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The Mushroom Shop offers fungi for every season

October 19, 2021 By marketeditor

By Emily Meagher

Jacob Howard of The Mushroom Shop at the market, photo by Emily Meagher

Saratoga’s Wednesday farmers’ market, which concludes its 2021 season at the end of October, is a gem for finding less conventional varieties of fresh, local produce. This season, a crowd favorite has been the diverse offering of seasonal mushrooms by The Mushroom Shop, a new vendor.

Partners Jacob Howard and Elise Olsen have always enjoyed gardening, growing vegetables and flowers, and keeping houseplants. About six years ago, they decided to try growing something new, one of their favorite ingredients to cook with: mushrooms. That hobby turned more serious this past winter when a local farmer offered a part of their land in Salem to build a proper mushroom farm. Thus The Mushroom Shop began.

Elise Olsen tending to the mushroom crops, photo provided

The past year has been full of learning curves for the young farmers. Through the seasons, weather affects how mushrooms grow – even in a controlled environment. To provide fresh, quality products, they don’t sell mushrooms cut more than three days before markets, so preparing the crop for harvest close to market days can be challenging.

The unpredictability of the crop also makes for happy surprises. This summer, Howard and Olsen changed the recipe for the medium they use to grow their fungi. The lion’s mane variety took very well to this change – just 4 of the mushrooms weighed over 15 pounds!

An abundance of lion’s mane wasn’t a problem for the couple since it’s their favorite variety to cook.

“It’s so versatile. Its tender, meaty texture makes for a great seafood substitute, perfect for recipes like lion’s mane “crab” cakes, “shrimp” scampi, or hearty chowder. Or cook it like steak by searing thick slabs in a cast-iron skillet or on the grill,” says Howard.

Mushroom offering at the market, photo by Emily Meagher

The Mushroom Shop offers a variety of seasonal mushrooms, both farm-grown and foraged during the couple’s woods walks in Salem. Their products also include dried mushrooms, mushroom seasonings, and grow kits.

This November, The Mushroom Shop will join the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s winter season at the Wilton Mall with 50 other local vendors. Howard and Olsen look forward to sharing their enthusiasm for all things fungi with market customers, who can expect to see several new cold-weather varieties at their stand this winter, like enoki, beech, black pearl oysters, king trumpets, and nameko.

This week’s recipe: Lion’s Mane Scampi

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: farming, foraging, fungi, grow kits, lions mane, mushrooms, new vendor, Salem, seasonings, summer 2021, The Mushroom Shop, winter 2021/22

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Swing by our 3-6pm market tomorrow outside the low Swing by our 3-6pm market tomorrow outside the lower city center parking lot! We have several guests including musician @starlitgeneration, as well as some fun kids activities hosted by our friends from @saratogaspringslibrary. Hope to see you there!!!

Parking available in the City Center Lot, free for the first hour and $1/hr after that. 

#saratogasprings #saratogafarmersmarket #shoplocal #farmtotable #eathealthy #upstateny
Come stop by the Saratoga Farmers’ Market tomor Come stop by the Saratoga Farmers’ Market  tomorrow at the Wilton mall! From 9am-1pm you can find some of your favorite produce and craft vendors before we move over to High Rock Park on June 1st. Talented musician Brendan Dailey will be joining us too. Hope to see you there!

Photo 1 taken by Pattie Garrett @mysaratogakitchentable of one of our friends from @themushroomshopllc 

#saratogasprings #farmtotable #shoplocal #smallbuisness #eathealthy
After a much anticipated wait, come June 1st, the After a much anticipated wait, come June 1st, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be returning to High Rock Park for our Wednesday and Saturday Markets! Thank you to everyone on our team, our vendors, customers and friends who have helped to make this transition happen. Stay tuned for upcoming events celebrating our move! 

Photo: Flowers from @lovinmamafarm 

Parking will be available on High Rock Ave and in the new City Center Parking Garage (free for the first hour and $1/hr after that) 

#saratogasprings #farmersmarket #farmtotable #shoplocal #june1st #highrockpark
It is our second to last market on High Rock Ave b It is our second to last market on High Rock Ave before heading back over to the pavilion on June 1st!!! Stop by tomorrow from 3-6pm for our musical guest Dave Moore and our friends from @bsneny 

Photos by Pattie Garrett @mysaratogakitchentable 

#farmtotable #saratogafarmersmarket #shoplocal #healthyfood #smallbuisness

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