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Cook Mushrooms: You Should Pay Attention to This

Mushrooms are healthy and tasty all-rounders that can be prepared in a variety of ways. We will show you which method has which advantages.

Mushrooms are a very popular type of mushroom used in many cultures in different dishes and prepared in different ways. As they are easy to grow in the dark, mushrooms are available from us all year round. In nature, however, they are only in season in late summer.

Mushrooms are healthy: They consist of about 91 percent water and are therefore extremely low in calories. They’re high in the healthy electrolyte potassium — about the same as bananas, which are famous for it. Among other things, potassium is responsible for keeping your nerve cells and their conductivity healthy.

Mushrooms also contain minerals such as:

iron
magnesium
zinc
Vitamins such as B1, B2 and folic acid

There are white and brown mushrooms that hardly differ from each other in terms of their ingredients. The white ones just taste a little nuttier and the brown ones a little stronger.

Cook mushrooms

If you want to prepare mushrooms, you should consider a few points beforehand. This includes buying quality produce and cleaning the mushrooms.

What you should consider when buying:

Make sure the mushrooms are fresh. Canned or jarred mushrooms don’t have nearly as many nutrients as fresh mushrooms, and they taste completely different.
Mushrooms can be bought all year round, but these “cultured” mushrooms are often treated with pesticides. So make sure to buy them organic.
The wild mushrooms are in season here in late summer. However, you should only collect them yourself if you are an experienced mushroom picker, as they can easily be confused with the dangerous death cap mushroom.
To clean mushrooms, you can use a brush or clean kitchen towel to gently rub them. Bought mushrooms usually have little soiling. More about this here:

Cook mushrooms raw

Like other vegetables, mushrooms can also be eaten raw. Not only does this have the benefit of making them quick to prepare, they also retain all of their nutrients.

If you have never eaten raw mushrooms, you should not overdo it: some people do not tolerate raw mushrooms very well, which can lead to flatulence. They are best eaten raw in a salad.

What you need to prepare a vegan mushroom salad:

250 g mushrooms of your choice
5 tbsp olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice (from a fresh lemon)
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 garlic cloves (chopped or pressed)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 half bunch parsley (chopped)
(optional, not vegan: 3 tablespoons grated parmesan)
Recipe:

Clean the mushrooms and cut them vertically into very thin slices.
For the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic in a bowl.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Now add the dressing and the roughly chopped parsley to the mushrooms.
Gently fold them in to avoid breaking the mushrooms.
A simple salad for a summer barbecue is ready!

Fry mushrooms

If you fry mushrooms, they lose some of their nutrients due to the high heat. On the other hand, they unfold their full, strong and nutty aroma.

To fry the mushrooms, you need a large pan so that they are well heated on all sides.

What you need for fried mushrooms:

250 g mushrooms of your choice
2 tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves (chopped or pressed)
2 shallots (chopped small)
Salt and pepper to taste
a handful of freshly chopped parsley
Recipe:

Clean the mushrooms and quarter them.
Heat the butter in a pan until it starts to sizzle.
Now add the mushrooms and spread them out in the pan so that they don’t pile up.
After about four minutes, add the onions and garlic.
Fry the whole thing for about three more minutes.
Season the fried mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste and fold in the parsley.

Steam mushrooms

Mushrooms are often prepared and served steamed: due to the relatively low heat, they retain more nutrients than when fried. Here they also develop their aromatic taste strongly and absorb spices and herbal aromas well. If you leave out the oil and fat, the mushrooms are also far lower in calories. Steamed mushrooms can be served both with meat and vegetarian, for example, with pasta.

Ingredients for stewed mushrooms:

250 g mushrooms of your choice
1/2 cup your choice of chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
3 garlic cloves (chopped or pressed)
2 spring onions
fresh or dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe:

Clean the mushrooms and roughly cut them into thin slices (Different slices will steam different degrees and make your dish taste more rustic.)
Cut the spring onions into small rings and set the green part aside for the time being.
Peel the garlic and briefly fry it and the white end of the spring onions over medium heat.
Add the broth to the pan and heat until it begins to simmer.
Now add the mushrooms and turn the heat to low.
Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
Toss the mushrooms well in the pan until they have completely absorbed the liquid.
Finally, mix in the green of the spring onion. Now you can serve them with your favorite dish!

Grill mushrooms

Whether with meat or completely vegetarian, the grilled mushrooms with herb butter are the star on the grill. They are particularly easy to make and spice up every barbecue party. Another advantage of this preparation is that you can always put a new portion on the grill. So you can always serve hot and fresh mushrooms to guests.

What you need to prepare the grilled mushrooms:

particularly large mushrooms
homemade herb butter
garlic (pressed)
How to prepare grilled mushrooms:

Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems.
Use a spoon to spoon the herb butter and crushed garlic into the well.
Put the mushrooms in e.g. a grill board, grill paper or a grill grid so that they don’t fall over and the butter runs out. Avoid aluminum foil or an aluminum tray. Aluminum is not only harmful to the environment, it also ends up in your food when heated. We will show you various grill alternatives to aluminum foil:

After about ten minutes, the mushrooms should be ready.

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Eating Fish: You Should Definitely Pay Attention to This

Eating fish regularly is a matter of course for many people. But there are a few things that you should urgently pay attention to: from avoiding overfished species to pollution and aqualtur – we’ll explain what you need to know.

Eating fish is considered healthy and many find fish fingers, fish fillets or smoked fish delicious. However, when we look for information on the origin of fish on the Internet, the pleasure is quickly over: many species are overfished, there are repeated reports of pollutants in fish, aquaculture is not a good alternative and the seals can hardly be relied on. Should we therefore give up fish altogether? In fact, there are many good reasons to eliminate fish and other seafood from our diet.

If you still want to continue eating fish, you should at least keep a few things in mind. In the following you will get an overview.

Eating sustainable fish – without overfishing

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), almost 35 percent of the world’s fish stocks are now overfished. Around 60 percent are already being used to the maximum, so more is not possible without also being overfished. The fish guide from the WWF and the new fish guide from the consumer advice centers will tell you which species can still be fished sustainably in which fishing areas. Unfortunately, Greenpeace’s fish guide, which has long been considered particularly strict, has not been reissued in recent years.

In the last published version in 2016, only carp was recommended without reservation. The WWF and consumer advice centers take a similar view today: Here, too, carp from European aquaculture has a green rating.

According to the WWF, you can eat some other types of fish if they were fished in certain fishing areas (FAO) and/or with certain fishing methods. For example:

Arctic sea shrimp from the Northeast Pacific off Canada (FAO 67), caught with traps
Tropical shrimp from Southeast Asia or Europe from aquaculture
Halibut from Europe from aquaculture
Herring from the Northwest Atlantic off the USA (FAO 21), caught with purse seines, and from the Northeast Atlantic (FAO 27), with numerous exceptions
Pacific salmon from the Northeast Pacific off Alaska and Canada (FAO 67)
Brown trout from Austria from aquaculture
Mussels from Europe from aquaculture or linen culture
Nile perch or Victoria perch from Lake Victoria in Tanzania (wild caught)
Rainbow trout from Denmark from aquaculture
Char from Europe from aquaculture
Anchovy from the NE Atlantic in Bay of Biscay (FAO 27) from pelagic otter trawls or purse seines
Hake from the Northeast Pacific off Canada and the USA (FAO 67), caught with pelagic otter trawls
Coley (saithe) from the NE Atlantic off Iceland (FAO 27) caught with gillnet gillnets or bottom longlines
Western Pacific tuna (FAO 61, 71) caught with hand lines or fishing lines
Tuna (Yellowfin) from the Eastern and Southwest Pacific (FAO 77, 81) caught with hand lines or line lines
Tuna (albacore) from the Pacific (FAO 61, 67, 81, 87), and from the Northwest and Northeast Atlantic (FAO 21, 27) caught with hand lines, fishing lines or trolling
Catfish (African and European) from aquaculture (closed recirculation systems, pond systems) in Europe

The WWF and consumer organizations agree that you should never eat the following wild fish:

european eel
all shark and ray species
orange roughy, alfonsino
Bluefin tuna
In contrast to the WWF, the consumer advice centers also generally advise against mussels, North Pacific, southern and Atlantic bluefin tuna, Markele, sturgeon, Atlantic salmon, redfish and squid.

Wild Fish Seals give you additional hints as to which fish you can eat. The most well-known is certainly MSC, but some organic associations such as Naturland now also have seals for wild fish. At the end of the article we will introduce you to the most important seals.

Wild-caught fish: The method of catching is crucial

So when you want to eat wild fish, it’s not just about where it was caught. The “how” is also crucial. Greenpeace has a list of the different trapping methods and their advantages and disadvantages. Here are some examples:

Trawl nets: These sometimes huge bag-shaped nets are one of the most popular fishing methods in deep-sea fishing. There are trawls that are pulled over the bottom and those that can fish the sea between the water surface and the bottom. The problem with trawl nets is that there is sometimes a lot of bycatch. In addition, bottom trawls rip up the bottom, destroying coral reefs that are extremely important as ecosystems, among other things.
Gillnets: These fine-mesh nets are so called because fish get caught in them with their gills. One type of gillnet is a gillnet that is placed vertically in a fixed location. Unlike trawl nets, gillnets have less bycatch and leave less damage to the surrounding ecosystem. On the other hand, the fish often hang in the mesh for days before the nets are hauled in. Unlike gillnets, driftnets float around. They are now banned as they often cause large amounts of bycatch, but driftnets are still used in illegal fishing.
Purse seines: The ring-shaped nets are placed around a school of fish to enclose it. This method is often used to catch tuna. The problem is that tuna and dolphins often travel together. Fishermen therefore like to locate and circle dolphins. In the meantime, however, there are firm rules that dolphins that are caught must be released immediately.
Fishing: There are different types of fishing. They usually consist of a short line with a hook that has a bait on it. Fishing is considered to be particularly gentle because bycatch can be recognized immediately and released again and because ecosystems are hardly damaged.
Traps: Fish traps are nets with openings just large enough to allow the desired species of fish to enter but not exit. This can avoid a lot of bycatch.

Aquaculture fish: the better alternative?

Anyone who thinks that you can hardly eat wild fish without major concerns, but you can eat fish from aquaculture, is unfortunately wrong. Neither endangered stocks nor by-catch are an immediate problem for farmed fish from aquaculture. Nevertheless, aquaculture is unfortunately not the ultimate solution, as this form of farming brings with it its own problems:

A big problem is that the fish are often fed fishmeal made from wild fish. Despite aquaculture, the fish stocks are massively affected.
Since many fish are kept in a confined space in aquaculture, the floor beneath them is covered with a particularly large amount of fish excrement. In addition, the fish are often treated with antibiotics. The use of chemicals puts additional strain on the surrounding ecosystems. This is especially true for farms whose water is in direct exchange with seawater.
There are fish farms in tropical and subtropical waters, for which mangrove forests have to give way. These forests are the habitats of many species and also spawning grounds for many wild fish.
When fish escape from aquaculture, they can transmit rampant diseases to wild fish there. In addition, farmed fish are often kept in places where they are not native. When they mix with native stocks, they can upset the delicate balance of ecosystems.
For these reasons, you should not eat fish from aquaculture without hesitation. As in the case of wild fish, seals such as the ASC and Naturland seals can also offer you orientation. You can get more information at the end of the article.

Eating fish – is it really healthy?

Eating fish is generally considered very healthy. They contain, among other things, some vitamins, minerals, many proteins and omega-3 fatty acids. However, fish not only absorb harmless substances from the water: there are repeated reports that fish are contaminated with various pollutants. Here is the most important information:

Most wild fish are caught so young that they are hardly contaminated with pollutants. An exception are older predatory fish, such as tuna and sharks (which you shouldn’t eat anyway). From a certain age, however, these must be regularly checked for pollutants such as mercury, lead or cadmium. Nevertheless, you should eat such fish only rarely, if at all, and avoid them completely during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
A special case are herring and salmon from the northern Baltic Sea: some of them are heavily contaminated with the toxin dioxin.
There are also reports of pollution in farmed fish. Ethoxyquin, which is probably carcinogenic, is particularly problematic. It is banned almost everywhere in the food industry, but may still be added to fishmeal as an additive until 2020. In 2018, both Stiftung Warentest and Öko-Test found increased ethoxyquin concentrations in tests on farmed salmon, but no longer in 2021.
In recent years, reports of microplastics in the sea have repeatedly attracted attention. A study of fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea has shown that more than five percent of the fish have microplastics in their digestive tract. In North Sea shrimp, even 63 percent were affected. It is not yet clear whether the microplastics are harmful to humans, even in these concentrations. One problem is certainly that plastic often contains harmful plasticizers and that many plastics can bind and accumulate some toxic substances very well.

Eat better fish: Seals offer orientation

MSC: The oldest seal for fish from sustainable wild catches is the MSC seal, which was founded in the late 1990s. MSC stands for Marine Stewardship Council. The seal was initiated by Unilever and WWF, but acts independently according to official information. Around 3,000 products in Germany now bear the MSC seal. The key points of the seal are that no stocks may be overfished and that gentle fishing methods such as fishing or traps must be used. Unfortunately, however, MSC does not make any specifications for animal welfare and inadequate for working conditions. In addition, a test by Stiftung Warentest has shown that stocks can sometimes be overfished and MSC cannot always trace the path of its certified products.
Naturland (wild catch): The Naturland seal for wild fish sets stricter rules. There are also regulations on fair working conditions. So far there are some fishing areas with certified fish in Germany, off the Azores and in Tanzania.
ASC: The counterpart to the MSC seal for farmed fish is the seal of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, from which around 1000 products are now available in Germany. ASC-certified farms must be located in suitable locations, the water quality must be checked regularly and the use of antibiotics should be limited. However, fishmeal and genetically modified soy are permitted as food.
Naturland (aquaculture): Naturland is once again imposing stricter rules: the fish need enough space, the surrounding ecosystems must be protected, fishmeal may only be used from the remains of edible fish, genetic engineering is not permitted.
Bottom line: fish with the ASC and MSC seals is better than fish that is not certified at all. But it is even better if you want to eat fish, if possible rely on organic associations such as Naturland – even if unfortunately not many types of fish have been certified by them so far. Otherwise, the purchasing guides from Greenpeace and consumer advice centers offer good orientation.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that you treat fish for what it is: a luxury that should only end up on the table occasionally, if at all.

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Peeling Green Asparagus: You Should Pay Attention to This When Cooking It

Peeling green asparagus is quick, but in many cases it is not necessary. We will show you what you have to consider and how to properly process green asparagus.

In contrast to white asparagus, green asparagus are not pricked as soon as the head sticks out of the ground, but continues to grow in the sun. That is why green asparagus does not need black foil. Sunlight gives it its green colour, plus more healthy vitamins and a stronger flavor than white asparagus.

Since green asparagus is less expensive to grow and harvest than white, it is usually a little cheaper. It is also less complicated to prepare. Because of its thin skin, you usually don’t have to peel green asparagus! If you buy it seasonally, you can also be sure that its growth has not been artificially accelerated by heaters or thermal foils. So there is a lot to be said for accessing seasonal green asparagus.

Note: The use of foil when growing white asparagus makes it a real problem for the environment. Not only does the film pollute the environment during its production and disposal, it also destroys the natural habitat of many endangered bird species.

Peel, cut, or break green asparagus?

Whether or not you need to peel green asparagus depends on how it was harvested. If the bottom third is purple-whitish and hard, be sure to peel that part and cut off the dried ends. The white rim has not yet seen sunlight and will still be very firm and brittle after cooking.

When the asparagus is green all the way through, just cut off the end an inch. You should never peel the green and soft asparagus skin. Most of the vitamins are just under the skin. If the asparagus spears are still very thick and the skin feels hard, peel only the lower third.

You can also break green asparagus instead of cutting them. Since the inedible part cannot be broken off, the asparagus will break off above the woody end. So you don’t have to use a peeler or knife and you can prepare your asparagus quickly and easily. For this, the asparagus must be very fresh and crisp.

Green asparagus tastes best fresh from the market. If necessary, you can wrap it in a damp cloth in the fridge and keep it fresh for a few days.

In order to avoid long transport routes and to protect the environment and climate, you should only buy asparagus regionally and seasonally. To be sure your asparagus is chemical-synthetic free, buy organic asparagus.

Boil green asparagus

The easiest way to prepare green asparagus is in boiling salted water. The cooking time is significantly shorter than with white asparagus and, depending on the thickness, is only around eight minutes.

In order for the asparagus to keep its bright green color, you can also add some white vinegar or lemon juice to the cooking water and shock the asparagus with ice water when they are done.

Or you can simply fry green asparagus in a pan with some cooking oil or fat. Cut into fine pieces, it is cooked within five minutes.

Of course, asparagus can also be grilled or put in the oven as an asparagus casserole. Green asparagus soup tastes particularly delicious. You can also use the woody ends that you removed earlier and boil them as a broth for the soup. In this way you use every gram of your precious asparagus and there are no leftovers that you have to throw away at the end.

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Recognizing Good Ice Cream: You Have to Pay Attention to This in the Ice Cream Parlor

High, creamy mountains of ice in many bright colors – what looks delicious is often an indication of additives. We’ll show you what to look out for when you go to the ice cream parlour.

Treat yourself to a refreshment on hot days – the nearby ice cream parlor is just the thing. But how do I recognize high-quality ice cream that is free of additives? The inscription “from own production”, which adorns many ice cream parlors, could be a first clue. Or?

“Homemade ice cream” can mean many things

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, because the terms “from our own production” or “homemade” are not legally binding. Making it yourself can mean a lot: Mixing ready-made powder, “refining” a ready-made base with fresh fruit or chocolate, or making your own ice cream from scratch. The consumer advice center is therefore calling for more transparency from ice cream manufacturers.

Then maybe a better look at the ingredients? This is not always possible either, because ice cream parlors are not obliged to provide them. They only have to declare allergens and individual additives, such as dyes. Bright, bright colors in the ice cream case are a possible indication that the ice cream was produced industrially and with additives. Even if the ice cream in the display case towers impressively, this is anything but a sign of quality. Rather, it is an indication of the use of emulsifiers.

Emulsifiers ensure that the ingredients mix well and the ice cream does not melt as quickly. But they also have downsides. The emulsifier polysorbate 80, which is often contained in ice cream, is suspected of promoting obesity and intestinal inflammation. Lecithin – the most common emulsifier – is harmless to health. However, it often comes from genetically modified soybean plants, which are grown in monocultures.

Under certain circumstances, the high ice towers also indicate insufficient cooling. You can also see how hygienic it is in an ice cream parlor by looking at the aprons, ice cream scoops and containers. If these are contaminated, there is a risk of an increased number of germs in the ice. During a hygiene check in Saarland, the ice usually did well. On the other hand, there were complaints about two out of three cream samples.

Nut ice cream – without nuts?!

Especially when it comes to nut ice cream, people cheat. It often doesn’t contain what should be in it: nuts. Pistachio ice cream, for example, is often tricked out by using flavors such as bitter almonds to compensate for the missing nut content or almost completely replace it.

In order to make the pistachio ice cream look like pistachios, manufacturers often help. Coloring plant dyes ensure a rich green and suggest pistachios in the ice cream. If chemical dyes are used, this must be stated on the label. So it’s best to take a closer look when you choose your ice cream in the ice cream parlour.

Note: If the sign says “pistachio-flavored ice cream” or “walnut-flavored ice cream” or something similar, you can assume that the flavor comes only from the added flavors and not from real nuts. Then you should rather reach for another ice cream.

If in doubt: ask or do it yourself

If you want to be sure what’s in your scoop of ice cream, you should check with the ice cream shop. You can also make ice cream yourself – even without an ice cream maker. Tip for vegans: sorbet should be free of milk components. But here, too, you better ask if you want to be on the safe side.

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Vegan Tastes Bland? You Should Definitely Pay Attention to That

Did the vegan dish taste like nothing the other day? It doesn’t have to be! Vegan cuisine can be creative and tasty – if you follow a few tips.

Regardless of whether you have just started eating vegan, have been a fan of vegan cuisine for a long time, or just cook vegan every now and then – sometimes you may have the problem that vegan food tastes bland.

We will explain how you can prevent this and how you can use small tricks to cook particularly delicious vegan food.

Spices add flavor to your vegan food

Whether vegan or not: If you don’t season your food, it will taste bland. You can bring your vegan dishes into very different worlds of flavor if you use different spices.

Get to know spices

In addition to salt and pepper, you can use fresh or dried herbs, individual spices such as turmeric and chillies or ready-made spice mixtures, such as curry powder. Over time you will figure out how to use the spices properly. For example, you should sauté curry powder so that it develops its full aroma. You can use other spices to marinate ingredients before cooking. For example, it is worth marinating tofu. If you want to add a smoky flavor to your dishes, you can use smoked salt or smoked paprika. It tastes very good in a vegan goulash, for example.

See if you can find a weekly market near you that offers spices so you can smell them or taste them too. This is how you find out what you like best. If possible, look for organic spices to avoid contaminating the environment with chemical-synthetic pesticides.

So there is more umami

Yeast flakes, soy sauce or miso paste are very suitable for a more intense umami taste in vegan cuisine. You can also make your own umami spice, which you can use to add a hearty, meaty note to vegan dishes.

Vegetable broth instead of water

When cooking, it’s also a good idea to use vegetable broth instead of water. That gives it more flavor. If you cook vegetables in it, you can turn the broth over afterwards and make a soup out of it.

Sauces for extra taste

You can also serve delicious sauces with your dishes. In addition to classics such as mustard or ketchup, you can also serve chimichurri, a herb sauce, or BBQ sauce with the vegan dishes.

Certain ingredients provide more flavor

Don’t cut out fat when cooking. While you shouldn’t use a ton of it, it’s an important flavor carrier. Fat can bind flavoring substances that are fat-soluble and that only become noticeable when they are absorbed by the fat during cooking. Without any fat, your dishes just taste a bit bland. You can use a wide variety of products for the fat content. Cooking oils, margarine or vegan cream are ideal. But tahini, nut butter or avocados are also good. Depending on what you choose, you can use the products directly in cooking or add them to serve.

Another trick for a particularly intense aroma is using dried or pickled ingredients. For example, dried mushrooms, algae or tomatoes bring a much more concentrated taste to your vegan food. If you soak them before using them, you can use the leftover liquid as well. There is also a lot of flavor in it. Pickled vegetables add more flavors. Try it with olives in the tomato sauce, pickled dried tomatoes with aubergines or pickled peppers as a topping.

If you like onions and garlic, these are also very good for adding more flavor to your vegan cooking. Depending on whether you fry them vigorously, sauté them briefly until translucent or add them raw, they provide different flavors. Just give it a try.

Searing, freshness and a pinch of courage

Another trick for more flavor is to fry ingredients instead of boiling them. Frying also lets you caramelize vegetables slightly, giving them a more complex flavor and texture. Even if you want to make a soup or sauce from it afterwards, it can be particularly tasty to fry onions in a little oil beforehand, for example.

Use as many fresh products as possible when cooking. In an emergency, you can of course also use canned vegetables, but fresh and, above all, seasonal vegetables are usually more aromatic and also ensure a crunchy chewing experience.

And last but not least, you are welcome to experiment with vegan cuisine. Dare unusual combinations of foods and new ingredients. This gives you the opportunity to learn more and find out what you particularly like.

Conclusion: This is not how vegan food tastes boring

Here is an overview of all the tips with which your vegan food will no longer taste bland in the future:

  • Use spices, herbs and salt.
  • You can get more umami with yeast flakes, soy sauce or miso paste.
  • Serve sauce with your dishes.
  • Use vegetable broth instead of water.
  • Don’t forget the fat as a flavor carrier.
  • Use dried or pickled products for an intense aroma.
  • Onions and garlic add heartiness.
  • Fry instead of cooking.
  • Use fresh produce.
  • Be brave and try new things.
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Cooking Shiitake Mushrooms: You Should Pay Attention to This

If you want to prepare shiitake mushrooms, there are a few things to consider. We will tell you how best to clean, cook and store the aromatic mushroom.

Shiitake mushrooms have been known in Asia for two thousand years as a food and medicinal product. The edible mushroom is very aromatic and a popular delicacy. It is used in a variety of ways, especially in Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

Cultivating mushrooms is not difficult and shiitake can also be cultivated without any problems in our climate zone. They grow particularly well on the deadwood of oak and hornbeam. The first harvest is possible after about 12 months. After that, you can continue harvesting from the same wood for a few more years.

Things to know about shiitake mushrooms

When you buy shiitake, it is best to find out about the origin and quality of the mushrooms. Make sure the mushrooms are organic and locally sourced. In this country, shiitake mushrooms are often imported from Asia. However, such products have a long transport route behind them and cause high CO2 emissions. If possible, buy the mushrooms in the mushroom season, i.e. in the fall.

Choose shiitake that look plump and juicy. You should not eat mushy specimens. Small cracks, spots or scales are also typical of the appearance of the mushrooms. You can easily rub them off when cleaning before you prepare the shiitake mushrooms.

Whether you have to wash mushrooms is a question that cannot be answered unequivocally. It is usually not recommended to wash fresh mushrooms under running water. It is enough if you wipe the shiitake mushrooms with a brush or a damp cloth. With mushrooms from the field, there is often more dirt that can only be washed off with water. In any case, make sure that the shiitake mushrooms are clean before preparing them.

Preparing shiitake mushrooms: you should pay attention to this

There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing the shiitake mushrooms:

You can get shiitake mushrooms fresh or dried. The dried mushrooms are particularly aromatic because they no longer contain any moisture. The fresh mushrooms are fleshier in consistency and slightly milder in taste.
In dried form, shiitake are used in Asia as dried mushrooms for sauces or soups. The advantage: dried, the mushrooms can be kept for many months and can also be eaten outside of the mushroom season.

The best way to store fresh shiitake mushrooms is in the fridge. Store them in an air-permeable container, paper bag, or wrapped in cotton cloth. So they can be kept for a few days. Attention: In a plastic bag, the mushrooms mold very quickly and can form toxic substances.
Traditionally, shiitake mushrooms are fried, steamed or dried. Edible mushrooms cannot be boiled. You can use small mushrooms whole. It is best to cut larger specimens into fine slices so that they can cook through.
In principle, you can also eat shiitake mushrooms raw. However, the consumer center advises against excessive consumption of raw mushrooms. They can be contaminated with pollutants and are usually difficult to digest. The consistency of the shiitake mushrooms is also very firm to the bite. If you are preparing shiitake mushrooms, you should heat them well and slice them thinly.

Prepare Shiitake Mushrooms: Easy Mushroom Skillet

This simple shiitake mushroom pan is suitable as an accompaniment to warm dishes, as a snack between meals or with fresh bread and salad. Due to the simple method of preparation, the mushrooms develop their own aroma particularly well.

Season the mushroom pan with the herbs of your choice. Parsley, chives or thyme, for example, go well with the mushrooms.

Ingredients:

200g shiitake mushrooms
50g butter or margarine
1 pinch(s) of salt
1 pinch(s) of pepper
1 handful of fresh herbs as needed

Directions:

Wipe the shiitake clean and cut into 2-inch slices. You can also fry small mushrooms whole.
Melt the butter in a frying pan. Use plant-based margarine if you want to prepare the shiitake mushrooms vegan.
Add the shiitake to the pan and stir to coat all of the mushrooms in butter.
Fry the mushrooms over medium heat for four minutes until they turn slightly brown.
Remove the mushroom pan from the heat and season the shiitake with salt and pepper.
Serve the shiitake mushroom stir-fry with your choice of chopped herbs.

Tip: You can also add variety to other mushroom dishes by preparing them with shiitake mushrooms. Simply replace the mushroom varieties in the recipe with shiitake.

Get inspired by simple recipes with chanterelles and porcini mushrooms.
Try the shiitake in a mushroom soup as an alternative to porcini mushroom soup or chanterelle soup.
A classic mushroom dish is pasta with chanterelles. You can also prepare this classic with shiitake mushrooms.
If you want something a little more unusual: Shiitake taste great in risotto. You can use our recipes for porcini mushroom risotto or chanterelle risotto as a guide.
Use the mushrooms as a meat substitute, for example in a mushroom goulash.

You can either completely replace the mushrooms in the recipes or add just a portion of the shiitake. But keep in mind that the aroma of the shiitake is very intense and can quickly mask the flavors of the other ingredients.

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