Don’t like the texture of mushrooms? How about a tea, coffee, or jerky?

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The outdoor market season has arrived, which means stateline residents will have more opportunities to buy fresh produce and unique local goods for the next several months, among them are farm-to-table mushrooms.

“They come out in bouquets, almost like a flower,” Chasidy Claus, owner of Iconic Fungi, said about mushrooms that are harvested. “And you just break it off and divvy it up.”

Claus is one of more than 20 vendors who sell fresh goods at the Edgebrook Farmers Market, which kicked off its season Wednesday in Rockford. She sells lion’s mane, blue oyster, portobello mushrooms, and more.

“Most mushrooms are good for inflammation,” Claus said. “They are good for your immune system.”

For those who may not like the taste or the texture of mushrooms, Claus says there are ways to utilize them in any diet. Mushrooms can be consumed as tea, coffee, powder, or even capsules. Claus even makes jerky from the mushrooms she grows at her Machesney Park home farm.

Nana Bondzi, of Rockford, tried mushroom jerky for the first time Wednesday at the market and was impressed.

“It’s kind of meaty,” Bondzi said. “And I can taste the spice, the chili. It’s tasty.”

For many locals, mushrooms are perfect to complement traditional dishes, like a hearty slab of beef.

“I’ll probably sauté these and put them on my steak, like a good ribeye steak,” said Carol Parker. “Or, in a salad.”

The Edgebrook Farmers Market is open in the shopping center parking lot every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 25.