Burbank, OH 44214
(419) 846-3258
Thomas and Wendy Wiandt of Killbuck Valley Mushrooms
have been selling their oyster mushrooms to restaurants in the Akron area since November 1999.
Their business has expanded to more mushroom varieties and more restaurants. Every week Tom makes two trips to Akron and Cleveland to deliver their gourmet mushrooms. They sell five different oyster mushroom varieties (white, blue, brown, golden and pink), and raise shiitake, Lion’s Mane, Trumpet Royale and Maitake mushrooms. Tom said shiitake mushrooms have a smoky and woodsy flavor. Lion’s Mane are sweet, rich and meaty; Trumpet Royale are among the firmest mushrooms and Maitake have a strong, nutty flavor. In summer they grow Wine caps in garden beds outdoors.
Their business fits in well with the barns on their former dairy farm. A summer kitchen was converted to a lab for the initial growing stages of the mushroom spawn. A large bank barn shelters three rooms where the mushrooms are prepared, grown and harvested.Tom and Wendy know they are serving a niche market . The oyster mushrooms they choose to grow are more perishable than other types of mushrooms and cannot be shipped long distances by the larger producers.
In a wooded valley just outside of Wooster, Ohio, Tom and Wendy grow fungi - growths of yellow, pink, and blue sprout from hanging plastic columns. Mushrooms should be a critical part of agriculture—they’re the recyclers.
The Wiandts produce a variety of mushrooms in just a few small buildings nestled among an old-growth forest. They have made this pursuit economically viable enough to leave their former careers, and they contend that in an ideal society, mushrooms—grown on entirely waste products—could provide an extremely efficient protein source.
Though they still hunt and market wild mushrooms from their 46-acre, organically-certified woods, they now specialize in homegrown oyster, shiitake, and lion’s mane mushrooms. These go to farmers' markets, retail outlets, and restaurants.
To reduce waste, Wendy has begun pickling the mushrooms they don’t sell. They now have a licensed cannery and sell the pickled mushrooms at market.
13 comments:
Which farmers market do you suggest?
Hi. Do you take the ept card
Hi Tom and Wendy,
Your neighbor up the street was wondering if you mind questions occasionally about wild mushrooms? I find many varieties in and around my woods.
Rick Phillips
where are your mushrooms sold ?
hi my is butt
Looking to buy lion's mane mushroom. Do you ship across the u.s.?
Where can I purchase your mushrooms?
They sell at local roots in downtown wooster. And I've seen them at the farmers market in downtown wooster.
Thanks for the info!
Hi my name is LLoyd,I have a small hay operation outside of newlondon ohio an we have been farming hay off the same grounds for 15 years with no chemicals off any type only using worn castings from our farm manure compost we are not organic,the reason for saying that is I was wondering I have some old round bails that are moldy an can't use it,is it something you would be interested in if so I would love to talk with you I hate to see things go to waist..lol..I even have worm castings if your interested..
i'm a lover of mushrooms ,can i purchase mushrooms from u,and many verities mushrooms do grow?
Hi, Tom.
Do you plan to have a pick and dine event at the farm this year--similar to those you hosted pre-pandemic?
Thanks!
Jamie (a fan from Shaker Square on Saturdays)
Post a Comment