounts to 22,500 truckload equivalents of mushrooms being hauled annually.
Vidalia onions – grossing about $2400 to Chicago.
San Jose, CA – The Mushroom Council’s inaugural “Swap It or Top It” summer promotion will kick off the summer grilling season on June 1. The contest challenges consumers to transform their typical summer grilling recipes into healthier versions, by adding mushrooms, for the chance to win $5,000.
“The Trend is to Blend” states Mushroom Council President, Bart Minor, “Mushrooms and meat are a natural pairing, this contest will elevate the concept with the consumer while increasing mushroom sales” continues Mr. Minor. Summer grilling represents a huge opportunity for increased mushroom consumption. It is the ideal time as consumers are looking for lighter fare, to create retail sales lift, increase shopper awareness and build shopper impulse purchases of mushrooms.
The contest is called “Swap It or Top It” because there are two cooking techniques with mushrooms that can add a healthy flair to summer favorites. Swapping, for example, is the technique of blending finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat before cooking. By swapping 50 percent of beef in a burger with fresh mushrooms, it’s possible to reduce intake of calories, fat and saturated fat by 24, 25 and 37 percent, respectively. The other technique is to top dishes with mushrooms to add more vegetables to the plate, such as topping a turkey burger with roasted brown mushrooms.
Vice president of sales and marketing for Premier Mushrooms, Bob Murphy, states “By supporting ‘Swap It or Top It’ retailers can uphold promoting healthier choices to consumers at their market, which consumers continue to demand.”
Retailers can support the promotion to lift sales by stocking participating mushroom products, offering participating mushroom growers premium shelf space and by promoting the program via the Council’s Point-of-Sale material.
The contest is in partnership with the Produce for Better Health Foundation and MyPlate will further amplify program awareness, while drawing in the consumer with the use of each logo on all Point-Of-Sale material.
Encouraging consumers to Swap It or Top It using mushrooms is an important nutritional message in the movement to promote healthier eating with Americans. The contest fully supports the MyPlate message of boosting consciousness around meal time. Creating a MyPlate burger will engage consumers with portion size awareness while developing healthy eating patterns.
Mushrooms provide vitamins and nutrients such as B vitamins, potassium (8% DV), ergothioneine and many more. Mushrooms are also the ONLY item in the produce aisle with naturally occurring vitamin D. Mushroom’s umami enhances the flavor of the meat pairing resulting in both a healthy AND delicious meal. Adding mushrooms to a grill night enhances the upscale feel while maintaining an affordable budget.
Categories for entry include: Swapability/Blendability, Best Topped Burger, and MyPlate Burger. Consumers can enter one, two or all three categories. The top two recipes in each category will be put to public vote to determine the grand prize winning recipes. With a total of $8,500 up for grabs, the grand prize winner will walk away with $5,000 in cash and gift cards. The contest begins Saturday, June 1 on MushroomInfo.com.
About The Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information on the Mushroom Council, visit mushroomcouncil.org.
Source: The Mushroom Council