Defining cremini mushrooms

TheChefGoingHomeToday, medtran49: both of your posts are useful. We can look at both and find things of value. I didn't see either post as disproving the other. As far as I'm concerned, the more information I have, the better I can decide what I think.
I can clear everything up regarding mushrooms:
59885
 
We get the white button and the bigger brown shrooms here, but I've never seen the ones we used to pick as kids from paddocks near us. Huge dark brown ones we used to pick and sell to our local shops for pocket money. I need to keep an eye out for those.

Russ
 
Ahhh mushrooms, watch out for types readily available on certain Islands in Indonesia where backpackers and aging Aussie tourists hang out. You might end up seeing more than you bargained for. :)
Sorry, just getting my note pad and pen.... which islands did you say?
 
How are they grown?
This is truly amazing.
If I am not mistaken, the fully white ones are grown in dark, moist rooms, hence no colour in them?
I think I remember those being quite a bit smaller in my childhood, they are quite big now...is that really the case? Genetic manipulations? Natural crossing?
How do baby bellas taste? I don't think I've had those.
 
How are they grown?
This is truly amazing.
If I am not mistaken, the fully white ones are grown in dark, moist rooms, hence no colour in them?
I think I remember those being quite a bit smaller in my childhood, they are quite big now...is that really the case? Genetic manipulations? Natural crossing?
How do baby bellas taste? I don't think I've had those.
Most mushrooms are grown in low light to no light conditions. GoogLe "France mushroom caves" and you'll be amazed. In the U.S., there are places that sell mushroom growing kits. We got a couple of kits of a pink oyster mushroom variety that will tolerate our higher temps, got several harvests out of it. They had to be kept out of direct sunlight for optimal growth.

I've been thinking about getting a kit or 2 again. There's 1 company that uses rolls of toilet paper (with tissue on) that you innoculate with spore, then watch them grow.
 
I'm pretty sure the white versus brown mushrooms is NOT an age thing. They are simply differnt strains of the same mushroom. Think about it. You've seen HUGE white mushrooms that are used for stuffing (they sell these in separate packaging in our area groceries) and you've seen tiny brown mushrooms (criminis or baby bellas). If it's an age thing, how would you explain the size range?

I understand what you are saying, but the information I found says it is a maturity thing. I don't think the size is the biggest factor of difference between button mushrooms and cremini mushrooms. It is the color.

I haven't done a side-by-side taste test -- until yesterday, I didn't know white buttons and creminis were the same mushroom -- but there is apparently a more developed flavor to creminis. That would make sense, as a more mature mushroom should have more flavor, I would think.

CD
 
How are they grown?
This is truly amazing.
If I am not mistaken, the fully white ones are grown in dark, moist rooms, hence no colour in them?
I think I remember those being quite a bit smaller in my childhood, they are quite big now...is that really the case? Genetic manipulations? Natural crossing?
How do baby bellas taste? I don't think I've had those.

Oh, Ive been to a mushroom barn. Yes, they are dark and humid. The smell is quite... um... noticeable. Take a big box of sweaty socks, put them in a room with 20 wet dogs -- you are getting close.

CD
 
Check the links I provided. At least 1 of them is from actual scientists and I didn't have to look more than 2-3 minutes to find. Plus, there's the simple logic about sizes that I noted.
 
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