My sister-in-law Brenda, (aka "The Produce Lady), and her husband Rex own Fogwood Farms. They grow mushrooms and blueberries and ginger and turmeric. And in case you're wondering what ginger and turmeric are, they are spices. To be more exact, they are the root of a plant, but the root is usually ground or chopped. In Asia they are used frequently in all kinds of dishes.
But the mushrooms is what fascinates me the most, because prior to Brenda and Rex growing them, I never once considered that people grew mushrooms. So sit back, and enjoy your field trip of Fogwood Farms.
I've seen the logs in the distance before, but this time it's up front near the house and behind the driveway. Rows upon rows of logs...
And yes, Brenda loves her coffee, but this isn't coffee...it's melted wax. Once a log is filled, all the holes are covered with melted wax (like brushing on melted butter) to prevent insects or bugs from entering the holes.
I got to help with two logs, and wished we lived closer so I could do more. It was quite fun, though I can see how doing this all morning would become quite tedious. Above is the stack of logs they hope to inoculate within the next month.
This year they have a special greenhouse called a geodome where they've tried growing mushrooms through the winter...and it's worked. The ones above remind me of rolls.
Logs stacked in the geodome. The pile in the center is sitting on top of a vat of water.
And that's all the field trip. :) The rest of the time we looked at the rest of the house and chatted and ate lunch. I didn't realize how accustomed to the construction noise I had become until we were at her house with the birds and the insects serenading us. So if you like dried mushrooms, check out the link above.
But the mushrooms is what fascinates me the most, because prior to Brenda and Rex growing them, I never once considered that people grew mushrooms. So sit back, and enjoy your field trip of Fogwood Farms.
Mushroom sperms comes in a bag (above), and when emptied into a bowl, looks like this:
(And no, I didn't think to ask if she had to prep it in any way)
Rex has a special bit he uses to drill holes in all the logs, then Brenda fills up her "puncher" (I don't know what it's really called), then punches the button that releases the proper amount of sperm into the log.
And that's all the field trip. :) The rest of the time we looked at the rest of the house and chatted and ate lunch. I didn't realize how accustomed to the construction noise I had become until we were at her house with the birds and the insects serenading us. So if you like dried mushrooms, check out the link above.
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