hill country observerThe independent newspaper of eastern New York, southwestern Vermont and the Berkshires

 

Arts & Culture August 2022

 

Fresh fruit of the fungi

A family farm makes the most of mushrooms

 

Jeff Killenberger of 518 Farms stands in an indoor growing room where he raises several varieties of mushrooms under controlled light and humidity. The farm in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., which also raises some varieties outdoors, grows mushrooms for gourmet cooking and medicinal preparations. Joan K. Lentini photo

 

Jeff Killenberger of 518 Farms stands in an indoor growing room where he raises several varieties of mushrooms under controlled light and humidity. The farm in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., which also raises some varieties outdoors, grows mushrooms for gourmet cooking and medicinal preparations. Joan K. Lentini photo

 

By STACEY MORRIS
Contributing writer

HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y.


The daily routine at Jeff Killenberger’s farm doesn’t involve rising at dawn to care for livestock — nor to tend lush green fields.


Instead, he starts his day by heading to a 500-square-foot shed on his 6-acre property and entering what he calls “the fruiting room.” There, out of the bright sunlight, he cares for his crop of gourmet mushrooms.


For the past five years, Killenberger and his wife, Megan, have been growing mushrooms indoors for both culinary and medicinal purposes. They also forage for varieties they can’t cultivate in the fruiting shed.


Like many families who’ve relocated to the Hoosic Valley in recent years, the Killenbergers were seeking a quieter existence when they bought their rural property six years ago.
“We really didn’t like our 9-to-5 jobs, so we Googled what we could grow here,” Jeff recalled.
When it turned out that mushrooms ranked high on the list of possibilities, they began experimenting.


After successful first crops of oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms, Jeff decided to build an indoor fruiting room, which required learning the finer points of mushroom cultivation.


“The conditions have to mimic Mother Nature,” he explained. “The room has to be at 92 percent humidity and have the proper amount of light mushrooms need.”


Through special artificial lighting, Killenberger rode the learning curve of just how much light his crops need to thrive.


“Mushrooms want a lot of light, but not direct sunlight,” he said, adding that the year-round varieties he now grows include blue and golden oysters, lion’s mane, shiitake, reishi, nameko, black trumpets and maitaki.


Then there are the seasonal, wild mushrooms, for which he and 5-year-old son Finn forage in the woods.


Jeff recalled how Finn took to the family business naturally after he sent the boy into the edge of the woods to find some sticks for roasting marshmallows.


“Finn came back with a morel mushroom, all excited,” the father explained proudly. “He’s really good at finding the black trumpets too.”


Killenberger also helps the natural growth of these forage crops by spreading mushroom spawn along the wooded trails of his property.


“Then I just let ’em go and do what they want,” he explained. “Certain mushrooms will grow right on the side of the trail. You have to be friendly to be mushrooms — and they’ll be friendly back.”

 

Mushroom to market
The Killenbergers’ business, 518 Farms, now sells mushrooms at the Cambridge and Kingston farmers markets and at specialty stores including Wild Oats in Williamstown, Mass., the Chatham Real Food Co-op, Cambridge Food Co-op, Four Seasons in Saratoga Springs, Old Saratoga Mercantile in Schuylerville, and Hoosick Provisions and Berle Farm, both in Hoosick Falls.
Because 518 Farms uses no sprays or pesticides, the shelf life of its mushrooms is limited.
“All of the mushrooms go from the fruiting blocks to the retail stores within 24 hours,” Killenberger explained.


Retail prices ranges from $9 to $12 per half-pound for cultivated varieties to $36 per pound for foraged varieties.


“I know where to find all the good foraged mushrooms now,” Killenberger explained. “But that takes years, and you’ve got to put the work in.”


Christina Myers, the owner of Old Saratoga Mercantile, said mushrooms from 518 Farms always sell well at her store.


“Jeff’s product is always consistent, and customers love rounding the fish or beef they buy here for dinner with local mushrooms,” Myers said. “I like all his varieties, especially the nameko mushrooms, which are a traditional miso mushroom that go well with the Asian greens and broth we sell.”

 

Medicinal preparations
Four years ago, the Killenbergers added mushroom tinctures and teas to their product line. Selling for $40 for four-ounce dropper bottles, the tinctures come in varieties such as reishi, maitake, and shiitake. Customers seek them for benefits that range from improved mood to better sleep.


The duel-extracted method for the tinctures includes drying the mushrooms, soaking them in alcohol for two months, straining them, and then boiling the soaked mushrooms in water for two hours.


“When they’re cooled down, they’re combined with the alcohol soak, and that makes the tincture,” Killenberger said.


“I can’t make medicinal claims, but if you use Google Scholar and type in the mushroom varieties, you’ll get scientific research journal results and medical benefits,” he added. “Google Scholar doesn’t give opinion, just research and facts. My wife and I drink copious amounts of our reishi tea, and we’ve found it calms us and helps us focus better on day-to-day tasks. It also helps with a more peaceful night’s sleep.”


The mushroom powders sell for $12 per 27-gram bag, and the teas are $10 for two-ounce bags. If that seems high compared with similar products, Killenberger said it’s for good reason.
“Our tinctures and teas are made with the fruited mushroom bodies and not biomass, which sets us apart from some of the other U.S. manufacturers,” he said. “Although we still have to label them as a supplement, we follow the same practices as other countries where medicinal mushrooms are regulated according to how they’re created.”


Killenberger advises checking ingredient lists on mushroom teas and tinctures to ensure purity.
“If the ingredients indicate any type of starch such as corn, rice, or oats, then the product is biomass and not created from the fruited mushroom body, which contains the medicinal properties,” he explained. “A simple starch test instructional is found on our website.”

 

Adventure in flavor, texture
In addition to sales through farmers markets and regional specialty stories, the Killenbergers sell their mushrooms, tinctures and teas via their website, which offers a mushroom glossary as well as a recipe page to guide novices to broaden their experience of cooking with mushrooms.
“When I was a kid, I hated mushrooms,” Killenberger recalled, laughing. “Now I devour them. But all we had back then were those canned button mushrooms.”


Recipes on the website include lion’s mane “crab cakes,” an herb-infused oyster mushroom burger, and even a mushroom apple crisp.


Originally the Killenbergers sold only at farmers markets, which they discovered was the perfect way to introduce their cruciferous-looking lion’s mane, billowy golden oysters, and ribbon-like hen-of-the-woods mushrooms to customers who were unfamiliar with these varieties.
“The first step was to see if people would like them,” Jeff recalled. “When they discovered our mushrooms tasted so much better than those from the supermarket produce section, it took off from there.”


To preserve the gourmet mushrooms’ delicate flavor, he said, it’s important to cook them at moderate heat no more than five to seven minutes.


“Lion’s mane and chestnut mushrooms are good for soup, and customers report making pizzas using blue oysters and chestnuts,” he said.


As for the foraged varieties, Killenberger said the chicken of the woods is a favorite.
“People batter and fry it and swear it tastes just like chicken,” he said. “It even tricked my dogs.”
The newest addition to 518 Farms’ product line is mushroom seasoning blends made with dried mushrooms and herbs.


“They have a nice umami flavor and are great for cooking,” Killenberger said, explaining that he likes to add them to rice and use them as a meat rub.

 

Learning and growing
Sue Van Hook, an area mycologist (an expert in the study of fungi) and retired Skidmore College professor of plant biology and environmental science, first met Killenberger a few years ago when she became a regular buyer of his mushrooms at the Cambridge farmers market. She sensed he needed some guidance, and an informal mentorship ensued.


“I knew Jeff was just starting out and began giving advice to save him some headaches,” she recalled. “I provided him with the literacy and research to take it to the next step. I’ve mentored more than 1,000 students and young mycofiles, and he’s one of them.”


Van Hook counts 518 Farms’ chestnut mushrooms, with their nutty flavor, as one of her favorites.
“You can get all gourmet about it, and there are many ways to cook mushrooms, but I just saute them in good olive oil or butter,” Van Hook said. “You can’t go wrong with that.”


Even with the help of some expert advice, Killenberger said a lot of his work in growing mushrooms has involved trial and error.


“You have to be good with failing,” he observed. “I have failed a lot and still fail today. I’m self-taught, so it goes with territory. I’m not textbook savvy; I just experiment and see what works. I’m not a mycologist, but I’ve learned a great deal.”


At the same time, he said the work is inspired by more than just a love of mushrooms.
“We’re really big tree-huggers and are always out in the woods,” he said. “I’m really big into myselium, the central nervous system of nature. … It’s the neuropathway of all trees. That’s how they share water and nutrients with one another. There are more connections in the mycelium than in the human brain.


“I have chestnut and nameko mushrooms that grow on the same fruiting block,” he continued. “I don’t inoculate it that way; it just happens. I let the mushrooms do what they want and be what they’re meant to be.”


He said his ultimate dream would be to take his mushroom farming to the heart of downtown Albany.


“There’s a big abandoned building that’s been empty for years that would be perfect for urban farming,” Killenberger said. “It’s a food desert there. Ideally, a grocery store would be on the first floor.”
Although Megan still has her day job, the rapid expansion of 518 Farms likely will dictate that she begin working for the enterprise full time by early 2023 — a major leap from the couple’s days of experimental growing five years ago.


“Jeff and I are a real team,” Megan said. “I do everything from harvest, dig, forage, inoculate substrate blocks, and sell at farmers markets. Having spent most of my career in retail and industrial settings, I’m more than happy to slow down and grow mushrooms.”

 

Visit www.518Farms.com for more information about 518 Farms and its mushroom products.