Getting Fungi with Red Owl Mushroom Farm

By: Amie Simon | August 17 2011
Posted in Seattle - Find It - Seattle

Brooke and Jesse welcome you with a smile to their kingdom of fungi!  Photos by: Amie Simon

Are you ready to get fungi with it? We’re talking about mushrooms, of course! Jesse Ott and Brooke Cassell are so passionate about oyster mushrooms that they decided to start a homegrown mushroom farm in their backyard in Lake City.

Pink and white oyster mushrooms nestled together.

One thing that’s refreshing about Jesse and Brooke is that their passion extends beyond just trying to sell their product. They’re both more than willing to tell you how easy it is to grow the ‘shrooms in your own house—in fact, they even offer grow kits for $25 so you can try it yourself.

You can currently find Red Owl Mushroom Farm at the Wallingford Farmers Market on Wednesdays and the Madrona Farmers Market on Fridays. They sell a few varieties of Oyster mushrooms in small and large boxes: Pearl and Phoenix, the latter sometimes emerging in bright pink, which tastes slightly sweeter than the creamy-colored version.

Oyster mushrooms are incredibly versatile and have a very subtle earthiness, tending instead to soak up whatever flavors you put with them. They have an almost meaty texture when cooked, which makes them ideal for vegetarian dishes—yet they still pair well with chicken, fish, or beef.

Stop by and say hello to these two friendly mushroom growers! Their smiles and enthusiasm just might sway you try to some fungi, even if you’re skeptical about how they taste. You can read more about the farm on their blog, and like their Facebook page for up-to-date info.

Try these delicious recipes with the first batch you buy:

Incredible Egg and Mushroom Sandwich
Pleurotus Po’Boy

Watch our video with Brooke and Jesse to learn more about why they started Red Owl Mushroom Farm, and for tasty ways to incorporate mushrooms into your daily diet: