Monsoon brings mushroom magic to Parvathipuram

Vizianagaram: Villagers in Parvathipuram in Salur agency venture into nearest bushes and forest to search for mushrooms which pop out naturally during monsoon.

They bring mushrooms in bags and baskets and sell them at a good price as the vegetarians prefer to consume it more.

This is completely a natural food available during the monsoon.

It may be recalled that some farms in towns and cities are growing mushrooms throughout the year by using chemicals, fertilizers.

But natural mushrooms are available in the mounds of mud, anthills in the bushes and the locals get them without any expenditure.

Laxmi, a street vendor at Vizianagaram, says that the natural mushroom is healthy for us.

The commercially cultivated mushrooms are not as good as these natural mushrooms in taste. This is good for health too.

We can’t get them all the days. So, we should consume them even once in a year”.

Generally, they are selling them at Rs 400 per kg. Eswara Rao of Ramabhadrapuram mandal, said: “I have been selling them for the past two weeks.

Daily early in the morning, I go in search of mushrooms in the bushes. I know the spots where the mushrooms grow.

So, I go there and pluck them and sell in the streets. Daily I am earning around Rs 400.

This is only a two- week crop. This is not an easy task to bring them from the bushes and we should be cautious as we may found snakes and insects.

We should be cautious about those insects while searching for mushrooms”.

Dr Ravi Kumar said “Mushrooms are good source for proteins, minerals, and vitamins and fiber too.

At the same time it has very less quantity of cholesterol. This food item is very good for our health.

Those are low energy diet for diabetic people too.” He said.