Mushroom Mania - Episode 419

This, by far, was one of the most fascinating stories I’ve ever covered. How does a spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus end up being a diner’s delight in restaurants across the country? You do know mushrooms are a fungus?

For our story, we spent the day with the Webb family in Salt Lick, Kentucky. Their 200-acre commercial mushroom farm is located in the heart of Daniel Boone Forest. It is a wonder to see. It’s taken several years for them to build up their log operation, but in the process they discovered an even, better way to grow their organic mushrooms---inside a temperature-controlled greenhouse-style facility. The humid temperatures and misty sprays made for a bad hair day. Oh, and if you’re an asthma sufferer, please bring along your inhaler as the spores will get you good!

The one thing you quickly discover about Billy, Becky and their brood of boys is that they love working on the mushroom farm. There are so many daily tasks at hand and each one of them handles their chores with excitement. The older boys have even started to sell their mushrooms at local farmers markets….conjuring up the entrepreneurial spirit of their father.

My new favorite word that I learned while shooting this segment was “mushroom spawn.” It’s similar to mushroom seed, but has a much better ring to it. I could say it all day….mushroom spawn….mushroom spawn. As someone who has only eaten a single button mushroom in her lifetime, I can now say that I have a greater sense of appreciation for this versatile food source.

Yolanda Vazquez