Interest in Mushroom Mycology Grows Fast in Texas
Every week, a mycology company named Small Hold grows thousands of pounds of mushrooms including popular strains like lion’s mane, oyster, and shiitake. “We cultivate a variety of wood-loving species that thrive in cool humidified environments,” said Travis, the impact manager at Small Hold farms in Buda Texas.” To grow these mushroom sets year-round, we have to create the proper indoor systems that allow us to control and replicate what nature would be providing at optimal levels, like a particularly cool, misty morning in the spring or fall.
How They Cultivate Thousands of Mushrooms
This company uses artificial intelligence technology to manually control the temperature, humidity, and environment inside a cooler that has mushrooms thriving. The technology is an ecosystem controlled down to the minute to maximize mushroom production. In nature, conditions change quickly, which can prevent the spores from germinating optimally, and as a result, there is a substantial loss in nature. The lab is undoubtedly a more efficient way to grow consistently.
An Incredibly Efficient Food Source
“Mushrooms are about 90% water,” Travis said. “They’re absorbing it from the atmosphere as well as water that was introduced into the biomass. That’s what they use to feed their cellular structures.” According to Travis, the farm uses approximately one pound of water for every one pound of mushrooms. For this economical reason, he argues it’s one of the most efficient foods to grow. “Compare that to a typical product that takes about 30 gallons of water to produce a pound of tomatoes or, five gallons of water to produce a pound of lettuce, or 200 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef,”. Clearly, this is not only the future of mushroom farming, but it’s an important part of the food system to be really environmentally efficient with our resources.
The nutritional interest in mushrooms and mycology has gained traction over the last 5 years and continues to accelerate. After all fungi go back millions of years, and they are a key element in the natural cycling of things. In summary mushrooms are vital natural biodegrading mechanisms that recycle very efficiently. Without mushrooms, there would be no forests.
VIEW MEDICINAL MUSHROOM STUDY LINKS HERE
