The National Women's Show Ottawa

This weekend Mushrooms Canada is hitting the road and heading to Ottawa for the National Women's Show, May 1-2, 2010.

The National Women's Show offers a fun-filled day out with the girls that you can't find anywhere else! With everything from food and wine sampling, to celebrity guest speakers (like Jake Pavelka from the Bachelor, and Canadian singer/songwriter Joe Taylor), and there is are tons of products to enjoy from over 250 exhibitors.

Stop by the Mushrooms Canada booth for a sample of our Simple Sauteed Mushrooms, and to pick up some delicious mushroom recipes! While you are hanging out with us, fill out a ballot to win a T-Fal Hotspot Frying Pan!

But wait, the mushroom fun doesn't stop there! Join me at the Samsung Cooking Theatre where I will be preparing my favourite recipe, Sweet & Spicy Stir-Fried Mushrooms (which is always a big hit!) and an elegant Baked Mushroom Topped Brie, perfect for entertaining.

Head on over to The National Women's Show website for all the details. And don't forget to print off this coupon from Mushrooms Canada to receive $5.00 off admission when you bring a friend!

See you at the show!

posted by Brittany

U of A students stunned by mushrooms' disease-fighting capabilities

BY TAYLOR BENDIG, EDMONTON JOURNAL

Kaila Hauck was never a fan of fungi. So when she and three other University of Alberta students chose mushrooms for a class assignment, it was more out of curiosity than affection.

"It was really just an interesting topic," said Hauck, a fifth-year student in the school's nutrition and food program. "I'd never personally heard of any health benefits about mushrooms."

That would soon change. After reviewing about 60 scientific papers on the compounds found in edible fungi, her team found "so many health benefits, it was kind of astonishing."

Hauck said researchers have found things in mushrooms that can prevent heart disease, reduce allergic reactions and fight viruses. For their research, her team focused on two kinds of compounds: antioxidants and cancer-fighting agents.

The potential for mushrooms to treat and prevent cancer is remarkable, Hauck said. Her research found numerous clinical trials aimed at fighting the disease using active fungi compounds, including selenium, which kills off tumour cells, and aromatase inhibitors, which stifle the excess estrogen production that can cause breast cancer.

To read the full story visit the Edmonton Journal website.

posted by Brittany

Canadian Food Bloggers - Join In!

Are you a Canadian? Do you write a food blog? Well listen up because you are going to want to join in over at Beer & Butter Tarts!

Simply put, Beer & Butter Tarts is a nifty little food blog aggregator designed to help promote Canadian food blogs. It makes it easy to find all your favourite food blogs on one site.

So if you are looking to get out there, or just looking to enjoy all that Canadian foodies have to offer, head over to Beer & Butter Tarts now.

Check Us Out: Mushroom News Online

Check Us Out: Mushroom News Online brings together all the interesting and delicious mushrooms stories from the web to one place.

News Finds:

Celebrate Earth Day with earthy, meaty mushrooms
Wolfgang Puck celebrated this past Earth Day with a delicious Pasta with Mushroom Sauce.

Can you freeze fresh sliced raw mushrooms
Maxine R. asks the question about freezing raw mushrooms. The simple answer is no, but check out the article to find out exactly why.

Asparagus and Mushrooms Give Lasagna a Spring Makeover
Inspired by Meatless Monday, YumSugar whips up a nice spring-y lasagna using fresh Shiitake mushrooms.

Mushroom and Poblano Tacos
This is inspired by a dish that Mexican chef Rick Bayless makes with huitlacoche, a black fungus that grows in lobes on ears of corn. See how he substitutes fresh mushrooms instead.

If stuffed peppers are a budget breaker, use large portobello mushrooms instead
If the price of peppers has you thinking twice about serving them stuffed, here's an alternative that uses large mushrooms instead.

Video Finds:

Recipe: Rustic Mushroom, Asparagus Tarts With Goat Cheese
This recipe uses pre-made pie crusts to make rustic asparagus and portobello mushroom tarts with a filling made of goat cheese, cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese and topped with colorful, sliced grape tomatoes.

Blog Finds:

Heather Eats Almond Butter: Creamy Dreamy Mushrooms

Traveling in Mary Janes: Stuffed Mushrooms

Cake, Batter & Bowl: Almond and Red Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms

posted by Brittany

Please note that links provided will redirect to another website. Mushrooms Canada does not endorse or take any responsibility for content provided on such websites.

Questions from You: Remove the Stems?

Q. Do the stems of button mushrooms need to be trimmed before use. Is there any reason to do this?

A. Great question! The stems of button mushroom do not need to be trimmed before you use them. They are trimmed at the farm before being placed in the trays or bulk boxes. Basically the only prep required is a quick rinse under cold water and a pat down with paper towels.

There are other varieties however that should have the stems removed before use (only because they don't have a pleasant texture), and they are shiitake and portabellas. Mushrooms that need the stems trimmed before use include enoki and oysters.

posted by Brittany

Going green? Use mushroom compost this spring

What helps your lawn, garden and trees, offers environmentally friendly ways to recycle, and comes from the nearest mushroom farm? Mushroom Compost. Every home owner strives to have the greenest lawn, with the brightest flowers and liveliest trees, while still being good to the environment. Mushroom compost offers a safe and natural way to supply a lawn and garden with the nutrients it needs.

What is mushroom compost?

Mushroom compost is derived from 100% organic materials such as straw, peat moss, stable bedding, corn cobs, soybean meal and gypsum. Once pasteurized this material becomes a substrate on which mushrooms are grown. Because the growing needs of mushrooms and green plants is different, very little of the composts nutrients are used during the mushroom growing process. After the mushrooms are harvested the farmer is left with nutrient filled compost that is an ideal soil conditioner for outdoor gardening.

How does mushroom compost help the environment?

• Using mushroom compost in the garden helps to recycle a product which would otherwise be disposed of as waste. As the compost itself is recycled by-products from other industries, when mushroom compost is used on a garden double the recycling is taking place.
• Mushroom compost stores up to 70 percent of its own weight in water. This uses less water in dry spring or summer months when a water ban might take place.

How to use mushroom compost?

Mushroom compost can be used as a mulch, soil conditioner, and potting mix additive. It is great for flowering gardens, trees and shrubs, vegetable and herb gardens, and established lawns.

posted by Brittany

Hamilton Food & Drink Fest

Come and experience an exciting variety of local and international wines, specialty beers, and culinary sensations created by some of the Hamilton, Halton & Niagara Regions' most popular restaurants, breweries, & wineries at the Hamilton Food & Drink Fest.

Make sure to stop by Mushrooms Canada's booth, #121, for a mouthwatering sample of Simple Sauteed Mushrooms. While you're there, enter our draw to win a T-Fal Hot Spot Frying Pan and pick up some delicious recipes.

Now don't leave empty handed, we have a little coupon for you, $2.00 off the price of admission at the door. Simply CLICK HERE, print it off and bring it with you; you will receive your discount at the door.

See you at the show!

posted by Brittany