Mushrooms for strength.
I found these gorgeous fist-sized locally-grown shiitake mushrooms at Putney Coop.
Perfect for winter chicken soup or just sauteed with butter and garlic, shiitakes are tasty mushrooms.
Shiitakes are also a good example of how much you can learn by tasting. To me, shiitakes taste meaty and solid and strong, and that’s exactly how they work in the body: they’re nourishing and strengthening on a really basic level. Shiitakes give sturdy support to the immune system—they’re often used to help people recover from viruses and cancer. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they’re strengthening tonics for blood and qi (indications include tiredness and frequent colds).
This is my favorite way to eat shiitakes for winter strength:
Slice up shiitakes and saute them in butter until they’re golden brown. Add salt and freshly chopped garlic at the end of cooking. So good.
(The mushroom’s name is sometimes spelled “shitake”, but the “ii” is a better approximation of the original Japanese.)
The Mushroom Lady said,
March 1, 2007 @ 10:43 am
Completley right. Shiitake mushrooms can help to boost the immune system. This is because mushrooms are packed full of great disease fighters including Antioxidants; Ergothioneine, Polyphenol, and Selenium, as well as B-Vitamins; Riboflavin, Niacin, and Pantothenic Acid. All of these great nutritients may help in areas of heart health, cholesterol, reducing risk of breast and prostate cancers, controling blood sugar, arthritis, body weight management, and the list can go on and on. There are nothing but good things a mushroom.
The Mushroom Lady