Healthy Kitchens and Cooking for Nutrition

Many of us already know that mushrooms are not only interesting, flavorful, even exotic additions to many dishes, but are also nutritious. 

To quote www.mercola.com, “Mushrooms are also great sources of protein, fiber, B vitamins (especially niacin), vitamin C, calcium, minerals, and selenium. They also contain antioxidants that are unique to mushrooms, such as ergothioneine, which according to studies is a highly powerful antioxidant.”

In the Chocolá region, mushrooms have another vital advantage.  During the heaviest months of the rainy season, it is often hard to maintain a successful garden to supply nutritious greens and vegetables.  So how can families continue to have nutritious meals?  One answer is to grow mushrooms!

Mushrooms are grown indoors, so the rain doesn’t affect them.  Mushroom spores are put into bags containing a sterilized growing medium such as corn husks.  No special room is needed – draping a cloth over a table makes a dark environment below where the mushrooms will happily grow.  No need to worry that heavy rain will drown or batter down plants, or wash away painstakingly prepared garden soil.

Each week, our extensionists hold a series of small group meetings with participating families in the various neighborhoods and villages, usually at one family’s home.  Last week, with the rainy season already started and the “heavy” months coming soon, the topic was mushrooms.  Fortunately, mushrooms are already a well-liked food in the area, so women and their families are enthusiastic about learning to grow them.

In addition to demonstrating and reviewing best practices for growing and harvesting mushrooms, the extensionists and participants prepared several recipes for adding mushrooms to familiar dishes, ensuring that family cooks will have a variety of choices for making nutritious family meals. 

Your support of Seeds for a Future is what has made this possible.  100% of your financial support goes directly to our Team in Chocolá and thus to the families who participate in our programs. 

WE NEED YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT SO WE CAN HELP MORE FAMILIES FIGHT AGAINST MALNUTRITION AND BUILD BETTER LIVES FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN. 

Please consider:

-          sharing part of your tax refund with us

-          making an affordable donation on a monthly basis

-          doing all your online shopping via AmazonSmile (with Seeds for a Future as your organization of choice)

-          or ALL OF THE ABOVE!!  (YAAAAY!!)

HEARTFELT THANKS FROM ALL THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE BETTER HEALTHIER LIVES BECAUSE OF YOU!