Mushrooms can make you rich! Maybe

PARLIER
June 12, 2006 7:17am

Want to be a millionaire? All you need to do is figure out how to cultivate certain varieties of specialty mushrooms.

And while that may seem simplistic, it’s a problem taxing the best efforts of Central California agricultural scientists.

The problem is that no one knows how to grow high-value specialty mushrooms in commercial quantities with costs low enough to make a profit.

Mushroom varieties such as porcini, chanterelles and morels grow only on living organisms in the wild.

"If you figure this out, you'll be a millionaire overnight," says plant pathologist Mike Davis of the University of California Cooperative Extension Service at a recent mushroom meeting at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center near Parlier.

UC Cooperative Extension researchers are studying the best and most economical ways for small-scale producers to break into the burgeoning mushroom business and sharing the information with those who might like to give it a try.

Xia Yang sees mushroom cultivation as a way to escape the heat. She and her husband, Chia Lee, both of Hmong descent, recently moved to the Central Valley from Minnesota, where the winters, she says, were unbearable. Now the Yangs are looking for some relief from the summer sun that beats down on their 15 acres of long beans and cherry tomatoes.

Mushrooms, which grow indoors at room temperature, might be the answer.

Half of the edible fungi enjoyed by Americans are the white button variety, commonly seen on pizzas, in salad bars and in canned cream of mushroom soup. However, consumers are now seeking out the unique flavors of specialty mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster and portobello, opening up a market for mushrooms grown on a much smaller scale.

Certain specialty mushrooms, like truffles, porcini, chanterelles and morels, grow only on living organisms. To date, nobody knows how to effectively cultivate them.

Fortunately, poisonous mushrooms fall into this category. Farmers need not fear accidentally growing the notorious "death cap" or "destroying angel" on their farms.

A good species for inexperienced farmers to start with are oyster mushrooms, according to Mr. Davis.

"Oysters are the weeds of the mushroom world," he says.

Oyster mushrooms have good flavor, firm texture and can be used in a wide variety of gourmet dishes. Or, they may be simply sautéed in olive oil or butter and seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper to top grilled meat or cooked pasta or to be eaten on their own.

Oyster mushrooms grow on dead organic matter, and almost any kind will do -- coffee grounds, straw, sawdust, shredded newspaper, cardboard, leaves and other yard trimmings. The substrate must be sterilized or pasteurized so edible fungi can colonize it without competition from other organisms generally present in the environment.

UCCE Fresno County small-scale farm advisor Richard Molinar and his assistant Michael Yang have adapted a system of oyster mushroom production that, they believe, was first developed by Chinese producers. It uses inexpensive cotton seed hulls from a local cotton gin.

Because mushroom growing is rather simple, there is room for improvisation and creativity. For sterilizing substrate, Mr. Davis commissioned a stainless steel drum from a welder and made a basket out of screen purchased at a hardware store. A common propane burner completes the system.

Heulong Siong, a strawberry farmer of Hmong descent who also attended the mushroom cultivation training program, said he felt confident about producing mushrooms, but is concerned about marketing.

"Strawberries, they buy," he says. "Mushrooms, I don't know who will buy."

Regardless, he may give it a shot, he says.