How to buy mushrooms from a local grower

Specialty mushrooms are one of the best things to buy straight from a farm. They don't travel or keep well, so a mushroom picked yesterday and handed to you today is a different product from one that spent a week in a distribution chain. Small farms also grow varieties that rarely reach a supermarket shelf: pink and golden oysters, chestnuts, pioppino, black pearls.

Where small mushroom farms sell

Look at the listings in our grower directory and you'll see the same handful of channels again and again.

• Farmers markets. The most common route. Rich Life Farm sells at three Cincinnati markets a week, and Koepfer's Mushroom Farm sells at the Toledo Farmers' Market. Many market growers sell out, so go early.
• Farm pickup. Several farms sell from the farm door or by appointment, such as Epiphany Mushroom Co. in Akron and Miller's Mushrooms in Hartville. Check hours before you drive.
• Online local markets. Services like Market Wagon let you order from nearby farms for local delivery or pickup. Buckeye Fungi Farm in Newark sells this way.
• CSA shares. Some growers sell a weekly or monthly share. Probasco Mushrooms in Cincinnati has run a mushroom CSA, and Cascadia Mushrooms in Washington sells through CSA shares.
• Shops and co-ops. Local grocers, food co-ops and specialty shops often carry a nearby farm's mushrooms. Ask the produce staff who grew them.
• Shipping. A few growers ship fresh mushrooms in insulated boxes; many more ship only dried products. Each directory listing shows whether the farm ships.

Before you go

1. Check this week's schedule. Markets change seasons and locations, and growers sometimes skip a week when a crop fails. A farm's website or social page is the best source.
2. Order ahead for a large amount. If you need a few pounds for a dinner or for preserving, message the grower a week or so in advance. Most would rather grow to order than guess.
3. Bring a paper bag or a box. Mushrooms sweat in plastic. Penn State Extension recommends paper for storage at home too.
4. Plan to cook soon. Buy what you'll use in the next few days. Fresh mushrooms are best within about three days.

At the stand

Talk to the grower. Ask what was harvested that morning, what's coming in next week, and how they like to cook it. Our list of questions to ask a mushroom grower has more. If you're unsure about freshness, our guide to telling fresh mushrooms from old covers what to look for.

Mixed boxes are a good way to try varieties you haven't cooked before. Ask what pairs well, and buy one new type each trip.

If there's no grower nearby

Our directory covers Ohio thoroughly and other states more lightly so far. If you can't find a grower near you, check your state's agriculture department or local food directory, ask at your nearest farmers market, or look at growers that ship. You can also grow a few kinds yourself: see growing mushrooms at home.