Fruit of the Fungi provides fresh mushrooms year round
KC and Kristi Mangine, of Fruit of the Fungi, work hard to supply Madison Co. with the highest quality mushrooms year round. With majority of the crop being Shiitake mushrooms, the Mangine’s also dabble in other varieties such as King Oyster and Lion’s Mane for diversity at the markets. With their new indoor facility which was started in 2013, Fruit of the Fungi has continued to grow since KC and Kristi started in 2007, and starting in 2015 they were growing year-round.
KC explains that it all started with 300 outdoor logs. Each season they slowly grew the business and are currently able to produce about 200 pounds a week in their indoor facility and has about 1000 logs outdoors. The process of growing a mushroom in the Mushroom House all starts with a bag of sawdust and nitrogen supplements that are inoculated and incubated in a room of the mushroom house. Then, as they begin to form, they are moved into the humid, temperature controlled room to begin growing! Each bag is opened, and with the increase in oxygen, the mushrooms begin to form. The entire process, from beginning to end, takes about 8-9 weeks. Usually, the bags are able to be reused by soaking them in cold water and starting the growth process over again. Each bag can produce about two pounds of mushroom.
Fruit of the Fungi offers both fresh and dried Shiitakes to local consumers. Shiitakes are a good source of protein, potassium, zinc and complex carbohydrates. They also contain B vitamins such as thiamine and riboflavin. Mushrooms are also rich in niacin, iron, and phosphorus. The protein in mushrooms contains all the essential amino acids we need in our diet. Much like our own bodies, mushrooms convert UV light into the strong antioxidant Vitamin D2. This process only occurs in a small range of foods. Log-grown mushrooms naturally contain significant amounts of this antioxidant. Shiitakes have historically been used as a stimulant for the immune system. Current studies have revealed an increase in the production of killer T-cells and macrophages in the body when it is exposed to Shiitake extracts.
Fruit of the Fungi’s mushrooms can be found this winter at the Poolville Winter Farmers Market, Kirkland Arts Center Market, and Oneida Co. Public Market. All year round the mushrooms can also be purchased at Greyrock Farm Store in Cazenovia and Side Hill Farmers store in Manlius. For more information on the Fruit of the Fungi, or for some great information on mushrooms (including recipes!), visit their website at www.fruitofthefungi.com.
Open Farm Day Consumer Retention Survey
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Madison County is currently conducting a research study, “Gaining and Retaining Consumers from On-Farm Special Events”, to help farmers better market their farms. The study, which is funded by a grant award from Northeast Sustainable Research and Education (SARE), will examine how special events hosted on-site at farms help farm businesses attract customers. Visitors from Open Farm Day 2015 will be asked about their farm experiences this year and again in a 2016 follow-up survey in order to understand how effective farm events are at gaining farms lasting customers. Several Open Farm Day Farms including Creekside Meadows, Empire Buffalo, Our Farm, Pretty Ponies, Dizzy Lizzie’s, Fruit of the Fungi, Greyrock Farm, Thorp Apiaries, Hartwood Farms, Critz Farms, and 7 Trees Dairy Goats, have generously donated gift cards and entrance passes as prizes for survey participants.
Hosting on-farm special events is one marketing tool that farms use to attract new business to their operations. These events offer visitors a unique farm experience while giving the farm wide spread exposure. However, these events can be costly and time consuming for farms to organize. Anecdotally many farms feel that on-farm events benefit their operations in the long run, but it can be difficult to track just how many lasting customers these events produce. CCE Madison’s research study will track visitors’ farm purchasing habits over a year to see if they became, or continued to be, farm customers after attending Open Farm Day. The results from this study will hopefully benefit farms by allowing them to consider what kind of investment they can expect from hosting on-farm events and deciding if this marketing technique is right for them.
Join Owera Vinyards for the 2nd Annual Lighting of the Vines event on October 24th at 6pm. This year's theme is Great Gatsby. A five course wine pairing meal created by Chef Robert Potter will be served, and costumes are strongly encouraged. Enjoy live music from the DeSantis Swing Quartet. For tickets, Call 315-815-4311 or email events@oweravineyards.com
Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment benefits.
