What it takes to make money, growing mushrooms
The shiitake mushroom wasn’t grown in the U.S. until the late 1970’s. Before that they were imported as dehydrated mushrooms from China. But we found out some people in the Chippewa Valley are now making money, by growing their own shiitake mushrooms.
Deidra Barrickman has been growing the full flavored mushroom for 12 years on a small plot of land east of Eau Claire. She says what started out as a hobby — has grown into much more.
She says her patch has grown over the years, “This is probably around 800 or 900 logs we have now.”
The process starts in the winter when new logs used to grow the mushrooms are cut down. Then several dozen holes are drilled in the logs and shiitake spores are injected. She says, “As you can see, they’re kind of labor intensive.”
After that she says the logs have to stay well hydrated throughout the summer — creating a mini tropical forest. She says, “The shiitake is native to the jungles of Asia. So they do like heat and humidity — when we like being in the air conditioning — they’re growing fast.”
The more hot and humid it is — the more mushrooms Deidra can sell at the farmers market. She says last week she sold between 35 and 40 pounds at $10 per pound.
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