Basher Mushroom production is booming in New Zealand. Most supermarkets now stock at least three types of the common cultivated mushroom and many more are starting to sell more exotic species. Worldwide mushroom production has increased more than 14-fold in the last 30 years and in the last 8 years has become more diversified.
Many people are also interested in the nutritional and medicinal aspects of mushrooms.
Mushrooms contain many essential amino acids and can be a valuable food source. White button mushrooms contain more protein than kidney beans but less than milk. This paper is a celebration of the tremendous developments that have occurred in a relatively short space of time. If at times, as true enthusiasts you feel frustrated by what seems slow progress, it is helpful to reflect on how far we have come and how long it takes for a new curriculum area to become and integral and natural part of the curriculum landscape. This paper provides an outline of the project and it's participants, and presents a rationale for it's existence.