Chris Parker: The Man behind the Mushrooms Part 2

In this post Chris supplies us with ideas about why growing mushrooms is so important and of course fun! He is convinced that once anyone has grown their first batch they will want to carry on growing these incredible fungi. He shares some tips for making it even more economical as a protein sources as well.  

 Why would I want to grow my own or forage for mushrooms, rather than just buy them?

Chris highly recommend foraging but comments “buying mushrooms can be a little tricky because you are not completely sure how they were treated, how they were handled, what they were grown in, especially the white button mushrooms, portobellos, creminis... those mushrooms can hyper-accumulate heavy metals....they accumulate in the gills, but growing your own you are in control”

Chris talks about how if you are growing your own you can control all aspects of growth and nutrition, using your own local area to sources any supplies you need such as manure, sawdust, the logs or straw. This control produces healthy mushrooms, and healthier planet as food miles remain low. He does caution about sourcing straw – which can have lots of chemicals used in its process that are often hard to find out about. Using trusted local supplies can often circumnavigate these types of issues.

Growing your own is also incredibly cost effective. For under $20 you can produce over $30 worth of produce . “you can stagger it, so you can inoculate and open your bags on rotation. It is intensive cultivation, and needs daily attention but is a quick way to make a lot of protein for you your family and your neighbors.”

It is even cheaper if you can source your own logs, rather than straw. Speak to tree trimmers, Chris recommends in your area they will often have logs available for you to use to inoculate.

“ it is about food sovereignty” Chris says, growing you own gives you control over your food, where it comes from and how it is grown.

Chris is convinced that “once you grown the first ones, you are going to be hooked.”

How do I get started?

Plugging logs or inoculating straw are two of the easiest ways to get started with mushroom cultivation. It depends what materials you have access to.

Plugged logs take longer to start producing - six - nine months depending of species and climate, but will produce for up to 7 years.

Straw bags will start producing within a couple of weeks and likely flush 3-4 times over the next 60 days.

Look for local workshops to help you get started. We regularly do afternoon workshops in the Asheville area on both Log Plugging and Straw Inoculation.