Stalking facts, fancy of mushrooms September 10, 2007 - telegram.com
ATHOL— If chicken of the woods, black trumpets, oyster and chanterelles are names that ring a bell, you may know a little about the fungus among us, but for 25-year-old Royalston resident Noah Siegel, mushrooming is a way of life.
Mr. Siegel has been the introduction into the world of mushrooms for many people in the area.
His interest began when he was only 6, he said, when he quickly grew comfortable identifying and collecting a variety of fungi.
He was home-schooled with his three brothers, and nature was used as their classroom to the extreme, he said. Mr. Siegel said that when he just couldn’t compete with his older brother in bird identification, he turned to mushrooms, got hooked and has since traveled the world educating himself and others on forays looking for new and rare varieties.
Co-president of Monadnock Mushroomers Unlimited for the last three years, Mr. Siegel held the first Fungus Fest Saturday at the Millers River Environmental Center on Main Street.
Tables were topped with over a hundred varieties of fungi, some brightly colored, collected by Mr. Siegel and participants of the day’s forays.
Mr. Siegel talked about beginning mushrooming, George Riner from the Boston Mycological Club spoke about edible mushrooms, Elinoar Shavit of Concord discussed the medicinal properties of mushrooms and Carlene Skeffington from Wilton, N.H., told about dyeing wools with mushrooms.
One of Mr. Siegel’s first lessons in Mushrooming 101: Do not be afraid.
There is no logical reason to fear mushrooms, he explained. There are more deadly plants in this region than just mushrooms.
Mr. Siegel said he often has to smell and taste some of the mushrooms he finds to identify them properly.
And that is his next lesson: Be sure of your identifications.
Mr. Siegel advises the beginner, when going out on forays or walks in the woods, to pick only unmistakables for consumption, or those mushrooms that do not have look-alikes that may be poisonous.
Roberta J. Wingerson and helpers from Monadnock Mushroomers cooked up chicken mushrooms in oil with a little salt, and mixed up black trumpet dip.
One of the samplers, Mary S. Hoagh, also Mr. Siegel’s neighbor, viewed the varieties of mushrooms on the tables. She said Mr. Siegel turned her on to mushrooms when she moved to Royalston seven years ago.
“Noah had a lot of edible mushrooms that he shared and they were so good,” she said. “I never trusted eating them before, but he was our first introduction to them, and now a lot of people on our street pick them and drop them by.”
Ms. Hoagh admits she still only feels safe picking those to eat that have no look-alikes.
Michael G. Welch of Rhode Island brought his wife, Donna M. Welch, to the event in the hopes of helping her become more comfortable with tasting the mushrooms he picks at home, he said.
“I came up specifically for this,” Mr. Welch said. “I run with my dogs out in the woods and pick mushrooms. I’ll eat them, but she won’t.”
“I make sure he eats them first,” Mrs. Welch joked.
Besides adding flavor to meals, edible mushrooms also have health benefits, according to information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration.
Not only are mushrooms low in calories, virtually fat- and sodium-free and cholesterol-free, they also provide several minerals, vitamins and natural antioxidants, including riboflavin, niacin and selenium, which are typically found in animal foods or grains, according to the USDA.
Depending on the variety, mushrooms contain 1 percent to 3 percent protein and all the essential amino acids, making the protein complete and an ideal meat substitute for vegetarians.
Also, portabellas are an ideal food for those counting calories, USDA reports say, because they contain no fat or sodium, are high in fiber, low in calories and are very low in carbohydrates, also making them a good choice for diabetics.
They are also high in riboflavin, a B-vitamin that promotes healthy skin and good vision, niacin, that ensures that the digestive and nervous systems function as they should; pantothenic acid, involved in the production of hormones; potassium (one medium-sized portabella contains more that a banana); selenium, an essential mineral that plays an important role in the immune system, the thyroid system, the male reproductive system and cancer prevention; and copper, which has a role in making the red blood cells that deliver oxygen to all the cells in the body.
Moreover, scientists are studying the role white mushrooms may play in treating and preventing breast cancer, and preventing heart disease by reducing blood lipids and cholesterol levels.
They also are studying shiitake and maitake mushroom extracts as aids in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.
Mrs. Shavit, a native of Israel, professional germologist and former president of the New York Mycological Society, who offered her expertise at the festival, extolled the role mushrooms play in preventive medicine and treatment.
Mushrooms have been used medicinally by many cultures, Mrs. Shavit said, and for thousands of years, Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures have revered the health benefits of mushrooms.
Why not introduce mushrooms into our every diet? she asks.
Why not introduce this incredible gift we have around us into our diets the way they do in China and Japan?
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