I’m accustomed to seeing mushrooms on pizzas, in pasta sauces, even in my yard when the rain won’t stop. But for some reason, I hadn’t ever really thought about what a mushroom farm would be like. Then last summer I met a mushroom farmer and I asked him all the questions. I had to go back for Grounded by the Farm to get video and an interview!
On this visit, I talked with Scott Engelbrecht who is the vice president of operations for J-M Farms in Miami, Oklahoma. Who showed me a room where crimini mushrooms were growing and explained the way they do flats with compost, peat and the spawn that gets the mushrooms started.
J-M Farms grows a few different types of mushrooms, and they supply grocery stores and restaurants throughout the plains states.
Crimini (also called brown mushrooms) are the smaller versions of portabella mushrooms. The rate of growth for mushrooms in these rooms that are climate controlled to provide the optimal environment is pretty amazing — in fact, once mushrooms are established, they double in size every day!
This mushroom farm produces it’s own compost as well as the shelving the mushrooms will be grown on.
You can listen to the podcast episode in your favorite app or our post here with audio on fresh mushrooms.
If you love mushrooms, you may want to connect with J-M further. They have some great information and recipes on their website jmfarms.com, share some great photos & information on Instagram at JMFarmsMushrooms and Facebook at JM Farms Mushrooms.
I am a Ghanaian living in Liberia. I am greatly interested in Mushroom farming. I don’t know how to go about it. I will appreciate if you will help me to establish one in Monrovia, the capital city as there is none in Liberia and its potential here is very great. Thanks.
Sorry but I don’t know anything about starting a farm there.