PESHTIGO, Wis. — For 40 years, a Wisconsin business has found a way to bring edible mushrooms to its customers, no matter the season.
What You Need To Know
- Field & Forest Products started in 1983. Now, they provide mushroom grow kits to customers
- Mushroom kits are popular for novice growers
- Grow kits provide fresh mushrooms year round
“They’re super simple. Anybody who’s worried about their ability to grow things, this is a great way to help boost their confidence,” said Phoebe Krawczyk, File & Forests Products marketing director.
Field & Forest Products ships mushroom grow kits to customers. Founded by Krawczyk’s parents in 1983, the Peshtigo, Wisconsin, location is a bit of an anomaly.
“Primarily, many mushroom growers reside in the southeastern part of the country because it’s hot, and it’s humid. That’s the best environment for mushrooms to grow,” said Krawczyk.
The company offers several varieties of tabletop kits, which grow in any season.
“They’ll oftentimes produce a nice first crop, and then you can kind of keep it around and coax second crops out of it so you can have several meals,” said Krawczyk.
The company recently shipped out a lot of kits for the holidays. Springtime is another busy time for orders.
Interest in mushrooms also seems to have picked up since the pandemic.
“A lot of social media and videos and people sharing their experiences. People that get into growing mushrooms find it similar to gardening in that it’s rewarding,” said Lindsey Bender, Field & Forest Products chief mycologist.
The company also provides supplies for growing outdoor mushrooms on logs.
“There are so many different kinds of mushrooms out there. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with what they look like and how they taste without the risk of potentially having something a little bit more nefarious end up in your stomach,” said Krawczyk.
Bender said the process was somewhat foolproof, and many customers are interested in the potential health benefits of mushrooms.
“Many mushrooms, especially in the last few years, have been shown to be medicinally beneficial to us,” said Bender.
Despite a somewhat intimidating process, the family business continues to help fungi lovers forage from inside the comfort of their homes.