Mushrooms and beer to be featured at Milton Farmers Market Sept. 23

There's a fun guy selling fungi at Milton Farmers Market, meaning there's a new vendor bringing delectable, just-picked-today mushrooms straight from Kennett Square, Pa. And on the market's monthly Fourth Friday event from 3 to 6 p.m., Sept. 23, Dogfish Head beer will be on tap for patrons to purchase as they peruse the vendors on site.

Davidson Exotic Mushrooms comes to the Milton Farmers Market every Friday with four high-quality varieties to tempt the palate. Mushrooms are sold by the quart or pint, although the large portabellas are available individually.

Portabellas measure up to six inches in diameter, and deliver a deep meat-like flavor and texture. They are best served grilled, broiled or roasted. Crimini mushrooms are baby portabellas with a light tan to rich brown cap; and like portabellas, they add an earthy flavor and firm texture when sautéed, broiled or even microwaved. The shiitake variety imbues a rich and woodsy complexity that complements stir-fry dishes, pastas and soups. Oyster mushrooms are more delicate in taste, and are best sautéed and added to cream or white wine sauces. Buyers may want to sample the mixed package with both crimini and shiitake varieties.

A few fun facts about the delectable fungi: Mushrooms are composed of 85 to 95 percent water, and are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D. They contain more potassium than most other fruits and vegetables. In fact, one medium brown mushroom contains more potassium than a banana.

Those creamy just-harvested mushrooms will last up to one week when stored in a brown paper bag placed on a lower shelf in the refrigerator.

The Milton Farmers Market convenes in the Dogfish Head Brewery parking lot on Village Center Drive off Chestnut Street. With over 25 sellers, the market offers everything needed for the table, pantry or freezer, with the very best fresh local produce, premium meats and poultry, wild-caught coldwater fish, fresh oysters shucked on site, pastries and baked goods, roasted coffee, spirits-based gelato and more. Vendors offer prepared foods, handmade cutting boards and meal prep items, as well as high-quality sundries including personal care products. There's always live and lively music at the market in Milton.