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Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania (MFPA) will present their newest flavor sensation, savory Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms, at their Mushroom Booth, starting Jan. 5 with the 2024 PA Farm Show Food Court opening at noon, according to a press release.
The full Pennsylvania Farm Show runs from Jan. 6 through 13 at the PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. It's the largest indoor agricultural exhibition in the U.S., the press release said.
The Mushroom Farmers tasty Mushroom Food Booth menu items will include their new Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms, a blended mushroom steakhouse burger, RoRo's Mushroom Salad, original breaded mushrooms, savory portabella nachos, cream of mushroom soup, savory wild mushroom jerky and 100% mushroom gourmet crumble.
Gale Ferranto, committee member, Mushroom Farmers of PA, and president, Buona Foods said in a press release, "We are always excited to bring our versatile, locally-grown mushrooms to the PA Farm Show from Kennett Square, the Mushroom Capital of the World, and provide a new tasty dish for fans to enjoy. We're confident our new Stuffed Baby Bellas will be a hit, along with our many other delicious mushroom dishes. The Gourmet Crumble is another convenient and simple way to incorporate the powerhouse mushroom into your daily diet so we will be offering that to attendees to take home. We are looking forward to sharing the many nutritional benefits of mushrooms this upcoming year, and in educating everyone about how super easy it is to blend their favorite dishes with healthy mushrooms at home to elevate a meal and to boost their immune systemss."
MFPA, headquartered in Avondale, Pa., is a statewide voluntary group that represents the growers, processors and marketers of "cultivated mushrooms" in the state, according to the press release.
Fun facts about mushrooms according to the news release:
• Pennsylvania is the Mushroom Capital of the World. Mushrooms are big business in the state, with an economic impact of $1.3 billion, supporting nearly 9,400 jobs.
• Mushroom growers are the original recyclers: growing one pound of mushrooms uses less than 2 gallons of water, just 1 kw of energy, and less than 1 pound of CO2 equivalents.
• More than 60% of all mushroom production occurs in southeastern PA, specifically Chester and Berks counties. That means if you eat mushrooms on your pizza, salads or with your chicken and beef dishes, chances are good they were grown and harvested in Pennsylvania.
• Mushrooms are a plant-based superfood; high in vitamins and minerals, low in calories and sodium, and fat-, cholesterol-, and gluten-free. Mushrooms are grown year-round.
• The most popular mushroom variety grown in the U.S. is white button, followed by crimini (brown or baby bellas), portabellas, oyster, shiitake, and maitake.
• Mushrooms double in size every 24 hours.
• Every mushroom harvested in the U.S. is harvested by hand.
• One Portabella mushroom has more Potassium than 1 medium banana.
• Mushrooms are the leading source of the antioxidant nutrient selenium in the produce aisle. Antioxidants, like selenium, protect body cells from damage that might lead to chronic diseases and help to strengthen the immune system, as well. In addition, mushrooms provide ergothioneine, a naturally occurring antioxidant that may help protect the body's cells.
For more information, visit www.pamushrooms.org.