Growing Mushrooms

Mushrooms are grown on more than 100 farms in Canada, with over one-third located in British Columbia-mostly in the Fraser Valley, an agriculturally rich region about 100 km west of Vancouver and 60 km north of the US border.

Growing a Mushroom:

It takes about 12 weeks to cultivate a mushroom. The art of producing a quality mushroom lies in the right mix of weather conditions and humidity, soil quality, spores and biosecurity management.

With over 30 Millions pounds of annual production, which includes approximately 600,000 square feet of growing space, all harvested on aluminum beds for best growing standards. Because mushrooms can be grown and harvested all year around, our growing rooms are lined up on different growing cycles so that we always have a continuous supply of mushrooms to harvest and package seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The key to the superior quality of Farmer's Fresh mushrooms starts with the compost. Our composting is a sophisticated process borne out of years of hands-on experience. We use a combination of chicken manure and straw mixed with just the right amount of water in a carefully controlled environment that pays careful attention to room temperature, humidity, light levels and airflow.

We fill the growing beds with a mixture of soil and prepared compost. The pasteurization takes a few weeks and we use a combination of spawn (sometimes called seed) and casing which is the top dressing that's applied to the compost on which the mushrooms will eventually form.

At the first stage of growth a small white "pea" size heads appear in the compost. Once the mushrooms have reached their optimal size, each one is hand-picked and then cut half way down its stem with a small knife in preparation for grading and shipping.