FOREST SPORE — A MUSHROOMING BUSINESS

By William Hardwood

Lion's Mane and Chestnuts and Oysters, oh my! If it seems like the popularity of these environmentally friendly, nutritionally dense, and fantastically flavorful superfoods is — well, mushrooming — that’s because it is! Gone are the days in which you could have any type of mushroom you wanted as long as it was a white button, grown on a commercial scale, on some industrial “farm” far away. Now, thanks to the entrepreneurial initiative of local folks like JT Ward of Forest Spore in Columbia, we have easy access to a wide variety of organic mushrooms — delicacies like Black Pearls and Shiitakes that are not only delicious, but nutritious as well.

PHOTO BY KATHY FOX

Shiitakes, for example, have many of the same amino acids as meat and are packed with B vitamins. Lion’s Mane — an admittedly oddlooking mushroom, think a head of cauliflower that needs a haircut — is a true superfood, its beneficial compounds playing roles in enhancing the immune system, protecting the liver, and boosting cognitive function. And, not only that, in the hands of a crafty cook armed with the right recipe, Lion’s Mane even out-crabs crab. As Ward puts it, “mushrooms are a really great substitute for protein.” Not that the two together are incompatible. Ward himself, for example, prepares his Lion’s Mane lightly seared with a balsamic reduction on a flat top grill before slathering atop a nice steak and also suggests the no-crab crab cakes — try the Forest Spore recipe!

PHOTO BY FOREST SPORE

For Ward, a Lynchburg, Tennessee native, his interest in cultivating mushrooms began six years ago, about the time he married his wife Alecia and moved to Columbia. With a background in the restaurant industry, he dabbled in supplying here and there. However, it wasn’t until just over two years ago that Ward decided to make mushroom farming his full-time concern. A handyman by nature, Ward built his business on his own land from the ground up — the design, the plumbing, the wiring — and created under one roof three distinct spaces: a fruiting room, a work area, and a colonization lab; Forest Spore had entered the building. However, when it was all ready to go, it was March of 2020, the exact time that restaurants closed for COVID. The timing was, to say the least, challenging. “But people still have to eat,” Ward reasoned.

PHOTO BY FOREST SPORE

Today, Forest Spore produces close to 80 pounds of edible mushrooms a week using pasteurized oak sawdust for the substrate — the growing medium — for the root-like mycelium of which the mushrooms themselves are the fruiting bodies. The operation is, by its nature, pretty high-tech. “I have a commercial humidifier that turns water into fog and keeps the humidity at 86%,” Ward shares. “I also have a commercial-grade HEPA filter to keep my colonization room free of any unwanted spores.”

LION’S MANE NO-CRAB CAKES

RECIPE COURTESY OF FOREST SPORE

PHOTO BY BRADEN PARSON

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound Lion's Mane mushroom

• 1 scallion minced

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 egg

• ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs

• ½ cup Panko breading

• 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons of pepper

• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

• 1 tablespoon almond flour

• Zest of a lemon

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

On medium heat sauté minced scallions with two tablespoons of olive oil. Chop Lion’s Mane mushrooms into quarter-sized pieces and add to the pan. Gently sauté until the mushrooms are fully cooked and most of the moisture has been released, approximately 12 minutes.

STEP 2

Remove from heat and strain in a colander to allow the moisture to be removed. Allow the mushrooms to cool.

STEP 3

In a separate bowl add breading, spices, and mix. In another bowl, whip the egg. Once the mushrooms have cooled, dry with a paper towel if moist then combine the mushrooms to the breading mixture and add the egg. Thoroughly work all ingredients together and start forming each cake into a tennis ball size.

STEP 4

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Take each mushroom ball and gently flatten it with your hand to form the cake and place it in the heated skillet. Cook each cake for approximately four minutes on each side and until golden brown. Squeeze a little lemon juice on for added zest and salt and pepper to taste.

TIP: Goes great with a homemade remoulade sauce for dipping!

REMOULADE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

•1 cup mayonnaise

• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon minced chives

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

•Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients until well combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors combine, but it can also be served immediately.

Tip: If you want to spice it up a bit, add 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FOREST SPORE

Still, while the whole operation is climate controlled, there are still seasons for Ward’s mushrooms. Shiitakes and Chestnuts don’t like Middle Tennessee’s summer heat (Like, who does?), and Ward spores for those in the fall when it’s cooler to lower his energy costs. As for what is available during the height of the heat, Ward currently supplies restaurant and farmer’s market accounts with Golden and Blue Oysters, Lion’s Mane, and Black Pearl.

However, even with the high-tech bells and whistles, there remain some choice edible mushrooms whose mycelium has yet to be domesticated such as Chanterelles or Chicken of the Woods. To dine on those delicacies, there is only one option: foraging. This is also one of Ward’s skills. “There’s a saying among mycologists,” he jokes, “all mushrooms are edible, but some only once.” But wild mushroom foraging, Ward assures, is not as dangerous as it sounds. “Your main choice edibles in this area are pretty easy to identify,” he says, “like an Oyster, Chanterelle, Chicken of the Woods, or a Lion’s Mane.” Still, misidentifications are possible. “A Jack-O-Lantern,” Ward observes, “can be misidentified as a Chanterelle. Only the Destroying Angel and Death Cap in this area are mushrooms you’ll have trouble coming back from. So definitely don’t eat those.”

The best way to start foraging is to find a local group through social media and to learn from an expert in the field. Still, people like their shortcuts. “I probably get sent 20 pictures a week of mushrooms with folks saying ‘hey, can I eat this?’” Ward says with both a sigh and a grin. “Well, I’m not going to tell you to eat what you found in your yard!”

Actually, forget foraging — the best places to find edible mushrooms are the farmers’ markets and restaurants that Ward is supplying, places like Herban Market in Franklin and Tall Grass in Columbia. For additional information visit forestspore.com or follow them on Instagram at @forestspore.