The Sustainable Mushroom Farm
Sustainability Aspects of the Urban Mushroom Farm
Consumers are increasingly questioning where their food comes from and the larger impact that their diet has on the environment. Much of our supermarket food is a product of the industrial agriculture system. Monocrop agriculture operations, the use of synthetic fertilizers and long supply chains, exacerbate the resilience of our ecosystems and natural resources. Purchasing locally grown food gives the individual consumer the ability to vote for sustainable food production with each dollar that they spend. One choice you can make next time you are in the produce aisle is to choose locally grown, fresh mushrooms.
There are a few factors that make locally grown mushrooms such a sustainable option. The first is that gourmet mushrooms, specifically the varieties grown at Four Star Mushrooms, are grown using the discarded material from other industries, such as agriculture. Secondly, when choosing produce, nutrition and taste are paramount and mushrooms check both of those boxes. Lastly, the substrate remaining after the mushrooms have been harvested is a valuable compost material that can be repurposed to grow more mushrooms!
Waste to Substrate
The mushroom varieties that are grown at Four Star Mushrooms are known as wood loving saprophytes, which means they grow on dead or dying wood. The mushroom’s mycelium is a web of thin fibers that expand over a substrate and extract water and nutrients to eventually produce mushrooms which are the reproductive organ of the fungus. The substrate mixture that is used at Four Star Mushrooms is a 50:50 ratio of hardwood sawdust and soybean hulls hydrated with water.
The sawdust is generally sourced from the lumber industry or wood product manufacturers, where it is seen as a waste product. Currently, there is no organic certification for sawdust. However, there are organic certified soybean hulls, which I choose to work with. Soybean hulls are a waste product of the agriculture industry, generated when the soybeans are being processed into oil or meal. The soybean hulls act as a nitrogen source which is a key nutrient required by the mycelium to produce healthy, nutritious mushrooms. Mushrooms are comprised mainly of water and Four Star Mushrooms has the added benefit of sourcing pure Lake Michigan water, one of the largest freshwater resources in the world. Using discarded materials from other industries and a ready supply of freshwater means that Four Star Mushrooms is capable of producing truly sustainable food.
Eat Healthy to Live Healthy
To say the health benefits of edible mushrooms are impressive would be an understatement. If you have not already, I suggest you read my previous article, The Medicinal Benefits of Edible Mushrooms. Such mushrooms contain specific beta-glucans which have been shown by the International Journal of Molecular Science to have antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, antiallergic, antiosteoporotic, and immunomodulating properties. Researchers at the University of Singapore concluded that people who eat two or more portions of cooked mushrooms in their weekly diets, with a portion being defined as 150 grams, significantly decreased their overall risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We are only scratching the surface when it comes to the research around the medicinal benefits of these mushrooms.
Further, mushrooms are low in calories, have no fat, and are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle. Both blue oyster and black pearl mushrooms grown at Four Star Mushrooms are high in protein and contain lovastatin which is an organic compound that decreases cholesterol. Additionally, lion’s mane is a fascinating nootropic that increases the brain’s production of nerve growth factor and could potentially aid in the treatment or prevention of dementia-related illnesses.
Mushrooms are not just healthy, they are also delicious! Mushrooms are best described as umami which is a deep, savory flavor profile indicative of the amino acid glutamate. Lion’s mane has a very rich taste and a texture that is similar to that of crab or lobster. Check out the Four Star Mushrooms Signature Recipes to get ideas on how to prepare your mushrooms. Mushrooms can also be ingested in powder, coffee, or extracts, all of which Four Star Mushrooms will be offering in the future! With their rich flavors and ability to pair with multiple ingredients, mushrooms are one of the most versatile foods that one can cook with.
Spent Substrate
Finally, one of the most valuable parts of indoor urban commercial mushroom cultivation is the “spent” substrate. This is the substrate remaining after the mushrooms have fruited one, two, or even three times. The substrate can be used as an effective soil amendment providing organic matter and structure. There are a few avenues in which the spent substrate can be used. One is to leave it out in a field over winter, allowing the field and climate to change its composition. This can then be used on freshly seeded lawns, vegetable gardens or as a mulch replacement. The substrate can also be composted in large piles, breaking down and generating a rich soil. In the process of composting, it is not uncommon for large, meaty clusters of mushrooms to appear. An added bonus to an already rewarding process.
Bashir, K., & Choi, J. S. (2017). Clinical and Physiological Perspectives of β-Glucans: The Past, Present, and Future. International journal of molecular sciences, 18(9), 1906. doi:10.3390/ijms18091906
Feng, Lei, et al. “The Association between Mushroom Consumption and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Singapore.” Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 68, no. 1, 2019, pp. 197–203., doi:10.3233/jad-180959.