Mycology aligns with the Ranch’s values by connecting residents to the land in a new way. Our mushrooms are grown in open forest, on a plot where wild mushrooms already thrive. The plot faces north, has an evergreen canopy and natural spring water, and is right off one of our roads, so it’s easy for crews to access.
Thanks to our recent kitchen renovation, we’re now able to offer vegan entrees daily, in addition to omnivorous and vegetarian options. Our mushrooms are a big part of what make these dishes so satisfying and nutrition-packed! Their deep umami and complex background flavors are just as satisfying as our Ranch-raised meats.
The nutritional makeup of mushrooms provides many health benefits, particularly related to brain and mood. Unlike many other vegetables and grains used as mains in meat-free dishes, mushrooms absorb and provide significant levels of vitamin D. Many research studies have linked low levels of vitamin D with serious mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and even psychosis. Mushrooms are also packed with B vitamins, calcium, and other micronutrients that improve overall health. Mushroom consumption can increase the production of both antioxidants and neurotransmitters. Plus, they’re delicious! We don’t know about you, but eating something yummy always puts us in a better mood.
If you ask any mushroom-lover at the Ranch, they’ll tell you our shiitake are the best they’ve tasted, and there’s a reason for that. Because our mushrooms grow in the wild, they absorb the terroir of the forest around them. Their home in nature gives them great flavor, and it also connects us to the ups and downs of climate and cultivation. Currently, our shiitake field is thriving. The drought this year made wine caps a no-go, and our lion’s manes are not yet producing the volume needed to offer to the community. We’re optimistic about the future (and secretly hoping we find some space for a wet room to grow lion’s mane)!
For now, the program starts with the land…and the logs. Woods Crew helps Farm cut live, rock wood maple logs, which are inoculated, sealed, and left in the field to colonize. When it’s time, inoculated logs are dunked in fresh, cold spring water, and, just a few weeks later, mushrooms appear. The whole process takes at least 18 months, so the mushrooms we enjoy are the product of love and labor performed by others, sometimes years before.
This touches on more of the Ranch’s values. We believe hope and community are essential to the healing process. By working on something that likely won’t produce until after residents have left the Ranch, they pay it forward and must believe in the future to do so. This year alone, the mycology program provided our community with more than 300 pounds of shiitake mushrooms from logs started in 2021, 2022, and 2023. As we eat them, we can think of the Farm Crew members come and gone, and how they still contribute every day to our beautiful lives here at the Ranch.
Much of this year’s harvest was dehydrated. The kitchen can now add our mushrooms to dishes year-round! A recent highlight was the mushroom galette at Harvest Dinner, and a crispy mushroom rice dish that has become both a regular offering and a fan favorite. As always, we’re grateful for the bounty the land provides, and for the good work of the many hands in our community.
