The Truth About How Mushrooms Grow Will Weird You Out (VIDEO) | HuffPost Life

You'll never see mushrooms the same way again.

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Where do mushrooms come from? Quick, try to explain it, coherently, in a few sentences. It's fungus that, uh ... grows on stuff when it's, uh ... moist. Not so easy, right? That's about to change.

How Does It Grow?, a food education series that was funded by Kickstarter, focuses its first-ever episode on the humble mushroom. The series hopes to make us more "agriculturally literate," a.k.a. less stupid about where our food comes from.

So we hope that, after watching the video above, you'll be able to understand the difference between a spore and a veil the next time you're chomping on a big, beautiful portobello.

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Before You Go

Shiitake Mushroom Recipes

Chinese Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cakes (Nian Gao)(01 of20)

Get the Chinese Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cakes (Nian Gao) recipe from Steamy Kitchen (credit:Steamy Kitchen)

Eggs Nested In Sautéed Chard And Mushrooms(02 of20)

Get the Eggs Nested in Sautéed Chard and Mushrooms recipe from Simply Recipes (credit:Simply Recipes)

Steamed Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings (03 of20)

Get the Steamed Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings from Cookin' Canuck (credit:Cookin' Canuck)

Gorgonzola-Roasted Mushrooms And Onions(04 of20)

Get the Gorgonzola-Roasted Mushrooms and Onions recipe (credit:Tina Rupp)

Asian Cabbage And Shiitake Stir-Fry(05 of20)

Get the Asian Cabbage and Shiitake Stir-Fry recipe (credit:Flat Art Studios)

Creamless Creamed Corn With Mushrooms And Lemon(06 of20)

Get the Creamless Creamed Corn with Mushrooms and Lemon recipe (credit:Frances Janisch)

Honey-Soy-Glazed Vegetables With Crispy Mushrooms(07 of20)

Get the Honey-Soy-Glazed Vegetables with Crispy Mushrooms recipe (credit:Con Poulos)

Roasted Mushrooms And Shallots With Fresh Herbs(08 of20)

Get the Roasted Mushrooms and Shallots with Fresh Herbs recipe (credit:Stephanie Foley)

Shiitake Mushroom Tartines With Cheddar Fondue(09 of20)

Get the Shiitake Mushroom Tartines with Cheddar Fondue recipe from Food52 (credit:Viviane Bauquet Farre/Food52)

Two-Mushroom Velouté(10 of20)

Get the Two-Mushroom Velouté recipe (credit:Tina Rupp)

Smoky Shiitake Cranberry Cauliflower Galette With Marmalade-Mustard Mascarpone(11 of20)

Get the Smoky Shiitake Cranberry Cauliflower Galette with Marmalade-Mustard Mascarpone recipe from Food52 (credit:Merry/Food52)

Shiitake Mushroom And Nori ‘Noodle’ Soup(12 of20)

Get the Shiitake Mushroom and Nori 'Noodle' Soup recipe from VegHotPot (credit:VegHotPot)

Mushroom-Sausage Ragù(13 of20)

Get the Mushroom-Sausage Ragù recipe (credit:Hector Sanchez)

Vegetable Stir-Fry With Endive & Shiitake Mushrooms(14 of20)

Get the Vegetable Stir-Fry with Endive & Shiitake Mushrooms recipe from Cookin' Canuck (credit:Cookin' Canuck)

Shiitake-and-Swiss-Chard Soup With Hand-Cut Noodles(15 of20)

Get the Shiitake-and-Swiss-Chard Soup with Hand-Cut Noodles recipe (credit:Con Poulos)

Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp With Soba Noodles(16 of20)

Get the Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp with Soba Noodles recipe (credit:Dan Goldberg)

Mushroom Salad Spring Rolls(17 of20)

Get the Mushroom Salad Spring Rolls recipe (credit:Flat Art Studios)

Oven-Roasted Fish With Lime-Butter, Spinach, Shiitake Mushrooms And Shoestring Potatoes(18 of20)

Get the Oven-Roasted Fish with Lime-Butter, Spinach, Shiitake Mushrooms and Shoestring Potatoes recipe (credit:TASTE)

Tagliatelle With Wild Mushrooms, Garlic & Thyme(19 of20)

Get the Tagliatelle with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic & Thyme recipe (credit:Frances Janisch)

Asian Cabbage and Shiitake Stir-Fry(20 of20)

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