Pennsylvania’s number one cash crop will be on full display at the 2022 PA Farm Show, January 8-15, in Harrisburg, PA, including a NEW, tasty and savory mushroom offering, the “Shredded Port Nachos,” plus so much more! ‘Harvesting More’ is the theme of the 2022 Show, and that’s exactly what you’ll find—more mushrooms! There’s a lot to love about mushrooms, including:
More Education
Ever wonder how mushrooms are grown? Visit the Mushroom Booth area, where you’ll be able to walk through the life cycle of a mushroom, from the compost wharf to the kitchen table. Along the way, there will be interactive experiences, including a live mushroom growing display and information on the composting process, mushroom varieties, ways to use mushrooms in the kitchen, and more. Researchers from Penn State will also be on hand with microscopes and more where visitors can learn about the science behind mushrooms.
More Innovation
Once you learn how mushrooms grow, make sure to visit the Mushroom Food Booth where you can not only find your mushroom favorites, but you can try something new!
- NEW! Shredded Port Nachos: These are ‘nacho’ father’s nachos! This super snack includes 100% shredded Portabella mushrooms in a tangy barbeque sauce topped on crispy tortilla chips with cheese and drizzled with sour cream. No meat. No soy. All flavor!
- NEW! Portabella Jerky: What happens when one of the planet’s most sustainable foods is paired with the most bold, authentic flavor? A hand-crafted Portabella mushroom jerky snack packed with nutrients and bursting with savory umami flavor.
- Original Breaded Mushrooms: The best-selling mushroom item since 1978, with more than 6000 pounds prepared annually, the Original Breaded Mushroom are crispy, whole white mushrooms breaded in 100% vegetable oil, and served with either ketchup or ranch dressings on the side.
- JUICY Blended Mushroom Burger: VOTED #1 BEST food at Farm Show 2019, the Blended Mushroom burger is a national trend that has consumers blending everything from burgers, tacos, meatloaf and more with their favorite mushroom. A mix of 70% ground beef and 30% chopped mushroom, topped with American cheese on a roll served with lettuce, tomato and onion on the side.
- RoRo’s Mushroom Salad: A longtime favorite, this 100% gluten free, vegetarian option is a bowl full of marinated mushrooms with chopped onion, celery, carrots and olives in olive oil and vinegar seasoned with salt, pepper and parsley.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: Loaded with mushrooms made with real milk, butter, onions, vegetable broth, and seasonings, this soup is the quintessential mushroom dish.
More Nutrition
Did you know one Portabella mushroom has more Potassium than a medium size banana? Mushrooms are a superfood; filled with a host of vitamins and minerals, have little to none of the things you don’t want like calories, fat, sugar, salt, or gluten. Back at the Mushroom Booth, walk through the kitchen to learn the benefits of mushrooms, the varieties, how to cook them, and much more.
More Opportunity
Chances are, if you eat mushrooms on your pizza, in your salads, or in your burgers, they are Pennsylvania grown. In fact, nearly 60 percent of all mushrooms grown and harvested in the U.S. are done right here in Pennsylvania. The industry is an economic engine in the state, with a total annual economic impact of more than $1.1 billion and supporting more than 9,300 people and more than $313 million in wages each year.
The PA mushroom industry is made up of a host of people who love what they do. Make sure to visit ‘The People Behind the Product,’ a photo series to showcase the diversity of people and jobs in the industry and ‘You Have a Place Here,’ video where members of the mushroom industry talk about why they love what they do.
“The Farm Show is such a unique event. Visitors are able to immerse themselves in the mushroom industry—learning how mushrooms grow, seeing and touching them in the interactive Mushroom Booth, and of course, tasting them in a variety of delicious dishes at the Mushroom Food Booth,” said President, Mushroom Farmers of PA Rachel Roberts.
The PA Farm Show is the largest indoor agriculture exposition under one room in the country. The event showcases the quality and breadth of PA’s agriculture industry and the people who make it thrive.
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Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania (MFPA), headquartered in Avondale, Pennsylvania, is a state-wide, voluntary group representing the growers, processors and marketers of cultivated mushrooms in the state of Pennsylvania. For more information, visit www.americanmushroom.org.