Mountain Meadow Mushroom Farm

Mountain Meadow Mushroom Farm

Another fun thing I do is conduct tours for the Oaks North Travel Club. Conduct is explained. I choose the destination, work up a budget, advertise the trip at the Club meetings, charter a bus, collect the checks, call everyone a week prior, meet them at the Club House and away we go!

This is a clump of the growing medium which has been recently sown. The growing medium is cotton plant hulls, grape seed and skins crushed, dry wall, and sterilized straw.

The plant is beginning to develop.

The fruit of the plant is the mushroom. Three pickings or growths will occur from each planting. This shows the area where a "picker" cut mushrooms today.

This photo shows the 8,000. lbs. of mushrooms picked today and waiting to be sorted, graded and packaged for distribution. The State of California does not allow retailing at the plant. Mushrooms are sold to distributors.

***

Mountain Meadow Mushroom Farm

What could entertain a "Foodie" more than a trip to a food source. I was always told that I should be so careful about the specks on mushrooms as the mushrooms are grown in manure. I have always made a very laborious task of cleaning my mushrooms. I now know they are grown in sterilized straw from the Del Mar Race Track. Compounding the growing medium is a real science as the many components contribute to a vital balance of the chemistry. After three cuttings the growing medium is placed on a compost pile and given to local gardeners. The next sowing requires new growing medium. The tour was very interesting.