Cultivation of the Button Mushroom

History

• In Paris in 1780, a French gardener started growing mushrooms in dark caves under the city and records show that he was growing them year-round. Word spread among gardeners and mushroom culture came to America after the Civil War.

Environment

• Mushrooms favor temperatures of 60 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit and grow best in dark environments on a moist pasteurized substrate of straw, horse manure and poultry manure in caves, deserted mines, basements and dark buildings.

Technique

• Specially prepared spawn created in an ultra-clean environment is mixed into the growing substrate. Inoculated substrate is placed onto trays held in racks forming a tower. Mycelium grows hairlike structures that permeate the substrate. Knowing when to apply water is the art behind causing the mycelium to fruit.

Harvest

• Button mushrooms are harvested by hand using a sharp knife and are packaged dry. In America in 2001, the average harvest was nearly 6 lbs. per square foot, according to the American Mushroom Institute.