While attending the Local Ag Summit last month, Farm Director KC Sheperd was intrigued to learn that mushroom farming is a growing commerce in Oklahoma. Fueled by his passion for them, Jacob DeVecchio Founder of Oklahoma Fungi is the self-established head of fungi education in the state.
“Mushroom farming is quite common in Oklahoma,” DeVecchio said. “J-M Farms produces roughly 28 million pounds of mushrooms per year. Now, it is getting into the hands of smaller producers. I have really been encouraging them to reduce the waste and increase the soil nutrition, as well as our food nutrition, to help everyone and earth at the same time.”
DeVecchio described a stigma surrounding mushrooms regarding a bad taste. “Most people don’t have deliciously cooked mushrooms. They just have a button mushroom that is maybe lightly sautéed with a little bit of salt and pepper, but there are many other great ways to prep mushrooms.”
He said that one of the most common methods of cooking morel mushrooms in Oklahoma is breaded and fried, but he said they can also be stuffed with mozzarella beforehand to mimic a mozzarella cheese stick.
“I always tell people that if they like button mushrooms, there are so many more species that you will love,” DeVecchio shared. “And if you don’t like button mushrooms, then don’t worry about it. You can try lots of others that have different profiles and textures, etc.”
Lion’s mane mushrooms, along with others, have recently been growing in popularity for use in health supplements and more. “The lion’s mane mushroom is named for the way it looks, and it is really great for your brain, your gut, and for the soil,” DeVecchio shared. “These mushrooms don’t only provide benefits while they are growing, but also after you have harvested them and you are eating them – whether cooking, making a tincture, or making a mushroom salt – they are still adding these nutritional benefits to your diet.”
DeVecchio described a Ready to Fruit kit for inspired mushroom growers to get started. The kit comes ready to grow so the cultivator only needs to cut an “X” in the package and begin growing their own mushroom.
“This is the easiest way,” he said. “It’s kind of like buying a plant seedling that is already ready, and you just have to grow it out until it fruits.”
For established farms, DeVecchio said that growing mushrooms can add value to their operations. “Mushrooms can grow off of a lot of agricultural bi-products, so you can incorporate some of the bi-products and natural waste into feeding mushrooms instead of composting it to make a little more money off of the mushrooms or save some money by incorporating them into your diet. You will also save some waste from the farm and increase the ability for the organic matter to go back into your soil to help your other crops.”
One very valuable mushroom, the Cordyceps militaris mushroom, has received a lot of attention from the TV show “The Last of Us.” It is reputed by athletes to help increase energy and stamina and has anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidant activity. It commands a relatively high price compared to other common mushrooms due to its limited availability and cultivation challenges.
“Mushrooms can be beneficial for our guts and brains,” DeVecchio commented. “It is really fascinating that they are good for the earth to grow them; they are good for our bodies to eat them, and they are good for our brains to consume lots of them.”
While all mushrooms can be used in some ways, many are poisonous; however, according to DeVecchio, there is no way to discern a poisonous mushroom based on its characteristics.
“When it comes to identifying a poisonous mushroom, the only way is either with a field test kit to check for toxins inside of it or to send it off for DNA sequencing, so that is why we say, ‘When in doubt, throw the mushroom out.’ Even if you do know what the name of the mushroom is, we still recommend getting a second opinion from a mushroom forager, like myself, or from someone that you think is trustworthy,” DeVecchio cautioned.
More information can be found at OklahomaFungi.com. The organization offers free cultivation classes, foraging classes, fermentation classes, and more.
DeVecchio went on to describe popular mushrooms native to Oklahoma, including lion’s mane. Listen to the complete audio by clicking the listen bar at the top of the page.
