Wild Mushroom Risotto and a Trip to Fred Treadway’s Mushroom Farm in Madison County, North Carolina

If you are not familiar with how mushrooms are farmed on logs, here is a brief lesson. Fred has an area in the woods on his farm that is shaded and damp and he has stream that runs through there to keep things moist.
He soaks all eighteen hundred logs beginning in the Spring and then will repeat this process every two to three months to keep them moist throughout the growing season. They will sit in a tank full of fresh water for twenty-four hours.
The next process is incredibly tedious. There are forty holes drilled into every log in a particular pattern. Spawn (mushroom spore mixture) is placed in the holes with a plunger. It is then sealed with cheese wax. This becomes the root system for the mushrooms. The logs are then placed in the moist, wooded area. If it is colder weather, he will cover them.
In three to four days (and even faster when it’s warmer) Voila! you have baby mushrooms. They will get cut from the logs once they are fully grown. This process will continue until November.
In addition to the Shiitakes, Fred grows some Golden Oysters which are from Asia (the White Oyster Mushrooms are American in origin). He says that they have only a 1-2 day life, so they need to be cut from the logs quickly.
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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