Author: Deborah Stumbo
Planning Unit: Pike County CES
Major Program: Small Farm Diversification
Plan of Work: Horticulture (Commercial/Home/Consumer) and Small Farm Development
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Early April in Pike County, mushroom workshop to encourage diversification at the Farmers Market and a product that several of the local restaurants would be proud to serve. We held our first Wine Cap mushroom workshop back in the fall. It was a huge success. To follow-up we held another workshop in May to encourage more folks to get into raising mushrooms both for themselves and for a money maker at the Farmers Market. Because of our workshop last fall and a grower really getting serious in the business, we were able to buy our spawn locally and not from out of state. First group grown was some more of the Wine Caps that we spawned last fall. Had multiple farmers/homeowners that ordered additional spawn to inoculate their logs and chip piles tp produce both Wine Caps and Blue Oysters. Every participant took home either inoculated wood chips or logs to grow their own mushrooms. One of the producers has developed his mushroom farm to the point he sells at the Farmers Market and sells out each and ever time he comes to the market. He has a waiting list for the mushrooms for his next sell date.
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