From Spore to Supper: The 6 Steps Behind Gowin Valley Farms' Indoor Mushroom Magic

At Gowin Valley Farms, we're passionate about bringing you the freshest, most delicious mushrooms possible. But how do those delectable specialty mushrooms like Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Oyster (Pluerotus ostreatus) mushrooms go from tiny spores to a delicious meal at your kitchen table? Here's a quick peek behind the curtain at our fascinating five-step indoor mushroom cultivation process:

Step 1: Seeding the Future - Spore Culture Development

Our journey begins with microscopic spores, the reproductive units of fungi in the basidiomycetes class. We meticulously cultivate these spores in our sterile laboratory environment to create successful starter cultures for our Certified Naturally Grown gourmet mushrooms.

An example of a Colonized Agar Plate made at Gowin Valley Farms 

Step 2: Grain Spawn - The Powerhouse of Growth

Next, we use organic grains like millet, rye, or wheat to grow these successful cultures spores. These USDA-certified organic grains are sterilized using our autoclave, ensuring there will be no contaminates in the grains before we begin inoculating them. Once sterilized, the sterile grains are inoculated (introduced) with our healthy spore cultures. For 10-30+ days, depending on the fungi species, the grains become colonized by the mushroom's thread-like mycelium, forming the foundation for future fruiting bodies.

Example of a fully colonized Gowin Valley Farms Certified Naturally Grown Grain Spawn Bag

Step 3: Masters Mix - The Perfect Growing Medium

Now it's time to introduce the "Masters Mix"! This specially formulated blend of organic materials provides the ideal environment for our mushrooms to thrive. We use atmospheric steam pasteurization to ensure a clean growing medium before introducing the colonized grain spawn. Once the grain spawn is fully colonized, they head back into the Lab where we inoculate the “Master’s Mix” with the colonized grain.

Depending on species – again – these newly inoculated bags will sit in the incubation space again until they are fully colonized and ready to head into the growing module.

Example of a pasteurized "Master's Mix" bag ready for inoculation at Gowin Valley Farms

Step 4: Patience is a Virtue - Incubation and Colonization

These inoculated "grow bags" then enter a period of incubation. The exact duration depends on the mushroom variety. Oyster mushrooms, known for their rapid growth, might be ready in just two weeks, while majestic Lion's Mane can take a bit longer, colonizing in 3 to 4 weeks. During this time the mycelium happily consumes the nutrients and fully colonizes the block.

An Example of Grain Spawn incubation (left) and Master's Mix Colonization (Right) at Gowin Valley Farms

Step 5: Fruiting Frenzy - Witnessing the Magic

Once fully colonized, the grow bags are introduced to our state-of-the-art fruiting module. Here, carefully controlled temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels mimic the ideal fruiting conditions found in nature. This triggers the exciting process of "fruiting," where the mushrooms begin to emerge. Different varieties have varying fruiting times: Oyster mushrooms might take just a week, while Lion's Mane can take 2 or so weeks. Even more majestic King Trumpet mushrooms can take up to 3-4 weeks to fruit.

An Example of our Indoor Fruiting Module as Gabe Harvests our Certified Naturally Grown Gourmet Mushrooms

Step 6: Data, Harvest & Freshness You Can Taste

Finally, the farmer’s favorite time!

Every step of our process, supported by our USDA Specialty Crops block grant with Kennesaw State University and Cornell University, is meticulously documented. This dedication to data analysis ensures continuous improvement and the highest quality mushrooms.

We harvest our beautiful, Certified Naturally Grown mushrooms at peak freshness. Unlike some growers, we skip the cold storage step altogether. This means our mushrooms go straight from the fruiting modules to you, preserving their incredible flavor, texture and the longest possible shelf-life.

Beautiful Mushroom Mix Box Ready for a Gowin Valley Farms Restaurant Delivery!

We have seen that our module and spore-to-fruit blocks all made in-house have over 100% biological efficiency! What is 100% biological efficiency? Let's break it down. It means we get more than the weight of the original dry Master’s Mix block in total mushroom pounds harvested! It's a testament to the efficiency of our process, the power of growing all of our products behind the fruiting bodies and the incredible love and dedication that our Founder & Lead Mycologist Gabriel Harrison puts into our growth.

A Beautiful Example of Gowin Valley Farms for Supper!

Next time you bite into one of our gourmet mushrooms know it's the culmination of a fascinating journey from spore to supper. We hope this glimpse into our process has sparked your curiosity about the magic of indoor mushroom cultivation!

Interested in trying some of our mushrooms or products? Contact Us or email Emma at emma@gowinvalleyfarms.com to set up a purchase, pickup, or delivery today.