Wild mushrooms thrive in thickly wooded, damp environments. With its extensive forests and prodigious rainfall, West Virginia hosts a wonderfully rich diversity of these fungi. The West Virginia Department of Natural Resource has recorded over 1,700 species growing wild. Not all are safe to consume, but the edible ones have a devoted fanbase.
One local business is now cultivating mushrooms indoors to provide a more reliable, year-round supply of delicious fungi to area aficionados.
Mon Valley Mushrooms is tucked away on Goshen Road, just seven miles south of Morgantown. It specializes in organically grown gourmet and medicinal mushrooms and offers a diverse range of products, from fresh and dried varieties to powdered mushrooms, tinctures and grow-at-home kits. The farm itself is not open to the public, but the owners, Jamie Brown and Lucas Sieber sell their wares online (https://monvalleymushrooms.com/) and at local farmers’ markets. Mon Valley Mushrooms boasts an impressive selection, including Lion’s Mane, Pioppino and various types of Oyster mushrooms.
The Cleveland Clinic touts the health benefits of eating mushrooms. Low in calories and fat, mushrooms are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. With reported advantages such as supporting brain and gut health, lowering cholesterol, reducing cancer risk and bolstering the immune system, mushrooms offer a holistic approach to well-being through diet. They have also been used medicinally for millennia, and Western medicine has increasingly begun to investigate the healing properties of the compounds found in mushrooms.
Recognizing the demand for flavorful and nutrient-packed mushrooms, many local restaurants like Vanessa’s Kitchen, Bourbon Prime, Terra Cafe, Eureka Cafe and Sargasso source their supplies from Mon Valley Mushrooms.
By providing fresh, locally sourced produce, Mon Valley Mushrooms invites the community to savor the goodness of the humble mushroom, not just for its health benefits but also for its endless culinary possibilities.
EVA MURPHY is a freelance business writer for The Dominion Post. She writes a column on businesses, churches and other entities in the city. To suggest a topic, email her at DPNews@DominionPost.com
