Giveaway: Grow Your Own Mushrooms
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If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time at all, you’d have realized that I’m a big, big mushroom fan. Even when I was little and would turn my nose up at nearly every ingredient, I’d always eat all my mushrooms. So, when Nikhil, the co-founder of Back to the Roots asked me if I wanted to try my hand at growing my own mushrooms, and then offer a kit to one of my readers, I quickly agreed.
Back to the Roots recently launched its Easy to Grow Mushroom Garden, which lets anyone grow up to 1 .5 lbs of gourmet oyster mushrooms in as little as 10 days…right out of the little brown box. And, the cooler part is that the soil is composed of recycled coffee grounds, so it’s sustainable, too.
Growing the mushrooms is so fun to watch. You’ll have to excuse the crappy photo. I was just taking a “progress” photo to post to Twitter one day, intending to take a better one later after the mushrooms had fully grown in, buuuut I dropped the ball on that one.
Even if you don’t win the giveaway, Back to the Roots has offered my readers a 10% discount. Just use the code mushrooms4me10 when you buy them.
PLUS, if you post a picture of your grown kit in hand on the Back to the Roots Facebook page, they will donate a kit and sustainability curriculum to the school of your choice. If you didn’t already know, I work in education, so I’m a big fan of this initiative.
To enter the giveaway, just tell me what your favorite thing is to eat with mushrooms — and feel free to provide a link, if you have one, so I can make it too :-). I will pick a winner on Wednesday, August 31st.
[Disclaimer: Back to the Roots provided me with a mushroom kit to test myself. I was not compensated in any other way. Back to the Roots will send the winner of this giveaway their kit directly.]
My boyfriend and I have been on a serious mushroom kick lately…Usually, we just saute them for a side, but when we make steaks, he whips up a killer pan sauce with wine, broth, and whatever spices grab him that night. Yum!
I’m a huge portobello fan – I like them on pizzas or as the pizza bottom, as a burger, as a side dish just with a light saute – anyway at all!
I *love* simple mushrooms with soy sauce and garlic. It doesn’t get better!
I LOVE to take the seemingly healthy foods and throw some fat in the mix. Not just any fat though, it must be schmaltz. Caramelize some onions with it, add in my beloved friend garlic, some string beans, a little S & P, maybe a smidge of crushed red pepper flake and you have one of my favorite ways to eat shrooms. If only my kids shared my mushroom love.
I love mushrooms in aisan dishes. Chicken, broccoli and shrooms. Beef and mushrooms. Stroganoff. Yummmmm.
What a COOL giveaway! I like mushrooms either with other veggies and cheese in a panino or with a pan sauce over chicken or pork tenderloin.
Cool give away. I have been wanting to grow mushrooms with my son this as part our fungi unit in homescooling. I love mushrooms in soups. I love the earthy flavor that they add.
My husband LOVES mushrooms so I cook with them a lot. One of our favorites is a one-skillet Beef Stroganoff. http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2008/08/skillet-beef-stroganoff.html
I have been wanting to try one of these kits forever! Our favorite is roasted mushrooms and kale with warm garlic-infused olive oil!
My current fav is adding whole mushrooms to other veggies when I roast them. I’m not fond of raw mushrooms in salad, but love them prepared any other way.
There is a mushroom festival later this month north of here which I am so looking forward to. Mt favourite things with shrooms is Creamy Mushrooms on Grilled Ciabatta Bread http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com/2011/05/creamy-mushrooms-on-grilled-ciabatta.html
A greek mushroom tart. I’ve only had it once, but it was so simple to make and the most delicious thing I’ve ever had with mushrooms. I think it was supposed to be for dinner, but we ate it as a snack instead!
Absolutely NOT the healthiest recipe out there, but we love to take button or white mushrooms, throw them in a mini slow cooker with 1 package of Zesty Italian dressing mix and 1 stick of butter. Cook for 2-3 hours (the mushrooms cook down quite a bit) .. best side/appetizer ever.
Great giveaway! I’ve always wanted to try this!
Great giveaway! My favorite dish with mushrooms is Chicken Marsala.
I love mushrooms that have been sautéed with garlic on toasted baquettes with melted fontina cheese.
I love mushroom on sandwiches, pizza, in stir-fries, mixed with other veggies, but I think my absolute favorite way to eat them is sauteed in half butter/half oo and finished with red wine s&p and topping a filet. YUMMERS.
I love mushrooms!
Take a chuck roast and put it in the crock pot.
Dump in a can of beef consume.
Pour in 1/4 bottle of red wine (or more).
Toss in 1 thinly sliced large onion.
Toss in 1/2 c pearl barley.
Toss in as many mushrooms as will fit (2 lbs easily depending on your crock pot. I use a 6 qt.)
Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.
At the end, pull out the meat. Mix in 1/2 – 1 Cup sour cream and 1 Cup frozen peas. The dish will be hot enough to warm the peas through. This is a heavy winter meal. Serve with a nap.
We make our own ravioli filling with mushrooms…..yum!
This is so weird, I found out day before yesterday that you can buy mushroom kits and I have been thinking of getting one. I’m not sure I have a fav mushroom dish, but I love sauteing mushrooms with caramelized onions and either a balsamic or red wine sauce. You can put that little mixture on anything and everything: burgers, polenta, pasta, crostinis, tarts, salads, brie, meat. It all works, and it is all delicious!
I love making mushroom stock. It adds a fantastic flavor to soups and braised dishes without turning off the mushroom-haters.
I love mushrooms (especially freshly-picked chanterelles) sauteed in butter and served on fried bread (also in butter) with a little fleur de sel and pepper. Yum.
sauteed with a little butter and served on a medium rare filet mignon! =)
Carmelized onions, a bit of garlic, and red wine. Then put it on a burger, and I’m in heaven!
My husband loves them simply sautéed with onions.
I also love mushrooms. I love portobello pizzas, mushroom stock in soups to replace beef broth, mushrooms in a stir fry, mushroom gravy, and even raw mushrooms in a salad or dipped in ranch dressing. I made a black bean and mushroom burger that was pretty good, too. I’d like to try it again before the end of summer! http://friediceanddonutholes.blogspot.com/2011/03/black-bean-and-mushroom-burgers.html
Grilled Portabello Pita with Goat Cheese and frest tomatoes. So simple and so yummy!!
I love this recipe from Giada: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/creamy-farfalle-with-cremini-asparagus-and-walnuts-recipe/index.html. So good!
Love mushrooms all ways…raw in salads, sauteed, braised, baked, on a flatbread pizza…!
It would be really cool to grow my own (maybe my husband would eat them, finally)!
I love mushrooms and almost always include them in all of my stir-fries. We also like them in pasta, on pizza…and just about everything else.
homemade pizza (herbed crust) with mushrooms, pancetta, spinach and gorgonzola
mmmm
I honestly cannot think of a “favorite” mushroom dish… they’re all super delicious! Seriously, you could put mushrooms on just about anything and I would eat it and love it. I <3 fungus!
I love putting mushrooms in just about everything, especially pasta. I always have some in the fridge.
Mushroom Curry…ie toast coconut with chilipowder, grind to a paste. Heat pan with oil, add mustard, onions, ginger and garlic. saute, and then add your paste with enough water and then add all your mushrooms. its Delicious!
Wow how cool is that?! I’d LOVE that. My favourite thing to eat with mushrooms is just garlic mushrooms, in buttery garlicky parsley sauce with baguette to soak it up. I pretty much love to put them in anything else too. Pastas especially. Nigella Lawson has a nice lemon mushroom linguine recipe too 🙂
I love mushroom bruschetta, preferably when sauteed with mushrooms, white wine, and a drop of cream!
my favorite thing to eat with mushrooms is a juicy medium rare hamburger SMOTHERED with sauteed mushrooms…DROOL
I will put mushrooms in anything they could possibly go in, but my very favorite way to use them (and my family’s too) would have to be on grilled pizza.
mushroom omelete all the way!
Hello Elly! I love mushrooms anyways but my favorite dish is a mushroom pie!
Cheers!
I love eating mushrooms in my scrambled eggs at breakfast.
They are so delicious and they would be even more amazing if they were naturally grown!
Recently my boyfriend and I made a sausage stew with caramelized onions, beer and mushrooms- it was so delicious!
What a cool thing! I love mushrooms on my pizza.
My favorite is mushroom risotto. Its amazing and delicious. My kids (7 & 1) love it too even though they usually turn their noses up at all things fungus-y. This is the most successful and tasty recipe I’ve tried so far.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/gourmet-mushroom-risotto/detail.aspx
Ohh I love this! Everything about this post…
My hubby LOVES shrooms… And my favorite thing to make is this:
Portobello Parmesan
http://delish-lishie.blogspot.com/2011/02/meaty-vegetarian-feast-portobello.html
I love sauteed mushrooms with my steak!!
We love mushrooms as a salad. Making it could not be simpler.
Slice red onions and mushrooms as thinly as you can.
Apply salt and your favorite vinaigrette.
Chill overnight.
My favorite thing is so simple – saute a mix of cremini and shiitake mushrooms (and other wild ones if I can get them at a good price) in olive oil with garlic, thyme, black pepper and salt. Another favorite dish is this mushroom and rice casserole, so good: http://grabbingthegusto.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/mushroom-rice-casserole-recipe/
I’m a recent lover of mushrooms! I bought a box of mushrooms and made spaghetti and mushrooms and pepperoni pizza with mushrooms. I also like to sautee mushrooms and put them on top of pork chops, chicken, really anything!
Definitely mushroom and goat cheese white lasagna – I also love using dried porcini powder to add flavor to everything…
I love mushrooms in anything. I especially like them in a cream sauce pasta.
I like to make mushroom veggie burgers. They are a great alternative to the real thing and much healthier. Delicious!
Oh, mushrooms… I love mushrooms in Mushroom Burekas! Which is layers of filo dough filled with mashed up mushroom and sliced mushroom and onion. YUM!
I recently made polenta topped with mushrooms and it was SUCH a pleasant surprise! YUMMY!
I love Mushroom Risotto!
butter
1 leek, thinly sliced
garlic
arborio rice
chicken or vegetable stock
mushrooms, sliced (any mushrooms! i used Swiss brown cups, buttons, shiitake)
parmesan cheese
flat-leaf parsley
Cook leek and garlic in butter. add rice and cook dry. at this stage you can add a little white wine if you like and cook it off. add stock one ladle at a time and stir until mostly absorbed. repeat until rice is nearly cooked. add mushrooms with last ladles of stock and stir. when rice is cooked add parmesan & parsley. YUM! 🙂
Fun giveaway! Stuffed mushrooms are my favorite app – especially these – http://cakebatterandbowl.com/mashed-potato-stuffed-mushrooms.html 🙂
I’ve grown mushrooms from a kit before! They taste awesome. I made this with a lot of the homegrown ones. http://kokocooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/pizza-bianca-with-mushrooms.html
i could eat mushroom with EVERYTHING, i love them so much!!! but my favorite dish would be the traditional spinach salad with raw mushrooms and warm bacon dressing – YUM. here’s the recipe I use: http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/salads/vegetable10.htm
of course I add about 4 times as much mushrooms as called for! please enter me in the mushroom box give-away, thanks!
I loooooooove me some caramelized mushrooms over creamy polenta. I’ve been wanting to try a homegrown mushroom kit for awhile now.
I love a sausage/mushroom creamy pasta dish I make and also beef strogonoff.
Parmesan cheese polenta with creamy smoky mushrooms on top. Yum. geniehughes@gmail.com
Roasted mushrooms and onions with goat cheese.
I love to put mushrooms on pizza! I also love them grilled in the summer 🙂
I usually only cook with mushrooms when I’m making stir-fry, traditional beef stroganoff, or sauteed as a topping for burgers. However, I remember my step-dad making something with portobello mushrooms (I’d never seen/eaten them before – I was 14) and I spent the whole night driving my mom crazy talking about how amazing and delicious they were all night. Ever since then… I’ve been hooked!
I love mushrooms in everything. It all tastes better with mushrooms….well except for maybe chocolate chip cookies… But right now, right this instant, my favorite mushroom dish is a giant grilled portabello. Perfect for the end of summer.
I would love to grow my own mushrooms! One of our favorite mushroom recipes is this tofu marsala: http://www.carascravings.com/2010/04/tofu-marsala.html and another is this vegetarian moussaka: http://www.carascravings.com/2010/10/lentil-eggplant-moussaka.html
I love simple roasted mushrooms with lemon and capers. So so delicious!
But mushrooms in miso soup comes in at a close second. The texture of mushrooms in a miso soup is incredible.
Mushroom and goat cheese tarts! Anythyting that involves mushrooms, goat cheese and puff pastry is an A in my book…..
Ohh – I love fresh mushrooms in my salads!!
I love mushrooms in all forms but my favorite dish is my super easy go-to weekly meal: vermicelli with chicken & mushrooms in a white wine sauce. Super delicious and super easy.
Love mushrooms. On pizza, on salads, sauteed in butter and white wine on prime rib. All good.
I put mushrooms in my scrambled eggs with baby spinach and feta in the morning. Yummy way to start the day.
I love to eat mushrooms in lasagna. I chop them up really small and saute them in a little olive oil. They taste so earthy and meaty this way. I’d love to grow my own. Thanks for the chance.
I love mushrooms!! Eat them on anything and everything! Some of my faves are in omlettes, on pizza, or thrown in pasta sauce!!! Yum
I like to put mushrooms in my favorite pesto sauce for some added veggies and serve with pasta.
I am from the South, and it seems everything around here is fried. So you guessed it, my favorite way is fried with a spicy and creamy horseradish dipping sauce ..I can’t seem to grow a garden, so maybe this will make me appear to be a gardener!
mushroom gryere tarts..yum!