Today I would like to take you on a journey back in time, some 53 centuries ago to the year 3300 B.C. We travel across the ocean to Italy and it is there we will begin our climb at the base of the Italian Alps.

We journey upward through some of the darkest forests in the world and as we travel we collect a fruit from the forest floor that needs no sunlight to grow. This fruit will help us on our journey. It will nourish us, some will be used as an antiseptic, and some will be dried and used as a fire starter for warmth.  As we climb higher, the air starts thinning and we notice traces of snow in the darkest shadows of the woods. 

Finally we enter a snow-covered valley known as the Otztal valley in the Otztal Alps. And it is here, close to the Austrian boarder deep in the snow, we find Otzi the Iceman.  Even though he is dead, he has an incredible story to tell. 

Still intact is his copper axe, grass woven cloak, incredible leather shoes stuffed with grass for warmth and comfort, a quiver of arrows and a bow taller than his 5 for 3 stature. An arrow point is lodged in his shoulder that severed an artery and is what brought about his death 5300 years ago. His teeth oddly, show no signs of decay even though he is in his early 40s. 

But what he has that is so special is a small wood box which is his medicine kit as well as his fire starting kit.  In it are two kinds of the fruit of the forest floor. One is used as an antiseptic and the other dried and used as a fire starter. This fruit from forest floor is known as the mysterious and mystical mushroom. And is not the fruit of a tree but the fruit of a long vein of fungi that stretches across the forest floor, sometimes for miles.

Throughout history the mushroom has played a most interesting, mystical and intriguing role. It is suggested that Nordic Vikings use a certain type of mushroom (called Amanita muscaria) before they went battle to produce a berserk rage.  Supposedly these Vikings would be effected by the mushrooms in the heat of battle and perform deeds which were otherwise impossible.  They would go into a great rage, howl like animals and cut down anything in their path including fellow Vikings. After they would be feeble and worn out for days.

4600 years ago, hieroglyphics were carved in the ancient Egyptian tombs and told the story about how pharaohs decreed mushrooms to be the food of royalty and could bring about immortality and no commoner was allowed to touch them.

In China, Mexico, Latin America, Russia, and even Greece believed if you consumed mushrooms you would reside with the gods and have supper human power.   In England they believed you had to gather mushrooms only under a full moon or they weren’t safe to eat. In ancient Ireland they thought that the mushrooms were umbrellas for their leprechauns.  Ancient Romans believed that mushrooms gave them incredible extraordinary power in battle and called them the “food of the gods. Louis XIV was the first documented mushroom grower it is said he grew them in special caves around Paris.

Mushrooms are saprophytes and will only grow on previously formed organic material. Some mushrooms  are bioluminescent like the Clytocybe illudens which is called the jack-o’-lantern mushroom. It produces enough light to read by. Here in eastern Oregon in the Blue Mountains they have found the largest living mushroom the Armillaria ostoyae or honey mushroom.  It covers 3.4 miles and is still growing.

There are over 38000 varieties of mushrooms and it is said that about 2 to 4 percent are edible.

The most popular mushroom, the white button, has a fairly mild flavor that intensifies when cooked. They are excellent raw also.

The Crimini is like a brown button mushroom.  They are firmer and a deeper earthier taste than that of white button.

The Portabella is a larger version of the Crimini and is a meatier flavor.  They make excellent burgers instead of meat.

The Shiitake is tan to dark brown with umbrella-shaped broad caps, tan gills and curved stems. The stems should be removed. They have an incredible meaty, woodsy and rich flavor when cooked.

The Oyster comes in clumps that resemble oysters. The can be grey, pale yellow or even blue with a velvety texture and very delicate flavor

The Enoki has tiny caps and long stems. They are mild tasting and crunchy

In “The journal of the American Dietetic Association”  it says the following about mushrooms: 

Mushrooms are a hidden treasure of nutrition and provide a range of nutrients including copper and B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid—plus antioxidants selenium and ergothioneine. One serving of 4-5 white button mushrooms provides 15 IU of vitamin D.  Mushrooms have nearly 300 milligrams of potassium in each serving.

Best of all, one serving of mushrooms provides all this nutrition with only 20 calories and zero grams of fat. Mushrooms’ Natural Antioxidants are the leading source of the mineral selenium in the fruit and vegetable aisle. In the body, selenium forms an antioxidant that may help protect cells from damage. Cellular damage may contribute to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

So next time your headed on hike, watch our for someone with a bow and arrow, stuff your shoes with grass for comfort, and take along a box filled with the incredible, mystical and healing mushrooms and a few dried ones a to start a fire for warmth.