John Herron with some of his company's produce. Many varieties grow on the plastic bag set-ups behind him. (KATIE LOVETT/DavidsonNews.net)

By KATIE LOVETT
DavidsonNews.net

LANDIS – Tucked away down the Rowan County back roads of Landis, N.C., lies the old, abandoned Linn Cotton Mill. Once a bustling textile production center, this space now serves as home to hundreds upon hundreds of  . . .  mushrooms?

The current tenant, Cottonmill Mushroom Farms, is churning out 500 pounds of oyster and shitake mushrooms each week under the guidance of founder and owner John Herron. In 2007, Mr. Herron adopted and transformed the dusty, humid mill basement into a climate-controlled production center.

“The first time I came, it was 100 degrees outside but just 80 degrees inside,” Mr. Herron said of his decision to set up shop in the old cotton mill in Landis, north of Kannapolis. That’s when he knew the space would be the perfect hub for his project.

BIG YEAR IN 2011

Some of the mushrooms are grown on special blocks. (KATIE LOVETT/DavidsonNews.net)

Mr. Herron’s business, formerly known as Landis Gourmet Mushrooms, took off with an expansion of ownership in fall 2011. With the help of his three new business partners, Michael Thorpe, Trey Wilson, and Bryson Smith, Mr. Herron’s mushrooms now make their way to farmer’s markets, Know Your Farms’ CSA boxes, and innovative local restaurants.

Mr. Thorpe, a Kannapolis native, provides a valuable extra set of hands as well as his own knowledge of and passion for mycology (the branch of biology that studies fungi). Mr. Thorpe switched from studying computer science at UNCC to growing mushrooms on his family’s 150-year-old farm in southern Georgia before ending up alongside Mr. Herron at Cottonmill.

“When I came to John, he was about to shut the doors,” Mr. Thorpe said.  With only 20 shitake blocks keeping him in business back in August 2011, Thorpe provided a valuable addition to Mr. Herron’s team.

Partnering with chefs Trey Wilson and Bryson Smith brought even more growth for Cottonmill. As Executive Chef and Owner of Customshop restaurant in Charlotte, Mr. Wilson constantly strives to feature locally sourced food on his menu. The restaurant is committed to supporting local, organic farm ventures and works to bring guests the freshest, most sustainable foods in the region, he said.

Mr. Wilson even sources from his own greenhouse, allowing him to bring fresh produce straight from his backyard to the restaurant. In its second year, the Elizabeth Avenue Farmer’s Market also is the result of Mr. Wilson’s hard work and dedication to local food. Unlike other farmer’s markets, vendors can set up and sell for free at this weekly Saturday market open from early spring to late fall. (http://www.elizabethavefarmersmarket.com/)

Customshop Sous Chef Bryson Smith has used his business degree to push forward with new restaurant partnerships for Cottonmill Mushroom Farms. Customshop itself goes through about 20 pounds of Cottonmill mushrooms each week, but Smith has also added mushrooms to the menu at Soul (http://soulgastrolounge.com), Carpe Diem (http://www.carpediemrestaurant.com/index.php), and Mimosa Grill (http://www.harpersgroup.com/mimosa.asp).

HOW TO GROW A MUSHROOM

Spores are cultured in petri dishes before implanting. (KATIE LOVETT/DavidsonNews.net)

These four men are well on their way to becoming a leading woodland mushroom producer in the Southeast. Mr. Herron has tweaked and honed his production system through the years, resulting in a streamlined path from spawn to inoculation to flush. Although these terms probably sound pretty strange and disconnected from anything that might end up on your dinner plate, they lead to a pretty delicious mushroom.

Spawn is a kind of grain that the mushroom plant (mycelium) grows in before the inoculation, or planting, phase. The term flush refers to when the mycelium fruit and produce a full-fledged, edible mushroom. This entire process begins in the lab Mr. Herron and Mr. Thorpe constructed out of plastic tarps and recycled materials.

Entering the lab is like walking into another world – petri dishes, glass mason jars, and clear plastic bags full of fledging mushroom cultures line the shelves. Each mushroom spore mixes with agar and marinates in a petri dish before traveling to its new home in a jar where the spores generate spawn.

After their final phase in gallon-sized plastic bags, the mushroom spawn leaves the lab and heads to the inoculation area.

The growing methods Mr. Herron has developed imitate the way the mushroom would grow in the wild, he said. The shitake strains, which usually grow on fallen logs, are planted on sawdust blocks, while the oyster varieties used to growing on trees sprout best with the column method. The fungi then colonize for two to three weeks before flushing and producing knobby, tiered bunches of aromatic mushrooms. These are then harvested by the handful and packed into bags and trays to be transported to the farmer’s markets, restaurant kitchens, and CSA boxes.

WHERE TO TASTE ‘EM

Mr. Herron recently has begun assembling mushroom “kits” to provide consumers with a DIY approach to mushroom production. For just $20, these kits comprise a plastic bag filled with inoculated straw, able to produce three flushes of oyster mushrooms. For those who prefer shitake mushrooms, Herron also sells $20 inoculated logs able to produce shitakes for up to two years. Mr. Herron sets up at the Davidson Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and will be selling these kits along with individual bags of harvested mushrooms.

A mushroom growing kit for sale to schools

For those who prefer to get their mushroom fix through a fine dining experience, pay a visit to Chef Wilson’s restaurant Customshop in Charlotte (1601 Elizabeth Avenue). Often, mushrooms are hidden within menu items such as risotto or sandwiches, but Customshop works to give them an identity of their own. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Smith are constantly experimenting with the mushrooms they receive from Mr. Herron: “We are all about new age methods,” Mr. Smith said, “and showcasing the mushrooms so the consumer gets the full experience.”

Variations include sautéed mushrooms with soft scrambled eggs, takes on “steak” and eggs, and a mushroom salad with a soft-boiled egg.

For home cooks, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Smith recommended a few simple preparation methods to heighten the flavor of the Cottonmill mushrooms: sautéed with olive oil, garlic and shallot; marinated in olive oil and champagne vinegar; or, as a final step, simply eaten raw.

LOOKING FORWARD

With such a strong start to 2012, Cottonmill Mushroom Farms is looking to continue to expand business and reach even more foodies in the local area.

“We want to build a foundation,” Mr. Thorpe said, while also continuing to grow sustainably and organically. “Industrial agriculture is just not sustainable. When the trucks stop running, everybody’s dead. We need a local, sustainable food source.”

By using all recycled materials, organic sawdust, and organic straw, Cottonmill makes a strong case for green production methods. As Mr. Smith says, “the difference between commercial mushrooms and our mushrooms is just night and day.”

Mr. Herron’s mushrooms taste the way a mushroom is supposed to taste: fresh, mildly sweet, and like it could hold its own on a gourmet restaurant menu.

When asked what sparked his desire to start a mushroom farm, Mr. Herron responded with a smile: “Someone told me I couldn’t do it.”

Mr. Herron has developed a system of plastic bags for growing some varieties. (KATIE LOVETT/DavidsonNews.net)