September is Mushroom Month: prepare to be bowled over
With the U.S. Department of Agriculture proclaiming September as National Mushroom Month, the Mushroom Council is promoting bowls as a meal option from breakfast to dinner.
The council, Redwood Shores, Calif., has a “Build a Better Bowl with Mushrooms” campaign promoting bowl meals.
The six recipes include:
- Breakfast Power Bowl — barley, portabella, fried egg, red pepper, baby bok choy and curry yogurt tahini.
- Enoki Bulgogi Bibimbap Bowl — white rice, enoki mushrooms, fried egg, bell pepper, cucumber, bok choy, carrots and soy dressing.
- Avocado Farro Harvest Bowl: farro, shiitake mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin seeds, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, parsley and tahini lemon yogurt.
“Bowls are continuously ranking among the most trending foods among both foodservice and consumers, and there are plenty of reasons why,” Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council, said in a news release. “For consumers, it’s the ultimate convergence of convenience and the globalization of cuisine. At foodservice, you couldn’t ask for a less expensive, more filling dish on the menu – after all, it’s mainly grains, veggies, and not a lot of meat.”
During September, the council will focus on the bowl campaign with activities and information, including:
- Videos and ideas on making bowl meals;
- A Sept. 26 Facebook Live session featuring Melissa d’Arabian using mushrooms to build a bowl;
- Chefs across the U.S. highlighting the council’s “Top 5 Bowls at Restaurants Nationwide;” and
- Social media polls asking consumers to vote on their favorite recipes.
In the Mushroom Month proclamation, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue lists the virtues of the fungus:
“Mushrooms enhance any meal, from modern cuisine to down-home cooking;”
“This crop increases the sales and profits of growers and wholesalers, as well as restaurateurs and grocers;” and
“Mushroom production is a vital part of American agriculture, with U.S. growers producing 929 million pounds of mushrooms valued at $1.22 billion for the 2016-17 crop.”
The proclamation, signed by Perdue, encourages more consumption of mushrooms.
“I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the importance of mushrooms with ceremonies and activities that celebrate this great American product,” according to the document.
