11/05/2024
As mushroom season comes to a rapid close, we reflect on a pretty decent year, closing in on nearly 1/3rd of a ton of mushrooms. The spring and first half of the summer were wet and very productive. The latter half was dryer and less productive. A very dry October saw mushroom production virtually shut down.
Over the six years we've been growing woods-grown mushrooms commercially, we've learned a few things. We've found it to be quite challenging to produce a minimum of 30 pounds of mushrooms a week when we have very little control over the growing conditions. We've also found that growing mushrooms outdoors is very hard work requiring a significant amount of time. It's also a seven day a week job. There's little time and energy at the end of the day to even cover routine normal maintenance tasks around the farm let alone enjoy any summer recreational or other activities.
We certainly enjoy working with our customers and rubbing elbows with the various vendors at the three markets we routinely attend, but the extreme number of hours we need to commit has led us to make some hard decisions. If we could hire help to reduce some of the workload we would certainly do that but the revenue generated from the business would not cover that additional expense. Downsizing is also not an option as the mushrooms often fruit when they decide to do so, not in coordination with our market schedule. Being unable to find a suitable balance we have decided to cease operations as of the end of this season. It's not a decision we made lightly or one that we necessarily like but we know our limitations and we cannot continue to exceed them. We are truly grateful for all the friendships and connections we have made through this adventure. Thank you for all of your support over these past six years!
