In the first few days after opening the package, the mycelium forms a dense spider web under the foil. Soon the fungus will swell and turn into bunches of white onions. Once they're fat and about the size of a softball, it's time to collect them. These are lion's mane mushrooms grown in a bag of sawdust, packed in a cardboard box and very tasty.
The market for specialty mushrooms is booming and is not just limited to commercial growers: more and more people are growing mushrooms at home. It's easier than ever: companies are offering starter kits of lion's mane and oyster mushrooms, shiitake grow kits of oak chips, and sacks of sawdust to sprinkle on pots.
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In short, forget the hydroponic garden on the table; Mushroom trunk has little time.
"The mushrooms are active," says Laurie Harrison, vice president of communications at the American Mushroom Institute. According to market research by The Insight Partners, the edible mushroom industry in the United States is valued at billions of dollars and will grow to nearly $20 billion over the next five years.
People are looking for cheaper, more affordable alternatives to meat, Harrison said, and unusual types of mushrooms are popping up at farmers' markets and on restaurant menus. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, sales of specialty mushrooms increased by 32% in the 2021-2022 agricultural year compared to the previous year.
Matt McInnis is co-founder of North Spore, based in Portland, Maine, which sells Spanish culture sets, accessories, and curved oysters, oysters, clams, and more. With merchandise taking center stage in 2020, McInnis sales are expected to double each year.
"People are starting to realize how diverse the mushroom world is," he said. "And we're reducing the practice of growing them."
Northern Spore sprayer and grow box varieties include blue, pink and gold oyster mushrooms and white lion's mane.
"We chose them because they're inherently infallible," McInnis said. "If you buy one of these items and don't pay attention to it for six months, a fungus is likely to grow."
Anneliese Gormley, an artist and carpenter from near Asheville, North Carolina, likens picking mushrooms to chia seeds opening buds. Gormley, 34, began growing mushrooms at home during the outbreak, using equipment from North Spore and others including Far West Fungi of San Francisco.
"I remember thinking that little plastic bag in the box was junk. It might not make sense, but let's see if it works," she said. "It can give you instant gratification. I mean you can watch it day by day and see how the colonization is going on. And then you see little bodies bearing fruit. It sounds like a lot of fun."
According to McInnis, the kits are "the starting point for a thorough study of growing mushrooms." Most customers come back for more, such as loaf-sized "Fruit Block" sets, plastic-coated blocks of wood to grow even larger mushroom rolls. Many have begun experimenting with inoculations, sawdust, or liquid cultures of their own growing materials, such as straw or mulch, and setting up rooms, bathrooms, and tents to control light and humidity.
McInnis said there's a fine line between not having a box on the shelf twice a day and drilling holes in a log to insert shiitake-soaked corks.
Gormley went from box to bucket. She boils the straw to kill any bacteria, then dusts it with sawdust in buckets with holes to get the fungus out.
"I put these five-gallon buckets in our spare bathroom for growing mushrooms," she says. "It looks like a weird bucket full of holes. In a few weeks it will be like this wonderful little forest."
Gormley grows many varieties for cooking and his art. She shapes kitchen utensils and cuts wooden and resin boards, drying and often hiding mushrooms in them. Her favorite mushroom from an aesthetic point of view is the pink oyster.
"One of my favorite things to do is not just grow, but eat and watch," she said. "I find it amazing that nature produces these colors."
The Gormley Bathroom Mushroom Bucket Totem exemplifies the versatility of growing mushrooms and how anyone can do it.
"For city dwellers who may not have a garden, we have tents or indoor pools," he said. "There are small ways to grow mushrooms indoors all year round."
Harrison added that growing mushrooms at home has educational benefits for people who know little about how to grow them. The American Mushroom Institute is headquartered in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is often referred to as the mushroom capital of the world. More than half of the country's commercial mushrooms are grown in the southeastern part of the state. But according to Harrison, passers-by are often unaware that they are walking through a swamp.
"They're made of these nondescript cinder blocks and you probably don't pay attention to them," she said. “You can drive almost anywhere in America over almost any terrain and see corn growing. You can see the apple trees so you can make that connection. There's a mystery about the mushrooms, they show up in the grocery store.”
Harrison adds that having a spray can or mushroom strain at home can help increase awareness and acceptance, and inspire people to try new strains and recipes. It's a way to try out more exotic species without the time, effort, and risk of seeking them out in the wild. And mushroom growers, as a rule, share their generosity, which only contributes to the growth of the market.
Gormley is always looking for new people to eat unique mushrooms. "You see this thing and think it looks wild and alien, but it's a pink oyster mushroom cooked into what looks like grilled pork." This first taste is often the starting point for a new hobby. “Now is your chance to embark on this exciting new adventure. It's like a really endless, slippery slope that I want to slide down."
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