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Farm Kitchen:  Mushrooms: To Peel or Not To Peel?  |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 2:40:34 PM
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Hi girls!
Okay - so, yesterday I was prepping a HUGE bowl of mushrooms for the freezer. As I stood there peeling them, in utter disdain over the sticky pieces of mushroom skin on my fingers (not to mention the little chunks of mushroom that sometimes came off with them), I realized I have absolutely no idea why I even do this! I suddenly remembered a conversation from years ago between my aunt and her friend while we were preparing mushrooms for my cousin's wedding. One said that it was shamefully wasteful and ridiculous to peel the mushrooms, and that she had never heard of such a thing! The other insisted that her family had done this for generations and to not do so was simply unsanitary. Long story short, we had an interesting looking blend of mushrooms in the bowl when all was said and done.
Now I know plenty of people who don't peel their mushrooms and continue to live long, healthy lives. Personally, I intensely dislike this chore because it's so messy and sometimes even a little slimy. I suppose I just peel them because my mother always did, as did her mother before that, and her mother before that - it's probably a generational thing. But I have no clue as to why we do it, exactly. Is it even necessary?
So, for those of you out there who do peel your mushrooms - why do we do this? And for those of you who don't - why don't you? And, I guess I'd really like to know what, exactly, IS the proper way to prepare a fresh mushroom?
To peel or not to peel? - That is my question!
Thank you! - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4741 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4741 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 3:28:08 PM
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I never peel! I love the whole mushroom, even the stems. I have always seen on cooking shows and read in cook books that you can just wipe or wash them off quickly and they are just fine.
I'll be curious to see why some people do peel them. Have fun finding out why!
Dawn in IL |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 3:31:55 PM
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I never even knew mushrooms had peels! 
Audrey
Toto, we're not in Kansas any more! |
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woolgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
901 Posts
Elizabeth
Great Lakes
IL
USA
901 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 3:42:10 PM
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lol Audrey! I was thinking the same thing, but didn't want to be the only one!
Farmgirl #1947 |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 4:06:37 PM
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LOL! Audrey, you cracked me up! Don't feel bad, girls... maybe it's just an old New England thing!? :)
You're right, Dawn - now that you mention it, I've seen that, too! Yet I can still envision my Grandma slowly shaking her head, her eyebrows raised over her glasses, and her tongue tsk tsk tsk-ing away...
This oughtta be interesting and fun, indeed!
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 4:12:46 PM
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I also didn't know mushrooms had peels. Where are they? I just wipe off the tops if they have dirt on them. I have heard you are not even supposed to get mushrooms wet unless they will be in soups or sauces. If in salads you don't want a wet mushroom because they will get slimy. Very interesting.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 6:11:47 PM
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Hi Kristin! If you look at the underside of the mushroom, right where the top meets the stem, that's where the peel is - it meets the stem. If you slightly put pressure on it (or it may already be separated, and you'll see the peel kind of hanging a little), you can start peeling that loose part back. You do that all around the mushroom top until all of that layer is removed. :) I can't believe I'm the only one who does this! LOL! I'm starting to get a complex! LOL!
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 6:36:47 PM
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| I just wash them with my cute little mushroom-shaped wooden mushroom brush. It has really soft bristles and cleans them well. I think if I had to peel them, we'd never have mushrooms - LOL |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 8:41:13 PM
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Susan - 'Guess I'd better get myself a brush! This could be very liberating for me! ;)
And Alee - well, it's at least a relief that somebody else knows that they're peel-able! LOL!
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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Ingrid
True Blue Farmgirl
432 Posts
Ingrid
BC
Canada
432 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2010 : 08:13:10 AM
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I only peel them if the outside is going brown because they do seem to bruise a bit sometimes. Other than that I just wash them. Think of the time you can save by not peeling.
Give thanks to yourself everyday for all the wonderful things you do! |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2010 : 08:18:20 AM
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Thank you, Ingrid! Believe me, I want to give this up - it's yucky and you're right it does take time!
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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forgetmenot
True Blue Farmgirl
3602 Posts
Judith
Nora Springs
IA
USA
3602 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 09:30:32 AM
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I've always just wiped mine with a soft towel. However, this reminds me of the story of the young housewife whose husband asked her why she always cut the ends off a roast and cooked them in a separate pan. She replied that her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother did it that way. They were excellent cooks. So, she followed the same method. One day she asked her great-grandmother about that recipe. Great-grandmother smiled, told the young woman that her roaster was too small for a large roast. :) Maybe greatgrandmother's mushroom wasn't as attractive as she would have liked, so not to waste it, she peeled it.
However you fix them, mushrooms are yummy!
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the belief that something is more important than fear." Ambrose Red Moon |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 10:40:22 AM
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LOL! That's probably true, Judith! LOL! GREAT story! Thank you! Loved it! :)
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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36paws20hooves
True Blue Farmgirl
161 Posts
Danielle
Weirsdale
Florida
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 2:29:05 PM
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Well, I have heard of peeling oranges and peeling onions... but this is the first I have EVER heard of peeling mushrooms. LOL! Man that has got to be a pain! I just wash or wipe mine off. Nini, what are you going to do with all that extra time you are going to have?
I'm so busy I don't know if I just found a rope or lost my horse! |
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MerryHeartSister
True Blue Farmgirl
158 Posts
Christy
Tuscaloosa
Alabama
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 2:45:36 PM
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I buy cases of portabellas. I use a knitted dishcloth slightly damp to wipe off the dirt and then chop them up stems and all. Never heard of peeling mushrooms.
Farmgirl #1951
Home is a gift that should be opened every day. |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 2:59:28 PM
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Danielle - I'll probably be peelin' onions! LOL! It is a pain... I'm feeling very liberated by this post. Maybe I'll buy a new box on 'shrooms tomorrow just to walk a little on the wild side! LOL!!
I can't believe nobody has really ever heard of this! LOL! I can't wait to tell my Mom! :)
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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minnie
Farmgirl in Training
28 Posts
minnie
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 3:46:05 PM
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| my goodness girls, peeling mushrooms, whats this world coming to? I never heard of such a thing, I always rinsed most of the dirt off them and put them in what ever I was cooking at the time, or just straight into my mouth. |
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Red Headed Farm Girl
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Mary
CA
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2010 : 4:00:34 PM
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Wow, I have never heard of peeling mushrooms either !!
One day in the grocery store an elderly lady told me to put them in cold water with salt and the dirt and grime would come right off. I tried it and she was right.
I had been taught to never get the mushroom wet only wipe with a wet cloth which takes a long time to get clean mushrooms. I do this even for salad mushrooms but, I do let them drain before cutting them.
Farmgirl Sister# 1975
"In quietness and confidence shall be your strength."
Isaiah 30:15 |
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monicarose
True Blue Farmgirl
406 Posts
Monica
Florida
USA
406 Posts |
Posted - Aug 25 2010 : 06:49:00 AM
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well this old farmgirl...washes her mushrooms to get all the dirt and bacteria off(they do grow in poo you know)...and then set them to dry...then they aren't slimy!
you're making me hungry!
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Aug 25 2010 : 10:41:41 AM
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Wow - I never even heard of peeling mushrooms! Very interesting but I think I will keep eating them whole - they are too expensive to waste lol.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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Leilaht
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Elizabeth
Highland
MI
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 2:10:49 PM
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I didn't know mushrooms had peels! But then again, I don't like mushrooms so I don't cook with them. Nasty fungus! We always picked morels as a kid, but they definitely don't have a peel. They don't grow in poo either!
Liz
Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Proverbs 31:25 |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 3:04:58 PM
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LOL! Geez, Liz - now that you put it that way, I'm not so sure I want to eat them at all! LOL! You're too funny!
Thanks so much, I needed a good giggle!
- Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 4:52:37 PM
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This is a funny topic. I never knew to peel mushrooms until I saw my Polish aunt preparing some. She peeled them, and I watched in disgust as I thought of how I ate them 'unpeeled' all this time. So, now I peel them. ;) I don't mind. I don't eat them all that often, and they look so pretty all peeled.
"The ideal equestrian has the courage of a lion, the patience of a saint, and the hands of a woman."
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 5:17:44 PM
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THANK YOU, MOLLY!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!!
I just got an email back from my sister today, and she said, "Of COURSE I peel my mushrooms... why on earth do you ask?" Ugh... So I asked her to please explain why the heck we do it, when absolutely no one else in the world seems to even know about it. I'm waiting for her to respond (we live very far away from each other).
Do you have any idea why your aunt peeled them?
You're right, though - they don't look slimy when they're peeled... I kind of like that aspect of the peeling! :) At least, when they're on a salad, they do look a little better and they don't feel so slimy in your mouth. But maybe when cooking it's just not necessary... Well, actually, according to the rest of the girls, it's not only NOT necessary, it's unheard of! LOL! Maybe I'll just peel when we're eating raw, and leave unpeeled when they're going to be cooked. :)
Thanks again for making me feel better, Molly... And thanks to everyone else for helping me to see the error of my ways! I feel so liberated! :)
I still would like to know where the heck this whole tradition comes from, and if there is any real wisdom in so doing.
I'll be sure to keep you all posted! :)
Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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Kirksmom71
True Blue Farmgirl
873 Posts
Mel
Dallas
Texas
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - Sep 01 2010 : 6:28:24 PM
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Peel Mushrooms??????? I must confess that seems like the most bizarre thing I have ever heard. But then again I haven't heard everything! :)My Grandpa foraged for wild mushrooms all the time but never did my Grandma peel one. All families have thier own lil quirks, you do what you know, right? But Nini I think ya may save a lotta time if you just dust off those lil buggers.
My best to all,
Mel
Sassy City Girl with Farmgirl Fantasies! |
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Farm Kitchen: Mushrooms: To Peel or Not To Peel? |
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Mushrooms: To Peel or Not To Peel?
