WRITTEN BY JORDAN KOSSUTH
A selection of mushrooms available for sale at Bridge Street Market | Photo by Ashley Wierenga
A mycophile is a devotee of mushrooms, most specifically someone whose hobby is hunting wild edible mushrooms. It’s also a perfect description of Chris Swinson – a Chicago-raised mycophile who moved to West Michigan in 2012 to continue his studies in the sciences at Grand Rapids Community College. As a child, he was drawn to the fungi’s fleeting nature and variety in shapes, textures, and colors. As a college student, his classes in nature, medicine, and zoology led him even further into the intriguing science behind these mysterious variations.
On a trip to Detroit’s Eastern Market, Chris purchased some mushroom grow kits, furthering fueling the interest, and in 2015, Mycophile’s Garden became a reality. Chris serves as the “Chief Fungal Officer” alongside partner Jess Phillips, and a close-knit team of mushroom devotees.
Their logo, designed by local creative Dayna Walton of Solstice Handmade, incorporates a fun and appealing variety of West Michigan’s wild mushrooms. Retro-style organic cotton shirts featuring the logo are available in their online store for anyone interested in wearing their love for mushrooms on their sleeve.
WEIRD SCIENCE: CULTIVATING FUNGI
What we traditionally think of when picturing mushrooms is just their above-ground fruiting body – the caps and stems. But there is so much more to mushrooms lying just beneath the surface!
This underground root system, or mycelium, is a dense mass of fine, thread-like filaments of tissue joined to serve as an essential life support system – drawing energy and nutrition from the surrounding substrate. Substrate is the bulk material in which fungi grow. In the wild, this can be anything from a fallen or living tree to plant matter. The substrate, along with environmental factors like humidity and temperature, all help to determine the success as well as the species of the mushroom.
In a commercial setting like Mycophile’s Garden, this natural process is recreated in a controlled environment to produce a more predictable and plentiful result. Each week they sterilize around 2400 pounds of substrates like grain and sawdust using 55-gallon drum steam pasteurizers and commercial-grade pressure cookers. This substrate is introduced to the mycelium in a sterile petri dish in their laboratory. The specimens are then housed in a warehouse, and the incubation period begins! During this time, the mycelium take root in the substrate, colonizing it and excreting enzymes to break it down into proteins and other macronutrients that can be synthesized into energy and food for the fungi.
After colonization, the baby fungi are moved into a specially equipped (and partially subterranean) greenhouse where they are kept cool and humid in bags to continue growing until the team is ready to harvest. Each bag can produce between 3-4 pounds of mushrooms and can be harvested multiple times.
Currently, the Mycophile’s Garden team are hard at work getting set up in a newly purchased local space in which they’ll be able to complete each step of the growth process.
Fresh mushrooms on display at the Fulton Street Farmers Market in Grand Rapids, Michigan | Photo by Ashley Wierenga
GROW YOUR OWN!
Chris wants to emphasize that mushrooms have a longer shelf-life than most people assume and can be safely kept in your refrigerator for several weeks. If you check your mushrooms and happen to see white fuzz near the base of the stem or the top of the cap – don’t panic! This growth is likely mycelium, looking for a food source in hopes of continued growth.
Looking for a way to grow mushrooms at home that doesn’t start in your fridge? Mycophile’s Garden offers a variety of Grow Kits for purchase on their website to help even the most inexperienced beginner get started on their own myco-garden!
These kits are the same full-size production bags used in their facilities, producing around 3-4 lbs of mushrooms each harvest. While each harvest will get a bit smaller, you can re-use your grow kit several separate times, making these the perfect creative gift that keeps giving. Chris’s sister Alissa has been harvesting from the same shiitake grow kit since January 2020!
Each grow kit comes to you fully colonized, meaning that the mycelium is ready to start bearing mushrooms – taking the guesswork and sterilization out of at-home cultivation. Humidity, temperature, and fresh air are key to mushroom growth, so the best time to start a grow kit is in the spring or fall. In the summer months, you’ll need to add additional humidity to keep the kit moist.
Chris suggests starting out with their Michigan Oyster Mushroom or Lion’s Mane Grow Kits – Lion’s Mane being one of the first mushrooms they commercially grew themselves! Lion’s Mane is a hearty and resilient mushroom which can fruit 5+ times from the same kit! These large, white, shaggy mushrooms are typically found growing on dead hardwood trees and are best known for their striking resemblance to a lion’s mane, novel medicinal benefits, and mild lobster-like flavor. Historically, they have been used in East Asia for their potential cognitive, emotional, and digestive benefits.
In fact, all mushrooms boast several unique health compounds – full of fiber, selenium, antioxidants, magnesium, and vitamin D. They can be the perfect low-calorie addition of umami flavor to your dish without adding an abundance of fat, sodium, or digestible carbohydrates. Some species can even be used as a meat substitute, serving as an alternative source of iron and protein.
Fresh mushrooms on display at the Fulton Street Farmers Market in Grand Rapids, Michigan | Photo by Ashley Wierenga
A SPECTRUM OF FLAVORS
Mushroom species vary in size, texture, colors, and shapes – so of course there’s a whole spectrum of flavors (and recipes) to be explored as well.
Some, like the Chestnut mushroom, are very delicate, breaking down easily when cooked. Others, like the Portabella, are dense, firm, and rich mushrooms that can lend a chewy depth to sauces or pastas. With their flat, wide caps and meaty texture, portabellas are great for stuffing or grilling.
Lion’s Mane and King Oyster are perfect when sauteed till brown in a sauce of your choosing – Chris suggests liquid amino acid, garlic + brown sugar, or chili sauce. While large, firm mushrooms like these will shrink quite a bit when sauteed, the process really brings out their flavor. King Oysters also make a great alternative to scallops, squid, or even pulled pork.
Shiitake and Black Poplar mushrooms have a heavier, more earthy flavor. Black Poplars grow in dense clusters on and around poplar trees, identified by their white stem and golden-brown cap. With a rich and intoxicating cocoa-like aroma, these are excellent in a cream of mushroom soup, gravy, or stuffed in raviolis.
Hot Tip: Sautee some black poplar, shiitake, and shallots with white wine and bake in a puff pastry for a low-effort elevated dish that will raise both eyebrows and forks!
And visit the Mycophile’s Garden site for a Fungi Jerky that will make you forget about meat. With the dense texture of Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms, this chewy and flavorful vegan jerky takes snack time to a whole new level.
FUNGI 101: AN EDUCATION IN MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION
Anyone can go into their backyard and beyond to forage for edible mushrooms, but to do so safely means learning to identify all our local Michigan species. Even mushrooms that are considered “easily identifiable” can be mistaken for poisonous look-a-likes, highlighting the importance of education. The State of Michigan even requires that commercial foragers become certified experts in mushroom identification before they can sell these wild mushrooms to consumers.
Luckily, the certified experts at Mycophile’s Garden offer a variety of learning experiences, such as the Mushroom Identification Class. This introductory course is based around Michigan’s Wild-foraged Mushroom Certification program, aimed at teaching you the basic tools and terminology to safely identify, locate, and describe many of the wild edible mushrooms growing locally.
For those thinking about purchasing a grow kit, the Introductory Cultivation Course is a great starting point to learn about basic fungal anatomy and straightforward methods that will have you confidently harvesting in no time. Fungus: Friend, Food & Medicine offers another opportunity to dive into the nutritional, medicinal, ecological, and culinary aspects of fungi. Best part: you’ll partake in a 3-course lunch that gives mushrooms the center stage.
LOCAL FUNGI AVAILABLE AT BRIDGE STREET MARKET
Mycophile’s Garden has maintained a regular presence at an abundance of outdoor farmer’s market throughout West Michigan over the years, including Fulton Street Farmer’s Market. It was here that Chris and team were initially approached to get involved with Bridge Street Market.
This exciting partnership served as their entry into wholesale production – bringing fresh, locally grown mushrooms to our shelves.
Find these favorites – and more – in the the mushroom cooler at Bridge Street Market:
Chestnut Mushrooms – Stunningly beautiful, mild in flavor, and delicate in texture, chestnut mushrooms are excellent in risotto, soups, sauces, and pasta dishes!
Lion’s Mane
Nameko – Adorable, sticky, and slightly nutty – these are a favorite in broth-based dishes like ramen and hot and sour soup.
Oysters – Mycophile’s Garden brings the variety, including the Michigan Wild Oyster and the hearty Black Pearl King Oyster.
Shiitakes
Photo by Ashley Wierenga