Wild Mushroom Risotto and a Trip to Fred Treadway’s Mushroom Farm in Madison County, North Carolina
Roger and I were just a wee bit curious about mushrooms back a few months ago. was looking for some wild mushrooms to make a few dishes and I wasn’t brave enough to pick some of the ones growing in the woods. You don’t know which ones are safe to eat and what might happen to you if eat the wrong ones.
So, off we went in our gas guzzlin’ RV for another On the Road adventure to speak with a mushroom farmer and learn more about mushrooms and how they grow. Maybe he could talk to us about the edible ones versus the mushrooms that might put a bit more punch in my dishes than I was looking for! 😮
We traveled to visit with Fred Treadway at his farm outside of Asheville in Madison County, North Carolina. Fred told us that when he moved back to North Carolina in 1995 that he wanted to do something very different. He likes to take on new projects and never do the same thing twice. So, after owning a hardware store in Louisville, Kentucky for many years as well as managing a drive-in theater (what is that you ask?!), he went to a workshop on mushroom farming and decided to take on this as his new hobby.
Fred primarily grows Shiitake mushrooms, but also grows some Oyster mushrooms along with the Shiitakes. In his seven years of mushroom farming Fred has become quite the rock star. He has had a couple of interviews published as well as having a video clip made of he and David Kendall from the Madison County Extension Office.
Fred, who is 75 years old and farms 89 acres of land, could run circles around me and the hubs. Now, of course, that isn’t quite fair right now with my surgery and boot, etc., but my bet is he could do it on any given day. He prefers walking to riding around the farm in his four wheeler and I am sure that is one of the reasons he is in such great health. Me…I’d take a spin in the four wheeler, although the day we visited, we walked right along with Fred.
I think Fred is also in such great shape because he carries around all of these heavy logs that the mushrooms grow on. Fred raises more than mushrooms on his farm and puts up many vegetables that he and his wife will use during the winter. He prefers the freshness of his own canned vegetables (and I can certainly understand that).
When Fred started mushroom farming (about seven years ago), he began with fifty logs. By the second year he had a couple hundred logs. He now has over eighteen hundred logs for his mushrooms. That’s a lotta logs and a whole bunch of mushrooms. That number of logs will yield about four to five hundred pounds of mushrooms each year. He says it is a hobby that got out of control. Do you think?
Fred has been asked to speak with many younger farmers who are looking at getting into mushroom farming as more people are growing their own foods and wanting to supply produce to local businesses and Farmers’ Markets. Fred seems to be quite successful at mushroom farming, so I can see why they are contacting him.
I was not familiar with the process of how mushrooms are grown (except for the ones I have seen in the ground), so I was quite fascinated with the process of how they grow on the logs. He had so many mushrooms growing, I think they must have been Happy Mushrooms (no…not that kind of happy!).
what a fabulous experience! great pictures too!
We have mushroom envy and that gorgeous basket of mushrooms is to die for!
You know we will share our mushrooms with you anytime you all want to head our way! 🙂
I love all mushrooms but the only ones I’ve ever foraged for were Morels; and if you know what they look like you know why. Such a weird and unique shape but my most favorite mushroom ever which is surely why I live somewhere where they are totally unavailable. Love Risotto, love mushrooms…would love this dish I’m sure!
Hi Barb,
I guess we are really pretty lucky here since we will get all sorts of mushrooms and some I have never heard of. Unfortunately, with that availability comes a hefty price tag, so when we do buy them (like Morels), we make the most of it and savor every bite! I always try to mix in the less expensive ones in dishes like this because it works, but it is nice to splurge on a few of the more unusual ones, too.
Gwen
awesome post! loved learning about mushrooms, my favorite! Lovely risotto recipe, mushroom & risotto are a pair made in heaven! 🙂
Thanks Sara! I thought this would be an interesting farm visit. I sure learned quite a bit. It really was pretty fascinating. Risotto does pair well the mushrooms. It is one of my favorite dishes to make, especially this time of year!
How fascinating! Thank you BunkyCooks for brightening my day. Your picture of the risotto is especially mouthwatering. Rebella wants to know if you have explored the truffle farms in Tennessee yet. Apparently they are harvesting black Perigord truffles by the 100 pounds there. The South is truly rich and bountiful!
This is such an informative post on mushrooms. I learned so many things about mushrooms and how they are grown. I love all kinds of mushrooms, so i”ll have to try this Risotto. Hope that your foot is feeling better.
Oh do I want that basket of mushrooms! What a fantastic experience! Thanks for sharing your day, the gorgeous photos and that wonderful recipe – never had risotto, but you make me want to!
such a fascinating story, always wondered how mushroom farming was done, thanks Gwen… like your risotto too, bet it tastes as good as it looks
Looks like we all should become mushroom farmers–Fred looks like the picture of health!
Your blog posts sure do cover the ultimate in foodie field trips. I would have loved this.
You weren’t kidding when you said “wild” mushrooms!!! Wow!!!
I just love risotto now that it’s so chilly out… I usually make it with quinoa, which substitutes really nicely.
Great post!
Love this post and the field trip sounds awesome!! Love it, I wonder if there is anything like that in DC area. J and I love all mushrooms and our son just started liking them two years ago. Truly a wonderful post!
Oh my goodness…what a delightful post this was. Ryan and I adore mushrooms of all varieties, but I was embarrassingly uniformed about how these delicious fungi are grown. I so enjoyed traveling along with you, meeting Fred and learning the ins and outs of growing mushrooms. And the risotto recipe you included looks lovely! Rich and creamy (just how we like it!) I hope you have a wonderful end to your week. Thank you for brightening my day!
isn’t it fascinating to learn about all of the foods we eat? i have had a long-time affair w/mushrooms stemming waaaayyyyyyy back to when my dad would forage mushrooms and bring them home for us to eat. he would bread and fry ours and i could hardly wait until they were done so i could grab a plate and chow down. this mushroom risotto looks fabulous!!!
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this post Gwen – in fact I called hubby and the kids over to look at the pics. We have got to get the kids to see these one day…how cool to see mushrooms growing on logs! This has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time.
And your basket of mushrooms has me positively drooling and the risotto is fab 🙂
chow!
Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Wow, I can only imagine how dee-lish that risotto tasted. Nothing compares to fresh mushrooms, especially when their flavors are highlighted like this. Awesome pictures and I’m jealous of that basket overflowing with those beauties!
I like that you used the word “sexy” to describe mushrooms. What an adventure this must have been!!! I wish I was with you.
One of these days, I would love to forage for wild mushrooms. Sadly, that’s a wee bit difficult to do in Southern California.
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