If you have attended one of the farmers markets in downtown Waynesboro, then there is a good chance that you have seen Humble Roots Mushroom Farm set up selling its many varieties of locally grown mushrooms.
Owned by Arnie Stoops of Waynesboro, Humble Roots has been cultivating, harvesting and selling gourmet mushrooms including Oyster, Shiitake, Lion's mane, Nameko, King oyster, Maitake, and more.
"We do multiple oyster species as well as King Trumpets, which are a chef favorite, as well as Chestnut mushrooms, which have a nutty taste and shiitake, which are great for any dish," Arnie said.
Humble Roots grows what would be considered as exotic edible mushrooms, not your typical store-bought varieties. To have the finished product that they sell at farmers markets and to local restaurants, a long and tedious process has to take place.
"I used to go out and hunt mushrooms with my dad in the woods and overtime as people found out the best spots and as it got more popular there became less and less mushrooms," Arnie recalled.
In early 2020, Arnie and Lori set out to find a solution.
"I decided I was going to teach myself how to grow mushrooms. So at first I bought a small kit to see how it worked and that went well," Arnie said.
"So I decided to take it a step further and I taught myself how to start from a spore and decided to go really in depth and and purchased the sterile equipment needed to have a sterile room to grow mushrooms. It's all climate controlled so it's the best environment for mushrooms to grow."
After having success and tasting the quality of their mushrooms, they decided to step out into the community with their product and see what the consensus was.
"So far at the Mainstreet Waynesboro Farmers Market we ran out of everything we brought an hour and a half before the market closed," Arnie said. "The people at the market keep coming back and they say how good the mushrooms are and that makes us feel good that people enjoy them as much as we do."
"You can do chilis, poe-boys, as a scallop replacement, you just can't go wrong with mushrooms," Arnie said. "I love just a stir fried mushroom with butter, garlic, salt and chives. It's simple but it's the best way I think."
But before a Humble Roots mushroom is ready to hit the plate, months of work has to be put in.
"Each mushroom takes a different length of time and has a different number of stages," Arnie said. "Oyster mushrooms from a petri dish to harvesting takes about a month, while Shiitake mushrooms take about 2 to 3 months until they are ready to harvest."
While some mushrooms are meant to be eaten, Arnie said another popular way to use them is to seep them in tea. "Reishi mushrooms especially, they have been used in medicinal ways for the past 1,000 years and are still being used today for digestive and immune support as well as an antioxidant and blood sugar support."
