Memorial Day weekend in South County means many residents turn their attention to the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras. Aside from the Mushroom Mardi Gras and occasionally noticing the scent of warm mushroom compost, most people pay little attention to our local mushroom farms the rest of the year. Mushrooms have a lot to offer our local residents and are an important part of our community. Here are some things you probably did not know about our local mushroom farms.
Mushrooms consistently rank among the most valuable crops in Santa Clara County. In 2012, mushrooms grown in Santa Clara County generated $63.5 million in economic activity for our local economy. We are the number two mushroom county in the state, and California is the number two mushroom state in the country. There are six mushroom farms from Coyote Valley to the southern county line, and together we grow 800,000 pounds of mushrooms every week. My two mushroom farms will grow eight million pounds of mushrooms this year.
Mushrooms are grown in climate controlled mushroom houses for year-round production. We don’t have seasons, and we rarely take a day off. Mushrooms are grown in a mixture of wheat straw, chicken manure, cotton seed meal and cotton seed hulls—all of which are waste from other farm products. A few years ago, I moved all my composting to an offsite location on Frazier Lake Road due to odor complaints from neighbors. After growing mushrooms in compost for six weeks, our spent compost is used by local farmers, home gardeners and organic vegetable growers in the Salinas Valley.
Between my two mushroom farms, I employee more than 100 people in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. We offer health insurance, retirement plans and paid vacation for all our employees. One-third of my employees are pickers who are highly skilled in efficient and accurate harvesting technique. They are paid based on how much they harvest, and an experienced picker can make upwards of $60,000 a year.
Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more. Fresh mushrooms can be added to everyday dishes to provide an extra serving of vegetables and deliver important nutrients.
You can find our mushrooms at northern California Trader Joe’s locations, as well as pizzerias across the state. If you want to be certain you are buying local, stop by my Royal Oaks Mushrooms farm at the corner of Watsonville and Monterey roads in Morgan Hill. We are open to the public weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Now that you know more about our local mushroom industry, I invite you to eat more mushrooms. By eating more mushrooms, you increase intake of important vitamins and minerals and support our local mushroom farms and the hundreds of workers we employee year-round. And at 94% water, mushrooms are a biodegradable container of water to help keep you hydrated.
Don Hordness is owner and manager of Countryside Mushrooms in Gilroy and Royal Oaks Mushrooms in Morgan Hill.
