Growing Gourmet Mushrooms for Profit

Book excerpt: Boom times for gourmet mushroom growers. In recent years, demand for gourmet mushrooms has skyrocketed, creating opportunity for new growers. The most profitable culinary mushrooms are shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Both oyster and shiitake are easy to grow and can be produced on "waste" products like sawdust or straw. They are quick to grow to maturity - about 6-8 weeks from start to harvest. Best of all, you can grow a lot of both varieties in a small area. Using the "grow bag" method, experienced growers can grow 12,000 pounds of gourmet mushrooms in a 500 square foot space every year. At current prices of $6/pound wholesale and $10/pound retail - well, I'll let you do the math. In this book, you'll discover: 5 steps to growing gourmet mushrooms. 6 best "value-added mushroom products. 24 free and low-cost ways to sell your mushroom crop. Sources for mushroom growing supplies and videos.