Family hopes to profit from farm for mushrooms

A foreign fungus lurks among white oak logs on a family farm in western Burke County.
Unlike mold or mildew, this fungus is friendly, edible and potentially profitable for the farm owners, Patrick and Mary Stephens and her parents Karl and Evelyn Hoover.
The couples grow shiitake mushrooms and sell them at the Morganton Farmers Market and to wholesalers.
"It takes determination and perseverance," Patrick said about cultivating mush-rooms, "but it's good to have a crop you can sell."
The family owns 20 acres on Seals Road along Muddy Creek, hence the name of their business: Muddy Creek Mushroom Farm. It's off U.S. 70 between Glen Alpine and the McDowell County line.
Austin Willingham discovered the farm while working on a school assignment.
He said, "It was totally different than what I expected. I thought the mushrooms would be growing out of live trees, but they didn't. They cut logs from white oak trees and stacked them in a line. They grew out of something dead."

A family affair
Patrick works at Southern Devices and Mary at the J. Iverson Riddle Development Center. Evelyn and Karl are retired. They work together to tend the farm.
They are in their second year of growing mushrooms, but the idea was planted a few years ago when they saw an article in Southern Living magazine about growing mushrooms.
"We were looking for an alternative, renewable farm crop," Patrick said, "some-thing that would sustain our property and maybe make us enough to pay the taxes on it."
"And supplement our retirement income," Evelyn added.
The family didn't know where to turn to get started.
"At the time there was no local support," Patrick said.
The couples did research and eventually found help through North Carolina A&T State University's agriculture department. They took classes to learn the ins and outs of being mushroom farmers.

A fungus among us
Shiitake mushrooms are native to Asia and are popular in Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines. Farmers introduced the beefy-tasting fungus to North Carolina in 1980, according to N.C. Cooperative Extension.
Patrick said western North Carolina's climate, which is prone to sudden changes in temperature and moisture, is ideal for producing mushrooms. Those temperature and moisture changes trigger what's called a fruiting response, a term for when the mushrooms appear and grow.
Through a Golden Leaf grant — set up to help North Carolinians make the transition from a tobacco-dependent economy — the state provides the mushroom spores.
The hard work starts before the spores arrive, packaged in sterilized sawdust. Shiitakes only grow on logs or in sawdust.

A different kind of crop
Instead of plowing a field, the Stephens and Hoovers cleared a small section of their woods, leaving a canopy of trees overhead to help hold in moisture.
They selectively cut their land's small (about 4 inches in diameter) white oaks. They tag each to identify its age. A log may grow mushrooms for five to 10 years. The fresher the log and the more sap it has, the better the mushrooms will thrive.
The next steps include boring holes in the logs, putting the spores in the holes and sealing them with beeswax.
Under the canopy, the family arranged the logs in a continuous A-frame pattern.
Because the mushrooms don't require fertilizer or weeding, the final step is to sit back, wait on Mother Nature and watch the mushrooms sprout. Because the mushrooms are finicky about what conditions they grow in, harvests don't come each week.
"The conditions need to be just right," Patrick said. "We can't control that. When they come on it's fast and furious."
"They are demanding," Evelyn said.
The mushrooms grow out of the logs. It takes a watchful eye to know when to cut them off. Patrick said he and the others have finished one cutting only to walk back and find mushrooms that weren't ready the first time have ripened within minutes. They cut mushrooms with the stems still attached and take them to the refrigerator.
There's no stringing or shucking or silking as with other crops.
Because Burke has experienced drought conditions in the only two summers when the family produced mushrooms, they aren't sure of the crop's real potential.
"The drought has hurt us," Patrick said.
The family gets $1 an ounce for the mushrooms. Two weeks ago they harvested 70 pounds, giving them a $1,120 gross for that harvest.
As for the few unidentified mushrooms growing out of the ground nearby, Patrick says not to eat those because some mushrooms are deadly.
"If you don't know what it is, don't eat it," Patrick said.

From pupil to teacher
Patrick wants to introduce others to growing mushrooms and teach them what his family learned.
They are members of the North Carolina Mushroom Growers Association. Started in February 2006, it boasts a membership of 70 families statewide.
North Carolina is known for growing tobacco, muscadines and peanuts. While mushrooms don't make the product availability chart put out by the extension office, Muddy Creek Mushroom Farm did make this year's directory.
Donna Teasley, a Burke County extension agent who specializes in agriculture and horticulture, said her husband and Sherry Scull in Valdese grow mushrooms, too.
"There are a few who just started this spring and probably haven't seen their first crop yet," Teasley said.
It takes about 18 months for a mushroom farm to mushroom.
The Stephens and Hoovers started out small, are taking their time learning the trade and hope to expand.
Now they have 200 logs that sprout mushroom spores and in a few years hope to be up to 1,000 logs.
Patrick's advice is be patient and don't get discouraged.
In addition to educating growers, the Stephens and Hoovers also educate buyers at the Morganton Farmers Market. Mary hands out printouts with tips on preparing mushrooms and recipes for cooking them.
"Some people don't know what to do with mushrooms when they get them," she explained.
Favorite family dishes include a crab-stuffed mushroom they made for Patrick's recent birthday. They also fix the fungi on the grill and in soups.
"There's not a way we don't like them," Mary said.
Because shiitakes act like a sponge, Mary suggests not washing mushrooms and adding them to dishes in the last minutes of cooking.
The family also touts the shiitakes' health benefits. The mushrooms are high in protein. B vitamins, vitamin D, copper and potassium.
Next on the Stephens and Hoovers' list of crops to tackle might be blueberries. For now they will concentrate on their up-and-coming North Carolina shiitake crop.

Basic preparation of shiitake mushrooms
Store unwashed until ready for preparation
Store in paper bag, not plastic wrap in refrigerator
If mushrooms dry out, soak in water for 30 minutes to plump them up
Trim unappealing spots
Wipe clean with a damp cloth or paper towel
Don't over cook, they should retain at least half of their original size
Saute at low heat, with minimal oil to preserve taste, color and texture
Cook mushrooms in stainless steel or enamel ware rather than cast iron or alu-minum, which can cause discoloration
Trim stems and freeze up to six months
Chop and use stems in stews and soups for rich, deep flavor
Store unwashed
Source: Muddy Creek Mushroom Farm

Elegant Crab and Musrhooms
8 oz of North Carolina shiitake mushrooms
½ cup of chicken broth or clam juice
¼ cup of dry white wine
½ tsp of turmeric
1 Tbs of tomator paste
2 tsp. Olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
8 oz crabmeat, drained, pasteurized, lump
8 oz linguine, dry
Prepare pasta according to directions, drain well and return to same pot. Heat oil in heavy, medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they start to soften (about 3 minutes). Stir in green onions and tomato paste. Add broth, wine and turmeric; stir and simmer (2 minutes). Add crab and tarragon and stir until heated thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add sauce mixture to pasta and toss to coat. Spring with remaining green onions and serve.

From the Golden Leaf Foundation and the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture

Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
4 ½ cups of fresh mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
5 Tbs butter
½ cup flour
3 ½ cups of chicken broth
1 cup light cream
½ cup cooked wild rice
1 Tbs snipped fresh or ¾ tsp dried marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herb sprigs

Cook mushrooms, celery and onion in butter over high heat until tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir to combine. Add broth. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. Reduce heat. Stir in light cream, cooked wild rice, marjoram and salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs. Makes 6 serv-ings.

From Muddy Creek Mushroom Farm