Fresh, Dried, Tinctures
From a scientific standpoint, mushrooms are not vegetables. They belong to the kingdom Fungi, which is distinct from the kingdom Plantae.
Plants produce their own energy via photosynthesis, utilizing chlorophyll to convert sunlight into glucose.
Fungi are heterotrophs, which obtain nutrients by absorbing organic compounds from their environment.
In the kitchen, mushrooms are treated as vegetables because of their savory flavor profile (often referred to as umami), their texture, and how they are utilized in cooking (sautéing, roasting, or being added to salads). But because they lack the cell walls made of cellulose found in plants (instead possessing walls made of chitin—the same material found in insect exoskeletons) and do not photosynthesize, they are fundamentally different life forms.
Certain mushrooms can synthesize Vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light, a mechanism more akin to animals than to traditional flora. Mushrooms are dense in specific bioactive compounds, including beta-glucans and various antioxidants, which perform different roles in the human body than the fiber and vitamins typically associated with green vegetables.