The Shine Shack

09/27/2026

🍄 THE MUSHROOM THAT REFUSES TO QUIT

I found these little turkey tails (Trametes versicolor) growing in some old wh***ey barrels, and I had to share.
Turkey tail is one of those mushrooms that is easy to overlook. They grow in those beautiful little overlapping shelves on dead hardwood, helping break down old wood and return those nutrients to the forest.
But my favorite thing about them?
They’re tough little things.
Their thin, leathery caps can dry out and survive freezing temperatures, and they can hang around through the seasons. Then when conditions are right, they can rehydrate and become active again in spring. Basically, they hit pause on mushroom life and come back when the forest says, “Okay, we're ready again.” 🍄🌧️🌱
And those stripes? That’s where the name versicolor comes from — “of several colors.” Brown, tan, white, rust… sometimes even blue, orange or magenta.

The forest is pretty damn cool. 🖤

09/26/2026

🍄🖤 THE MUSHROOMS THAT TURN INTO INK.

This week’s weird little bit of nature magic at the Shine Shack: ink cap mushrooms!

These mushrooms have a seriously strange life cycle. When they mature, their caps literally self-digest into a dark, inky liquid, helping release their spores. What starts out looking like a perfectly ordinary (okay…slightly suspicious-looking) mushroom eventually turns into something that looks like a jar of homemade India ink. 🖤

So naturally, I had to collect a few and watch the transformation.

Nature: “Here, I made you ink.”
Shine Shack: “Well…obviously we’re keeping it.” 😂

There is something ridiculously cool about finding useful little surprises growing right outside your door. 🌿🍄

Shine Shack: where the garden grows food, the chickens lay breakfast, and apparently the mushrooms make art supplies.

09/20/2026

C***r Week was… a little different this year. 😂🍎

The bear and elk apparently decided the apples were theirs, so we worked with what the garden did leave us. Mushrooms, rosemary, tomatoes, and a little color from the garden. Not exactly the c***r harvest I had planned, but around here we call that Shine Shack: making something out of whatever chaos the wildlife leaves behind. ✨

The apples may be gone, but we’re still shining on. 🌿🍄🍅

***rWeek

09/04/2026

A little Shine Shack community love today. 💛✨

One of my coworkers is raising funds for a medical procedure that she needs but simply can’t afford on a fixed income without insurance.

I’m sharing her GoFundMe here because sometimes helping doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’re able to donate, amazing. If not, even sharing it could help it reach someone who can. 🫶

We’re all just out here trying to make things grow — sometimes that means gardens, sometimes it means helping people. 🌱💛

Shine on🌟

I’m Jenny, and I never imagined I would be in a position where I needed to ask for this… Jenny Scott needs your support for Help Jenny Get Life-Saving Surgery

08/30/2026

We DID IT. 🍅✨

We grew tomatoes. Outside. On the Oregon Coast.

No greenhouse. No easy mode. Just stubbornness and a whole lot of garden chaos. 😂 This is what we mean when we say shine on!

Small harvest, big victory. 🍅✨

08/23/2026

The first Nasturtium jelly taste tested today and official has the seal of approval. A very light jelly made from a cold steep Nasturtium tea. Coming soon to the farm stand!

08/23/2026

Just a little tomato garden update from The Shine Shack… 🍅🌿

At this point, we’re no longer sure who is growing whom.

The tomatoes are thriving, the garden is a jungle, and honestly… it got out of hand.

08/23/2026

Remember the sunflower? 🌻

The one that grew in the greenhouse despite the bear, the wind, and everything else this year seems determined to throw at us?

Well, she did it. 💛 And now I have **so many seeds saved for next year.**

It feels like a pretty good reminder that around here, things don't always go according to plan but sometimes they grow anyway. 🌻✨

We may have been a little quiet lately, but The Shine Shack is still here, still growing, and apparently already planning next year's sunflower crop. 😉

07/31/2026

From garden to plate. 🌿✨

Today's harvest might have became one of our favorite summer meals: fresh nasturtium pesto made with garden-grown nasturtium, basil, garlic, and green onions.

Peppery, bright, and packed with flavor, it's another reminder that some of the best ingredients are growing just outside the door.

One more recipe added to our growing list of farm-to-fork dishes we're dreaming up for future catering and garden dining experiences. Until then... we'll keep planting, harvesting, and testing recipes so you don't have to. 💚🌼

What would you put nasturtium pesto on?

07/30/2026

🌻 Well... I can officially say I grew something in the greenhouse this year.

After finally getting the greenhouse finished, a bear decided to remodel it, and the Oregon wind added a few finishing touches. It wasn't exactly the season we had planned.

But tucked among the chaos, this sunflower kept growing anyway.

Sometimes the harvest isn't what you expected, but it's still worth celebrating. Here's to resilience, second chances, and finding a little sunshine in the middle of the mess. 💛

✨️shine on✨️