Fresh Mushrooms At The Farmers' Market
Author: Chris Hettinger, Farmers Market
MycoLabs of Montana brings fresh LOCAL mushrooms to the Townsend Farmers Mar¬ket. Founded by Joseph Gill in 2019, MycoLabs of Montana is located in Townsend, Montana. Centrally located in Montana between Helena and Bozeman, MycoLabs grow high-quality choice edible mushrooms. All of their mushrooms are produced in a lab setting indoors and in some experimental outdoor growing tunnels using the highest quality substrates and cultures available on the market. Their mission is to provide the freshest, best quality mushrooms to local farmers markets and local chefs.
Joe started growing mush¬rooms 6 years ago after being given a mushroom growing kit from his wife’s great uncle. Joe had the determination to figure out how to get growing. He was very successful and decided this was something he wanted to pursue.
Joe’s strong science back¬ground has been helpful in this process. He studied forestry at the University of Montana and learned about mushrooms in college. He has built on that background and is mostly self-taught. He studied the works of many mycologists, including the famous Paul Stamets.
Joe is now growing several varieties of oyster mushrooms: blue oyster, pink oyster, black pearl king oyster, golden oyster and phoenix oyster. The variet¬ies grown are dependent on outside temperatures. Some mushrooms, like the pink oys¬ters, prefer to grow in tropical temperatures. Other varieties, like the blue oysters, thrive in cooler temperatures and can survive below zero.
MycoLabs also grows mush¬rooms with medicinal properties, such as lions mane, reishi and cordyceps. All of those are also gourmet mushrooms except reishi. Reishi is a conk fungus and it is not gourmet.
In 2019 MycoLabs was able to provide mushrooms to the Townsend Farmers Market and were very happily accepted. The demand was so high they decided to build a large indoor grow room and lab. Their 2022 plan is to keep providing Townsend with fresh mushrooms and to begin expanding the market presence to Helena. The new production facility will allow them much better production. They hope to expand the business into other areas of Central Montana.
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