Button mushrooms are the small, white, round mushrooms that you see at the grocery store all the time. They look like tiny white umbrellas with thick stems, and they are the most popular mushroom in the whole world! People have been growing button mushrooms for over 300 years. Here is a cool secret: button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, and big portobello mushrooms are actually all the same mushroom, just picked at different ages! A baby one is a white button, a teenager is a brown cremini, and a fully grown-up one becomes a big portobello.
Button mushrooms don’t need any sunlight to grow, which makes them very different from plants. Instead, they grow best in dark, cool places in special soil made from straw and compost. Farmers grow them in big buildings that look like caves or tunnels! These little mushrooms are very mild and yummy, so even kids who are picky eaters often like them. You can eat them raw in salads, cooked on pizza, or mixed into pasta and soups. They are also packed with good vitamins that help keep your body healthy and strong.
