Whether you already grow mushrooms or are looking to diversify your market offerings, Erin Hamilton of The Mushroom Conservatory tells us about the varieties and methods we should consider for mushrooms that can be cultured and grown for market. Erin, an expert mushroom grower and agricultural educator, shares her passion for mushrooms and their ecological significance, including how spent mushroom spawn can improve your compost pile. She discusses the role of mycelium in plant growth, types of mushrooms you can cultivate, and the ongoing debate surrounding golden oyster mushrooms.

Erin also provides practical advice on how to start growing mushrooms, focusing on oyster mushrooms and functional varieties. She provides a detailed guide on growing mushrooms, discusses the health benefits of functional mushrooms like Lion's Mane, and offers practical tips for selling mushrooms at farmers markets and building relationships with restaurants. This includes ways to dehydrate and package mushrooms that come back from market for sale later in this conversation with host April Parms Jones.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @themushroomconservatory
Website: https://themushroomconservatory.com

Podcast Sponsors: Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Tilth Soil makes living soils for organic growers. The base for all our mixes is NOP-compliant compost, made from the 4,000 tons of food scraps we divert from landfills each year. And the results speak for themselves. Get excellent germination, strong transplants, and help us turn these resources back into food. Try a free bag, and check our 2025 farmer pricing at tilthsoil.com/gfm.

Farmhand is the all-in-one virtual assistant created for CSA farmers. With five-star member support, custom websites, shop management, and seamless billing, Farmhand makes it effortless to market, manage, and grow a thriving CSA. Learn more and set up a demo with the founder at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Harnois has been pioneering greenhouse design since 1965, working with farmers across North America to deliver turnkey greenhouse solutions. Designed to withstand high snow and wind loads, their greenhouses optimize brightness, boost yields, and offer a rapid ROI. And in 2025, they’re introducing a new tunnel starting at just $2 per square foot- and as a GFM listener, you’ll receive an exclusive 5% discount on all new structures at Harnois.com.

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Dave Chapman tells us about the origins of the Real Organic Project, and why preserving organic standards is important for all growers whether certified organic or not in this week’s podcast. Dave is the co-director of the Real Organic Project (ROP) and owner of Long Wind Farm in Vermont. The ROP is active in preserving the standards of the National Organic Program (NOP) in the face of lobbying by agribusiness to relax them, particularly in the areas of allowing hydroponics to be certified organic and enforcing animal welfare standards in organic production.

This is the first of a two-part conversation about the ROP, this one focusing on hydroponics and the forthcoming episode will focus on preserving animal welfare standards. Dave highlights the impact on consumer trust that comes from weakening the NOP, and the future of organic standards as corporations push for changing them. The conversation also touches on the challenges posed by container production and herbicide use in “organic” farming, the health impacts of chemical agriculture and the growth of the Real Organic Certification initiative.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @realorganicproject
Website: realorganicproject.org

Podcast Sponsors: Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Farmhand is the all-in-one virtual assistant created for CSA farmers. With five-star member support, custom websites, shop management, and seamless billing, Farmhand makes it effortless to market, manage, and grow a thriving CSA. Learn more and set up a demo with the founder at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Harnois has been pioneering greenhouse design since 1965, working with farmers across North America to deliver turnkey greenhouse solutions. Designed to withstand high snow and wind loads, their greenhouses optimize brightness, boost yields, and offer a rapid ROI. And in 2025, they’re introducing a new tunnel starting at just $2 per square foot- and as a GFM listener, you’ll receive an exclusive 5% discount on all new structures at Harnois.com.

Diane Szukovathy of Jello Mold Farm tells host Rebecca Kutzer-Rice how the need for standards for floral crops at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market (SWGM) led to the creation of the new book Floral Standards: A Practical Guide for Harvesting and Delivering Professional Quality Products. They also discuss Diane’s journey in flower farming, the establishment of the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, and the importance of quality standards in the floral industry. Diane highlights the collaborative efforts of local growers to create the Floral Standards book, which serves as a comprehensive guide for harvesting and delivering the highest quality flowers.

The discussion also covers specific crops like dahlias, hellebores and sweet peas, emphasizing the need for careful handling and understanding of harvest stages to ensure product quality. She discusses the importance of harvesting methods, managing geotropism in flowers, and postharvest handling for getting flowers to market with as much vase life as possible. The conversation also touches on unique crops for local growers, pricing strategies in the flower market, and how the group at SWGM collaborated to write the book that will help growers know what the standard is for a wide variety of floral crops and how to meet it.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @jellomoldfarm, @seattlewholesalegrowersmarket

Website: jellomoldfarm.com, swgm.coop

Buy the book: swgm.coop/book/

Podcast Sponsors: Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Sumisansui is Japanese irrigation brought to you by Wetterfrosch Farm Tools. Sumisansui is a proven tool that is highly adaptable for farms and gardens of all sizes. It is quick and easy to deploy, has a broad, rectangular coverage area and uniformly waters multiple beds at a time. It operates on low water pressure, has multi season durability and is exceptionally gentle on seeds, plants and soil. Learn more at wetterfrosch.farm.

Farmhand is the all-in-one virtual assistant created for CSA farmers. With five-star member support, custom websites, shop management, and seamless billing, Farmhand makes it effortless to market, manage, and grow a thriving CSA. Learn more and set up a demo with the founder at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Harnois has been pioneering greenhouse design since 1965, working with farmers across North America to deliver turnkey greenhouse solutions. Designed to withstand high snow and wind loads, their greenhouses optimize brightness, boost yields, and offer a rapid ROI. And in 2025, they’re introducing a new tunnel starting at just $2 per square foot- and as a GFM listener, you’ll receive an exclusive 5% discount on all new structures at Harnois.com.