On 17 Feb 2005 04:13:59 -0800, "Jude" > wrote:

>Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb water,
>but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of pesticides.
>I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get them
>clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel and
>it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
>
>How do you clean them well enough without water?
>
>ps, they were for a yummy veggie stroganoff.......like beef stroganoff
>but with chunks of veggieburger as the beef, served over noodles, with
>steamed artichokes and garlic butter, and a spinach/ dried cherry /
>toasted almond / mandarin orange / avocado / waterchestnut salad with
>homemade honey mustard dressing.

I brush them off with a very fine-brisyled brush made for that
purpose.


Rodney Myrvaagnes Opionated old geezer

Faith-based economics: It's deja voodoo all over again

On 17 Feb 2005 04:13:59 -0800, "Jude" >
wrote:

> Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb water,
> but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of pesticides.
> I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get them
> clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel and
> it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
>
> How do you clean them well enough without water?
>
> ps, they were for a yummy veggie stroganoff.......like beef stroganoff
> but with chunks of veggieburger as the beef, served over noodles, with
> steamed artichokes and garlic butter, and a spinach/ dried cherry /
> toasted almond / mandarin orange / avocado / waterchestnut salad with
> homemade honey mustard dressing.

My daughter cleans them the waterless way, but I have
absolutely no patience for that. Most (all) of my mushroom
recipes call for additional liquid, so I don't care if they
absorb a little water or not. I don't "soak" them in the
water, but I do put them in a bowl filled with water and
swish them quickly to remove all the gunk.


sf

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 12:52:55 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

> You can get a special mushroom brush. It has soft bristles and works quite
> well.

I had one of those years ago. What a PITB and they ended up
with ridges. Not a pretty sight.

sf

In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
>
> > Most people reserve predator (cat and dog) manure for flower beds
> > supposedly because of disease transmission, but predator manure is
> > usually _much_ higher in nitrogen than horse, cow or chicken manure so
> > it's best to compost it for about a year before using it.
>
> I have read that dog and cat crap should not be used in vegetable gardens due
> to
> parasites, and the instructions that came with my composter said not top put
> them in
> the composter. Pity. I have two large dogs. I could fertilize a small farm
> :-)

There is nothing wrong with using dog and cat crap for landscaping and
non-edible plants... No need for a composter! Just put it in a 5 gallon
bucket. All of the dog crap composts in that bucket (wetted) with no
odor in about 3 to 4 weeks. I then dump it on the muscadine grape vines
and honeysuckles around the periphery of the yard mixed with soil.

I don't even bother picking muscadine grapes anymore! I let the wild
birds have them.

You could, if you want, purchase or create a separate composter just for
your dog's crap. Just DON'T put scoopable cat litter in there!!! I clean
out the poop and toss the litter :-P It makes a nasty, sticky, slimy mud
if you try to use it. Dad dumped some used once in one area, and I had
to shovel it into a large trash bag and throw it away. I don't save any
of the cat's stuff at all due to that litter now. All cat mess gets
sacked and tossed.

We did used to compost it when we used the old clay cat litter. That's
ok for composting. The old herb garden that is now full of english ivy,
and gnome and fairy statues has a lot of clay cat litter in it, and it's
kept the soil very loose and diggable. I just put some flower bulbs in
there now, and the ivy growth is dense due to the fertilizer.

The herbs have been relocated to clean soil on the West side of the
house. ;-)


>
>
> > Heck, I like them raw dipped in ranch dressing.
>
> That's good. I like them even more with blue cheese dressing. I especially
> like raw
> mushrooms in a salad with chick peas, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing.

Sounds almost good, but I'll pass on chick peas! <G> Just a personal
preference...

Might add some sunflower sprouts tho'!

Kat

>
>
>
>

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles
tend to get caught between the ears causing truth decay- so be sure
to use mental floss twice a day. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article >,
Priscilla Ballou > wrote:

> In article >,
> Katra > wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > Dave Smith > wrote:
>
> > > You and I know that, but some people just can't get over that, sterilized
> > > or not, it is shit.
> >
> > True... but as I said in my last post, most veggies, especially organic
> > veggies, are also grown in composted animal shit! Usually from
> > vegetarian mammals. We discuss this kind of stuff on the gardening lists
> > all the time.
>
> When I bought my house 6 years ago and started my organic vegie
> gardening "career" I had a source for "zoo doo." A local
> soil/compost/etc. company had a contract with the local zoo for all the
> herbivore manure, which they then composted. So I was gardening with
> gazelle and giraffe manure! No elephants', I'm afraid.

Mmm, too bad. :-)
I've heard that Elephant manure is some of the best fertilizer on the
planet!

>
> > Most people reserve predator (cat and dog) manure for flower beds
> > supposedly because of disease transmission, but predator manure is
> > usually _much_ higher in nitrogen than horse, cow or chicken manure so
> > it's best to compost it for about a year before using it.
>
> The colony of feral cats which I and my neighbors help support doesn't
> pay any heed to whether the bed they're using as a litter box is growing
> vegies or flowers, I'm afraid. To a cat, I think any raised bed *is* a
> litter box.

<grins> too true!

>
> If there were an easy way to attract them to a non-cultivated bit of my
> yard, I might do it, though. I wonder if dumping some of my indoor
> cats' used litter in a spot would attract the other cats to use that
> area or repell them. Hmmmm.
>
> Priscilla

Easy. Seriously, plant a nice bed of catnip/catmint plants!
Valerian attracts them too.

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles
tend to get caught between the ears causing truth decay- so be sure
to use mental floss twice a day. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article >,
Priscilla Ballou > wrote:

> In article >,
> Dave Smith > wrote:
>
> > > Heck, I like them raw dipped in ranch dressing.
> >
> > That's good. I like them even more with blue cheese dressing. I especially
> > like raw
> > mushrooms in a salad with chick peas, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing.
>
> I adore cooked mushrooms, but for some reason I don't care for raw ones.
> Odd, I know.
>
> Priscilla

Not odd... :-)
To each their own taste!

Kinda like some of the old discussions on Cilantro.
A lot of people love it, but many folks can't stand it!
I hate Cilantro, both my parents like it!
Mom also adored Arugala. I could not even stand the smell...

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles
tend to get caught between the ears causing truth decay- so be sure
to use mental floss twice a day. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

In article .com>,
"Jude" > wrote:

> Whew! Didn't expect QUITE such a huge response....this is one active
> newsgroup!

<lol> no kidding! :-)
Mushrooms tend to be one of those things you either love or hate!

Some people are mushroom fanatics. I've personally been experimenting,
learning more about growing and cooking them, and trying different
types. There are really cool dried ones at our Oriental market in
Austin, and Central market carries a variety of fresh ones in season.

I'm trying to learn more about them, but some fresh ones are up to
$50.00 per lb.!!!

>
> I know some mushrooms are grown in manure, but I was under the
> impression that commercial white button mushrooms were grown in a
> different composted material, so I'm not too worried about that. Mostly
> I don't like the huge clods of dirt that fall into my dinner.

That is why I wash them under running water in the sink. ;-) It's no big
deal, at least to me!

>
> Thanks for all the advice....I've now got about 18 different ways to
> try cleaning my mushrooms next time I cook!

Have fun and be sure to report!!!

>

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles
tend to get caught between the ears causing truth decay- so be sure
to use mental floss twice a day. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Jude wrote:
> Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb
water,
> but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of
pesticides.
> I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get them
> clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel
and
> it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
>
> How do you clean them well enough without water?

I wash them with water and then dry them with a paper towel, removing
the poop. DH peels them, which drives me *insane*

-L.

I worked in a mushroom plant, picking and grading....they are grown
in straw and manure.....I would wash mine if I were using them. The
white mushrooms would be my choice....they at least show where the dirt
may be hiding.....Sharon

Jude wrote:
>
> Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb water,
> but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of pesticides.
> I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get them
> clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel and
> it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
>
> How do you clean them well enough without water?
>
> ps, they were for a yummy veggie stroganoff.......like beef stroganoff
> but with chunks of veggieburger as the beef, served over noodles, with
> steamed artichokes and garlic butter, and a spinach/ dried cherry /
> toasted almond / mandarin orange / avocado / waterchestnut salad with
> homemade honey mustard dressing.

In article >, Julia Altshuler > wrote:
>Phred wrote:
>
>> Dunno about pesticides, but they grow 'em in crap.
>
>Do they really? I thought mushrooms were grown in decaying vegetable
>matter, sort of like the way seeds sometimes grow in the compost heap (a
>compost heap of only garden clippings and no animal products whatsoever).

Sorry to disillusion you. Fair bit of animal dung in most of that
compost for commercial production.


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

In article >, Katra > wrote:
>In article >,
> cathy > wrote:
>
>> On 17 Feb 2005 04:13:59 -0800, "Jude" > wrote:
>>
>> >Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb water,
>> >but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of pesticides.
>> >I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get them
>> >clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel and
>> >it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
>> >
>> >How do you clean them well enough without water?
>> >
>> >ps, they were for a yummy veggie stroganoff.......like beef stroganoff
>> >but with chunks of veggieburger as the beef, served over noodles, with
>> >steamed artichokes and garlic butter, and a spinach/ dried cherry /
>> >toasted almond / mandarin orange / avocado / waterchestnut salad with
>> >homemade honey mustard dressing.
>>
>> I don't care what "they" say, I dont' want dirt or grit in my food, so
>> I wash my mushrooms. I usually do it right before preparation, so they
>> don't sit in water, and I allow just enough time for them to dry
>> before they get sliced or chopped or whatever and tossed into the pan.
>> I have never yet had "soggy" mushrooms, or had a problem with excess
>> water from mushrooms ruining a dish.
>
>You will never find "grit" in mushrooms.

Never? Depends where you find 'em. The ones I *prefer* are the wild
ones that spring up around the yard when weather conditions are
suitable. Much more flavour than the commercial ones -- but they can
be a bit gritty, depending on the soil type you find them on.

>The compost they are grown in is normally dirt free...

Yeah. Just full of sh*t. ;-)


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

> cathy wrote:
>
> It's not grit. It's shit. One of the local mushroom growers has a
contract
> with the race track for all the straw and manure from the stables and
trucks
> it to their farm operation. I don't know what they do to sterilize
it.

Then you'd best not eat any vegetables, because the organic matter
portion of ALL soil does indeed contain lots of composted SHIT... does
a rabbit shit in the woods... WTF do you think dairy farmers do with
all that cow crap, it's composted and turned back into the soil. And
don't ever eat any seafood... 'cause they all shit where they eat. In
fact if not for shit there'd be nothing to eat, the planet would be as
devoid of nutrients as is your brain of intelligence... what a MORON
you are.

-L. wrote:
> Jude wrote:
> > Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb
> water,
> > but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of
> pesticides.
> > I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get
them
> > clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel
> and
> > it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
> >
> > How do you clean them well enough without water?
>
> I wash them with water and then dry them with a paper towel, removing
> the poop. DH peels them, which drives me *insane*

See there... and yoose thought I was just kidding about serial killer
psychosis.

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
>
> >
> > Not convinced mushroom growing medium is full of pesticides though. It
> > is sterilised prior to use, which would break down most pesticides.
>
> Actually, it is a biochemical process that deals with the pesticides in the
> previous level of the food chain. A lot of the basic components of the
> "growing medium" is hay, grass, grains, feed and whatever else the horse
> ate. Most of the rest of it is the straw bedding from the stalls. The first
> step of the "growing medium" retrieval is called "mucking out" in stable
> talk..... cleaning stalls. It is trucked away to the mushroom farms where it
> is composted and, as some have indicated, sterilized in autoclaves.

But there still can be residues and unmetabolised pesticides which the
sterilisation would inactivate.

Arri London wrote:

>
> > Actually, it is a biochemical process that deals with the pesticides in the
> > previous level of the food chain. A lot of the basic components of the
> > "growing medium" is hay, grass, grains, feed and whatever else the horse
> > ate. Most of the rest of it is the straw bedding from the stalls. The first
> > step of the "growing medium" retrieval is called "mucking out" in stable
> > talk..... cleaning stalls. It is trucked away to the mushroom farms where it
> > is composted and, as some have indicated, sterilized in autoclaves.
>
> But there still can be residues and unmetabolised pesticides which the
> sterilisation would inactivate.

What pesticides? The original food was grass, hay, grains and feed. They don't use
pesticides on hay and fodder crops. They don't use pesticides on grain except soon
after germination. Animal feed is usually pretty clear of pesticides. Straw is
the chaff from grain crops, so the amount of residual pesticides is pretty close to
zero. AFAIAC, pesticide residue in mushroom growing medium is pretty much a non
issue.

Yes they are composted and sterilized....there is no odor to the soil,
but it remains that the material is still.....straw and manure and I
always wash my mushrooms. There are no pesticides added at the mushroom
plant.

Sheldon wrote:
>
> biig wrote:
> > I worked in a mushroom plant, picking and grading....they are grown
> > in straw and manure.....I would wash mine if I were using them.
>
> You may have worked at a mushroom farm, but like mushrooms you are also
> in the dark and full of horseshit. Mushroom medium is COMPOSTED, to
> the point where it is no longer straw and horseshit.
>
> Go he http://www.mushroomcouncil.org/production/sixsteps.htm

In article . com>,
"Jude" > wrote:

> Thye say not to wash them necasue they get all soggy and absorb water,
> but they are always so dirty and i know the dirt is full of pesticides.
> I've been told to brush the dirt off but it;s hard to really get them
> clean that wasy. Last night I tried rubbing them with a paper towel and
> it got the big chunks of dirt but rubbed in some of it as well.
>
> How do you clean them well enough without water?
>
> ps, they were for a yummy veggie stroganoff.......like beef stroganoff
> but with chunks of veggieburger as the beef, served over noodles, with
> steamed artichokes and garlic butter, and a spinach/ dried cherry /
> toasted almond / mandarin orange / avocado / waterchestnut salad with
> homemade honey mustard dressing.

I wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. This method works fine,
its easy, and it avoids the problem of having the mushrooms absorb water.

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
>
> >
> > > Actually, it is a biochemical process that deals with the pesticides in the
> > > previous level of the food chain. A lot of the basic components of the
> > > "growing medium" is hay, grass, grains, feed and whatever else the horse
> > > ate. Most of the rest of it is the straw bedding from the stalls. The first
> > > step of the "growing medium" retrieval is called "mucking out" in stable
> > > talk..... cleaning stalls. It is trucked away to the mushroom farms where it
> > > is composted and, as some have indicated, sterilized in autoclaves.
> >
> > But there still can be residues and unmetabolised pesticides which the
> > sterilisation would inactivate.
>
> What pesticides? The original food was grass, hay, grains and feed. They don't use
> pesticides on hay and fodder crops.

Perhaps not in your part of the US. But I've seen crop dusters spraying
hay fields locally. It certainly wasn't water or fertiliser; I've lived
on farms before LOL!

They don't use pesticides on grain except soon
> after germination.

Which is probably about the worst time to spray if one is trying to
avoid accumulation.

Animal feed is usually pretty clear of pesticides. Straw is
> the chaff from grain crops, so the amount of residual pesticides is pretty close to
> zero. AFAIAC, pesticide residue in mushroom growing medium is pretty much a non
> issue.

Perhaps perhaps not. Since crops are rotated, residues can be picked up
from fields which have been sprayed. It is probably a non issue but not
necessarily because spraying doesn't happen ...