Friday Farm Feature: SporeAttic Mushrooms
Written by Lynne Hebert, Montana Dietetic Intern
I’m sure you’ve heard of button mushrooms, but have you heard of King Trumpet, Lion’s Mane and Mother of Pearl Oyster mushrooms? MSU microbiology graduate Ben Deuling and his fantastic team are exploring the possibilities of gourmet mushrooms in Bozeman, Montana. After partnering with Three Hearts Farm, Ben and his team have been growing beautiful bouquets of colorful mushrooms for local restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets, and delivery. SporeAttic has even created grow kits so you can try growing your own mushroom varieties at home!
Where can I find SporeAttic Mushrooms and Grow Kits?
Town and Country Grocery Store, N 11th St. in Bozeman: Mushrooms
During store hours when stock is in
Three Hearts Farm Stand, 2111 Love Lane in Bozeman: Mushrooms and Grow Kits
Fridays from 10:00 am-6:00 pm, May - September.
Bozeman Farmers Market, Lindley Park: Mushrooms and Grow Kits
Tuesdays from from 5:00-8:00 pm, June 15th - September 2nd.
Bozeman Winter Farmers Market, Gallatin Valley Fairgrounds (Exhibit Building #2): Mushrooms and Grow Kits
Saturdays 9:00 am - noon, every Winter until April 17th.
Doorstep Farm Foods, a delivery service for local farm products: Mushrooms and Grow Kits
Shop Friday - Wednesday, delivery every Thursday in Bozeman, Livingston, and Big Timber.
Root Cellar Foods: Mushrooms
Pre-order online from Fridays at 10:00am to Mondays at 11:00am, pickup and delivery every Thursday for Bozeman, Belgrade, Four Corners, Gallatin Gateway and Livingston.
Black Dog Farm, a delivery service for local farm products: Mushrooms
Order between Friday morning and Tuesday afternoon, all deliveries made by 8:00 pm on Thursdays in Bozeman, Livingston, Four Corners, Gallatin Gateway, and Big Sky.
After hitting the market on Halloween of 2020, SporeAttic mushrooms are being served at all your favorite restaurants in Bozeman. Here are a few of them:
Feed Cafe
Open Range
Whistle Pig Korean
Bridger Brewing
Feast Bistro
Blackbird Kitchen
Tanoshii
Blacksmith Italian
Plonk
Montana Ale Works
How do mushrooms grow?
Mushrooms are a fungus, so they don’t grow from a seed like plants do! Mushrooms grow from spores. Spores are microscopic cells that are spread from a mushroom to grow more of its kind. If you have mushrooms in your refrigerator or on your kitchen counter, they’re spreading spores everywhere! If it’s the right environment for them -- mushrooms will grow. You can try this out with a grow kit at home! They come with a spray bottle and instructions on how to build a perfect humid and dark environment for them. You can grow mushrooms right in your kitchen this way.
The SporeAttic team has built a whole mushroom cultivation facility on Three Hearts Farm. They are currently growing 11 different varieties of mushrooms that all thrive in the same climate. Some taste more delicate while others have so much savory flavor that they can even be used as a meat substitute. SporeAttic’s goal is to grow 300-400 pounds of mushrooms per week this summer! They would love to share their passion for mushroom cultivation by eventually being able to offer growing supplies to anyone who wants to learn. Ben Deuling states that one of his goals is to one day offer auger plates and specialty mushroom spores so that people can have home-grown mushrooms along with their backyard gardens. He would also love to get grow kits involved with Gallatin Valley Farm to School!
On Sunday, April 25th, 2021, Open Range restaurant in Bozeman is hosting a four course dinner that is all SporeAttic mushrooms! Tickets may be available until then. Check out SporeAttic LLC at the grocery stores and farmers markets this Spring and Summer!