Shiitake mushrooms are a highly regarded herbal remedy in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. Once called the “Elixir of Life” and reserved only for Emperors, these healing mushrooms are now delivered to your doorstep!

Shiitake are rich in vitamin B, helping you to manage stress and mood swings. Shiitake are anti-inflammatory and are used in treating the inflammation contributing to cardio vascular disease, allergies, and arthritis. If you have arthritis, consider making shiitake a regular part of your diet. If you have high blood pressure, eat more mushrooms!

Shiitake mushrooms are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and help to keep your immune system strong. They are the perfect food for the cold and flu season. With the current crisis in bacteria antibiotic resistance, building your immune system is a good thing. Use your food to stay well and stay off antibiotics. If someone around you is coughing, add shiitake to your meal or drink shiitake tea.

If you are prone to allergies, continue eating shiitake as spring approaches. They help reduce the inflammatory response that is so miserable with spring allergies. Eat them in your food and also start making shiitake tea a couple times a week.

The Japanese have been studying the anti-tumor effects of shiitake since the 1960’s. Shiitake mushrooms are shown to have multiple nutrients that help slow, stop or reverse the pathological process of cancer development. One of the best selling anti-cancer drugs in Europe and Japan is derived from shiitake. Less than half of cancer patients in Japan receive chemotherapy and radiation. They use mushrooms extensively in cancer treatments.

Shiitake is one of many medicinal mushrooms that are being used extensively in working with cancer and other chronic diseases. Shiitake is more readily available and is less expensive than some of the other medicinal mushrooms, so take advantage of it. By the way, they also taste great! They store best in a brown paper bag in the fridge. 

Shiitake Scrambled Eggs

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped greens from your box (chard, kale or spinach)
• 1 clove minced garlic

Warm the coconut oil in a skillet, add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about two minutes. Add the greens and cook just enough to wilt them and then add the eggs and cook on low heat until light and fluffy. I love this breakfast!

Shiitake Tea

• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chopped shiitake mushrooms

Put water and mushrooms in a pot and simmer on lowest heat for one half hour or until liquid is one half of its original volume. Strain the mushrooms out and enjoy your longevity elixir!

Shiitake Tacos

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
• Corn tortillas

Sautee onions, garlic and shiitake in olive oil until tender. Warm up corn tortillas and fill with mushroom mixture. Garnish with lettuce, cilantro, lime and whatever else you like in your tacos.

The shiitake are so meaty that they taste great almost by themselves in tacos.

About the Gardener

Farm Fresh To You presents the Herb Garden by Kami McBride.  Farm Fresh To You provides delivery of organic, seasonal fruits, vegetables and greens right to your door. Every week the Farm Fresh to You family farm, Capay Organic, puts together a box of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and greens and delivers the box directly to your home.