A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. Many species of mushrooms seemingly appear overnight – growing or expanding rapidly. This observation is the source of English idioms to mushroom, mushrooming, and to pop up like a mushroom. All mushrooms need many days to generate their fruiting body through the rapid absorption of fluid.
Some species are editable, being neither meat or vegetable. Mushrooms are often prepared in the similar manor as meat while consumed as a vegetable. They are a good source of B vitamins and minerals such as copper, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc.
In nature, mushrooms are a source of rejuvenation. They play a key role in recycling nutrients. Without fungi, fallen trees would sit around for ages without rotting into the soil. When you see mushrooms, you are seeing a minor portion of the of fungus that is at work below the surface. Many of the common mushrooms are production facilities focused on the task of creating soil. Without fungi, we would have no forests.
