Friday 16 November 2007

But beat this for extravagance!!

From the Bangkok Nation November 16th 2007


Air Force to probe 'mushrooms flight'


The Royal Thai Air Force will investigate allegations that a helicopter crew used their aircraft to collect wild mushrooms from a relative in Kanchanaburi, a deputy spokesman for the service said.

Group Captain Monthol Satchukorn said the Air Force had set up a committee to investigate allegations the flight crew, from unit 2034 at the Kamphaeng Saen Aviation School in Nakhon Pathom, abused their position to go on the unorthodox mission.

He said the unit, whose main responsibility is search and rescue, often did practice missions to designated training zones in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and parts of Kanchanaburi.

At the time of the alleged mushroom incident, the helicopter crew was undergoing flying and landing training in Kanchanaburi. Monthol said the probe committee would find out if the pilots abandoned their helicopter to collect the mushrooms as alleged. If the flight crew members were found to have broken the rules, they would be punished according to the degree of wrongdoing, he said.

The case emerged after a resident of Tambon Nong Khao in Kanchanaburi's Than Muang district, who asked not to be named, filed a complaint with three photos of the mushroom pick-up to a Thai newspaper on Wednesday, saying officials use the state helicopter for inappropriate activity.

The resident claimed the helicopter circled around the area for 10 minutes on Tuesday morning before landing in a ricefield near Wat Nong Khao.

Villagers to rush to help, believing the crew had been forced to land there.

Five uniformed officials got out of the helicopter followed by two pilots, one of whom explained to villagers he was a pilot training at Kamphaeng Saen Aviation School.

Two days earlier, his mother phoned to get him to collect mushrooms at his home in Tambon Nong Khao, he told villagers. And as they flew the helicopter by the area he had landed to collect them from his mother.

The resident said the group then boarded a pick-up and drove off, leaving the helicopter unguarded - till then came back an hour later.

One of the photos submitted to the paper showed officials on the back of a pick-up going away from the helicopter amid a crowd of onlookers.

Saturday 10 November 2007

Bagel Sir? That'll be $1000 Sir!

If you've ever been to New York you'll be familiar with the famous NY Bagel shops. And the traditional order for many locals is a 'Bagel and a Schmear' which is a fresh bagel with cream cheese.

But the States being what it is, it has to create something bigger and better and so chef Frank Tujague has now created what just may be the ultimate topping for New Yorkers' Sunday brunch favourite - the $1,000 Bagel and a Schmear.

And what makes it so expensive? Yup - its the humble fungus! Because this $1,000 bagel topping contains Alba White Truffle and cream cheese.

The truffle - a mushroom-related fungus that grows underground - costs $4,000 a pound. "White truffles are a simple, quality ingredient that takes the meal - or the bagel in this case - to the next level," the chef says.

The Chef then infuses his truffle cream cheese with goji berry - to make it healthy, apparently. And to make the point that this is one decadent meal, he tops off his creation with edible gold leaves.

Well if you ever come to Wild About Mushrooms, we can create a similar Bagel for you - but we prefer to use Philadelphia with a sprinkling of chopped Morels.

And you can have that for £1.25!!

Thursday 8 November 2007

Don't say you weren't warned!

We all know that mushrooms are the finest food in the world - but we also know that you need to be extremely careful about eating fungus.

Especially if you're unsure of the variety.

And even more especially if you're told the fungus is poisonous!

I found this report from the Spanish press:

A 45 year old man from Fuentes de León in Badajoz, José Manuel Hidalgo, ate some mushrooms to show they were not poisonous, and ended up in intensive care.

It happened last Sunday during an open day being held in the village, which had been proceeded by a day of mushroom collecting and display.

The victim got into an argument with other locals as to how lethal wild mushrooms could be, with a poster warning that as little as 20 grams could be fatal. José Manuel did not believe it, and suddenly to prove his point, started to eat the ‘amanita phalloides’ mushroom. On the second bite he showed symptoms of being drunk, and continued to claim the mushroom was not fatal.

An ambulance was called but it took considerable argument before the patient finally agreed to be taken to hospital in Zafra, Badajoz. By this time he had turned yellow and started to vomit.

He spent two days in the intensive care unit, and finally was allowed out onto the ward on Tuesday afternoon amid concerns that his liver may have suffered permanent damage.

So there you go - if your pals say 'No!' they're probably right!

Wednesday 7 November 2007

It's official!

You know it and I know it.

But now it's official. Mushrooms are officially very good for you.

According to scientists, there are five foods that should have a place in your diet. Now, OK, the first four are slightly off the wall and very American - but, hey, nobody ever went bust by underestimating the taste of our friends from across the pond! The first four are - wait for it - peanut butter, eggs, coffee and avocados. But there at number 5 is our fave - the humble mushroom!

The misconception is that mushrooms are a low-calorie food with little nutritional benefit. But whilst they may be 90 percent water and have only 18 calories per cup, mushrooms are now getting serious scientific attention. Laboratory reports and animal studies show that compounds in mushrooms may do everything from bolster immune function to suppress breast and prostate cancers to decrease tumor size. And now, American researchers find that mushrooms, from the humble button to the giant portobello, harbour large amounts of an antioxidant called L-ergothioneine. The scientific buzz is that fungi, for the moment, are the only foods that contain this compound.

While scientists work to figure out how these findings will translate to dietary advice, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy mushrooms. Clare Hasler, Ph.D., a well-known expert in functional foods and executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis, points out that mushrooms offer a healthy helping of the blood pressure-lowering mineral potassium. "Most people might be surprised to learn that while orange juice is touted as one of the highest potassium foods, one medium portobello mushroom actually has more potassium," she says. "And five white button mushrooms have more potassium than an orange".

So there you go - it must be true!!

Monday 5 November 2007

Oh No!!

According to the Daily Mail - so it must be true - mushroom lovers could be without their favourite food this autumn because the forest floors are fungi free.

Professional pickers are struggling to find any varieties this season, which is usually the best time for collecting them. The warm, dry spring, wet summer and a dry autumn has led to a dearth of mushrooms, and mycologists and pickers have little to excite them.

Imports have also been hit by the unusual weather and mushrooms the world over are growing at the "wrong" time of the year.

Well don't you worry - I know exactly where to find mushrooms.

Have a look here.