My background and education is in audio engineering. After freelancing for a while, co-owning a production company, and teaching at a charter school, I decided to hang up my headphones and become a mushroom farmer. I made this decision in Fall 2019, right before the pandemic, which has been a blessing and a curse, but I have been growing and selling mushrooms through it all.
I have always been interested in foraging mushrooms. It’s perfect for someone with ADHD like myself because it’s like Pokémon but in real life. After getting Lyme disease a few years back, I became much more cautious in the woods. I was gifted a mushroom growing kit, and I’ve never looked back. I now cultivate and grow all of my mushrooms indoors, ensuring that customers get the right product by eliminating the uncertainty in identifying foraged mushrooms and removing the possibility of contracting Lyme from foraging.
Currently, I cultivate five different mushrooms indoors, including blue/grey oyster, golden oyster, king trumpet oyster, lion’s mane, and chestnut. Some of these mushrooms can have a mind of their own, which can affect availability weekly. Additionally, I offer kits for you to grow mushrooms at home. They come with everything you need to grow mushrooms indoors within about a week from starting the kit.
This year is Fungetarian’s second at the market. The community of attendees is extremely welcoming and appreciative of the vendors. It is truly a great feeling. In preparation for the holiday season, I will put out a sign-up sheet for people interested in getting kits or mushrooms after the market season ends. I will send out the information at the beginning of November. I also sell my grow kits through my website.
A fun fact about me is that in my spare time, I love designing and casting silver jewelry at my family’s jewelry store in Beaver, Pennsylvania.
You can learn more at www.Fungetarian.com and follow at @Fungetarian on Facebook and Instagram.