Mushrooms Key Terms

Understand the terms which characterize and define mushrooms

By Airaj Fatimah
Before starting your own mushroom farm or incorporating mushrooms into your next culinary dish at your restaurant, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of the important mushrooms key terms. By learning about the characteristics of the wide variety of mushrooms available, it will be easier to decide which variety is best for your business.

If you plan on growing mushrooms, it is necessary to know which varieties can grow well in your environment, how to identify the edible ones from the poisonous ones and more. If you plan to use mushrooms as ingredients than learning about the taste and texture of the different mushrooms will help you choose the right one for your next culinary presentation. As you research mushroom key terms, be sure to do the following:

1. Gain knowledge about the variety of mushrooms available and remember which are edible.

2. Study the technical terminology that describes mushrooms.

3. Learn the terms associated with mushroom cultivation.

 

Identify different varieties of mushrooms and their features

Mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes. Though most of us are familiar with the short, white mushrooms used in cooking known as the button mushroom, gourmet mushrooms like portabella, enoki, shiitake and more are increasingly becoming popular. Learn which types are easy to grow and which applications they work best for.
Try: The Nibble is a comprehensive guide to the different varieties of mushrooms, their features and edibility. The images are useful in identifying mushrooms, especially poisonous ones. Green Nature categorizes the mushrooms by scientific names and provides in depth features of each. Rogers Mushrooms has an easy key which can help to identify different types of mushrooms.

Learn the technical terminology associated with mushrooms

Mushrooms come with a very technical set of terminology. It is easier to communicate with another mushroom business and mushroom producers when you have a grasp of the vocabulary.
Try: By studying the comprehensive guide at Michigan Morsel, you will become well versed with most of the technical terms which are used to describe mushroom parts. A great resource for mushrooms is the Chest of Books. It has an extensive glossary of terms related to mushrooms. University of Saskatchewan also has a great glossary related to mushrooms along with descriptive diagrams.

Study the terms related to starting your own mushroom farm

If you are considering starting your own mushroom business, learning the key terms related to the steps of mushroom growing will help you better understand the process of growing mushrooms. It will also help you interact with mushroom wholesalers, mushroom councils and other mushroom growers to gather more information to ensure a healthy and profitable mushroom farm. Commonly used terms in the mushrooms growing business are mushroom spores, mushroom kits, oak logs and spawns.
Try: Shroomery gives you detailed descriptions of all the terms involved in mushroom growing, such as strain selection, inoculation, spawn run and more. How, When and Why of Forest Farming also defines terms related to mushroom farming including, stacking and fruiting. You can also watch a video related to mushroom farming here.

 

  • To further increase your knowledge about mushrooms key terms search for mushroom classes in your area. If you plan to start a mushroom farm, search for local mushroom cultivation workshops where you can learn all the terms related to mushroom farming.