Sharing the dirt on mushrooms’ popularity
Mushrooms are a hot topic. People either love them or hate them.
Whatever camp you’re in, there’s no denying that mushrooms — brown and specialty mushrooms, in particular — have become more popular since early 2020.
At the onset of the pandemic, with people being home and spending more time outside, foraging became popular, as did finding ways to make food at home, leading to two local mushroom growers starting businesses.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the volume of sales for brown mushrooms rose from 188,703 in the 2019-20 season to 202,568 in the 2021-22 season. Specialty mushrooms rose from 20,592 to 23,606 in the same time period.
Value of sales for commercially grown specialty mushrooms in 2021-22 totaled $87.3 million, up 32% from the 2020-21 season.
Stark County’s mushroom business correlated with these statistics, with two new mushroom-growers starting businesses since the onset of the pandemic.
After her job was eliminated in late 2019, Kara Bond started her mushroom journey.
It wasn’t until July 2021 that Canton Mushroom Works, housed in the basement of Starkfresh Grocery Store in downtown Canton, became an official business.
For Brent and Lindsay Miller, it was a love of mushrooms and foraging, and wanting to know more about how mushrooms grow that led the couple to start Miller’s Mushrooms in Perry Township in the spring of 2020.
The Canton Repository caught up with both to learn why mushroomgrowing is important. Some responses have been edited for length.
Why is it important to you to grow mushrooms?
Canton Mushroom Works: “I think it’s important for people to understand the value mushrooms have to our ecosystem ... Mushrooms contain valuable nutrients for our health, and different mushrooms provide different benefits. They boost our immune system, support hearth health, help lower the glycemic index of food to help regulate blood sugar and also, in the case of lion’s mane, support mental functioning, even in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. And these are just a few of their properties.”
Miller’s Mushrooms: “A lot of the varieties we grow were not readily available in the Canton area before we
started growing them. It’s important to us that our community has a broad and diverse local food system, and we take a lot of pride in being a small part in that system. Our mushrooms have a ton of versatility and boast a wide range of nutritional benefits, and it’s important that folks in the greater Canton area have easy access to them.”
What do you want people to know about growing mushrooms?
Canton Mushroom Works: “Mushrooms are both difficult and easy to grow at the same time. … However, to do what I do, provide a regular and consistent supply of mushrooms year round, it is a bit more complicated. I need humidity, and sensors and controls to monitor that humidity, consistent temperature, air circulation, exhaust and fresh air from outside brought into the growing room, lighting and all of that is just the grow space.”
Bond said she also has daily and weekly labor to produce the blocks the mushrooms grow on and harvests mushrooms daily, plus she has to prepare and deliver the mushrooms to customers.
She said she hopes to offer kits for growing your own mushrooms in the future.
Miller’s Mushrooms: “It’s challenging but incredibly rewarding, as well. We do sell grow-your-own-mushroom kits, if folks want to dip their toes in the water.”
Brent Miller also shared some things he’s learned along the way.
“With any type of farming, there is a never-ending learning curve. No matter how good you think you are at it, there are always new challenges to overcome right around the corner. We also learned through the pandemic how important it is to have a thriving and supported local food economy.”
What’s your favorite thing about growing mushrooms?
Canton Mushroom Works: “… knowing that I’m bringing wellness and a delightful culinary experience to my community. A close second would be managing my own time and creating a business from the ground up. And of course, I love always having mushrooms available to eat!”
Miller’s Mushrooms: “It’s definitely interacting with customers at our farmers markets. From the excitement when folks first see the variety and colors on our table, to getting to hear how families are incorporating them into their meals. It’s very fulfilling.”
Mushroom lovers can find Canton Mushroom Works’ mushrooms at Earth Fare, Giant Eagle Market District in Green, Healthy Heart Healthy Pleasures in Alliance, Anthony Petitti Organic Greenhouse in Nimishillen Township and Stark Fresh Grocery store, where the farm is located. Bond’s mushrooms are on the menu at Melange, Lucca, H2 Huth & Harris, H2 Nosh and 330 Bar & Grill in downtown Canton.
Miller’s Mushrooms can be found at the North Canton Farmers Market, Downtown Canton Farmers Market, Zoe Farms in Canton, Raisin Rack and the Fulton Drive NW (Jackson Township) location of Fishers Foods. Local orders can be placed online at millersmushroomscanton.com and picked up Zoe Farms or M&H Beans Roastery in North Canton.