Seasons/Availability
Brown Hon Shimeji Mushrooms are available year round.
Current Facts
Grown locally at Golden Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc., San Marcos, California, Brown Hon Shimeji Mushrooms are USDA Certified Organic. These marvelous mushrooms arrive fresh at Specialty Produce one day to one week after harvest.
Description/Taste
Offering a sweet, nutty rich buttery taste and a firm crunchy texture, brown hon shimeji mushrooms grow in clusters and produce tender caps that vary from white to beige. Regarded as one of the most gourmet of oyster-like mushrooms and especially favored by chefs, these grand fungi are also known as brown beech mushrooms.
Nutritional Value
Low in calories, mushrooms provide an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. An unpublished report by the National Cancer Institute of Japan indicates hon shimeji mushrooms have medicinally active ingredients that provide anti-tumor benefits. Studies are currently being conducted to determine the mushroom's medicinal strengths. Containing natural compounds called beta-glucans (long-chain polysaccharides), studies show that these compounds may be beneficial to the human immune system and may help to prevent allergies, asthma and diabetes. In Eastern medicine, most medicinal mushroom preparations are tonics which offer beneficial health effects without negative side effects and can be used regularly without harm.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
No surprise, hon shimeji mushrooms are the pride of Japan.
Geography/History
Hon Shimeji mushrooms are native to Japan. "Shimeji" is actually a general term and refers to at least twenty species of mushrooms which has caused much confusion to mycologists and to chefs as well. A favorite and highly esteemed in Japan, skilled Japanese growers were the first to master cultivation techniques to produce these superior mushrooms. Mother nature provides wood for them to flourish in the wild, beech trees being the most popular choice. The reason, of course, its alias is beech mushroom. The Japanese call the true shimeji "hon shimeji", which is actually of the species Lyophyllum shimeji and not a cultivated mushroom. The cultivated species is referred to as "buna shimeji" and is really a look-alike mushroom, Hypsizygus tessulatus, or the beech mushroom. Grown organically at Golden Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc., San Marcos, California, and USDA Certified Organic, organic growing medium is composed of lumber and agricultural waste, such as sawdust and grain milling bi-products, normally discarded but absolutely loved by fungi. Grown in a climate-controlled dark environment and hand harvested, brown hon shimeji mushrooms are produced in reusable jars or containers. Waste not, want not, as after the mushrooms are harvested, the substrate left behind is used as a nutritious food source for local livestock.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
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