Devan Stuwart from Byron Gourmet Mushrooms
Myco-curious eaters are in luck! There is a lot on the horizon for Byron Gourmet Mushrooms.
Skye Johnston and her dedicated crew operate Byron Gourmet Mushrooms from a purpose-built facility at Windaboo, a picturesque 127-acre property in Rosebank. They are certified organic, and personally harvest, pack, deliver, and sell up to 120kg of their fungi each week and all are grown on organic materials using pure harvested rainwater from the onsite tanks.
Apart from being the most photogenic mushrooms you’re likely to find, they also taste sensational.
Regular visitors to Mullum Farmers Markets would be familiar with their mixed seasonal oysters; White, Golden, Pink, Black Pearl and King Oyster as well as the Pinopino, Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Shitake packs. Soon they will be adding to the mix Chestnut, Nameko, and Kinoko varieties.
Other new additions to the Byron Gourmet Mushroom stall are their Reishi, immunity-boosting tinctures as well as mushroom seasonings and mushroom soups; including creamy bacon and vegan.
For the mycophiles hoping to grow some new fungi friends at home, you can pick up grow bags from the stall; please stay to chat for instructions on how best to raise them. As Skye is deeply committed to reducing food miles and, offering sustainable options wherever possible, they plan to move away from plastic bags for their-take home grow kits and instead provide them in buckets and even on logs and tree stumps! As natural as can be.
Windaboo fared okay in the floods – their tanks overflowed but as their facility is operated on wheels and pallets they could save most of their indoor produce. Getting out to market was a different matter so much was donated to the recovery effort. The problem now is owing to the rains they have an overgrowth of all the unwelcome trees in the region. The solution, as fungi live on decaying organic matter, is that the lantana and camphor can be chipped and used to cultivate more mushrooms!
For recipe ideas check out the Byron Gourmet Mushroom Instagram page.
Byron Gourmet Mushrooms are at Mullumbimby Farmers Market every Friday from 7am–11am.
