Product Review: Local Shiitake Mushroom Farmer

I not grow veggies, care for animals, and try to preserve local foods in ready to eat meals - part of that is purchasing from other local farmers - This week I will pick up 5lbs of "fruit of the fungi" shiitake mushrooms.

From these, I will produce wood fired mushroom, goat cheese, and rosemary pesto Neopolitan style pizzas, mushroom soups, and stir fry of kale and mushroom.  All of these will be frozen as prototypes and as soon as the farm commerical kitchen is in place - we will provide lots more good meals for customers.

Shiitake mushrooms nutritional components include essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals, including iron and an antioxidant called selenium.

Lentinan, one of the main components of shiitakes has been found to be effective in suppressing cytochrome P450 1A, an inflammatory and carcinogenic enzyme and exhibit anticancer activities 

they have beneficial cholesterol-lowering and antiviral tendencies, strong anti-fungal properties and also helps decrease the proliferation of specific cancer cells. 

Selenium is a trace element found in soil and is required to maintain good health in trace amounts. In food, the mineral is found in Brazil nuts, poultry, seafood, and meats, while significant amounts are found in oats and brown rice.

A deficiency of selenium is rare but symptoms can include muscular weakness and fatigue.d a bad odor on your fingernails.

Selenium aids in many of the metabolic pathways and may help treat prostate cancer; ongoing research is exploring the relationship between low selenium levels and coronary heart disease.

Selenium also benefits the skin during healing following burn injuries. Shampoo with selenium may alleviate dandruff problems. For skin care, selenium’s antioxidant properties regenerate vitamins E and C, thereby decreasing the aging of skin.

Major benefits of selenium have been found to improve the immune system against bacterial and viral infections, against cancer cells and herpes virus, cold sores, and shingles. One of the major nutritional benefits of selenium is increasing the HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol for a healthy heart.