90 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {food coloring} the easygoing oyster mushroom. “They grow so fast. … They're just like, ‘Don't care. Don't need any of that extra stimulant. Don't need a whole lot of moisture. Temperature can vary.’” Circling back to the subject of collaboration, Ian adds, “We're one of the few independent spawn producers in the United States that also creates stuff, not just for our production, but for other farms out there.” With a smile, he notes, “We support a lot of our competition. I don't know if it's necessarily the strongest of business models, but we're really at the beginning of what we think is a long business cycle.” Over the past two decades, mushrooms have gone mainstream—even earning “superfood” status from The New York Times in 2022. “In the last five years, I think we've doubled our production,” notes Ian. As the Garrones ride the shroom boom, they continue to expand in knowledge and products. They’ve traveled to China, Canada, Japan, Spain, Germany and Belgium to pick up new techniques. They’ve also started selling mushroom teas, tinctures and jerky. They also work with professional foragers to offer an array of wild mushrooms—because varieties like truffles and turkey tails crave symbiotic relationships with trees, preferring to make their home on roots or decaying stumps and logs rather than sterilized blocks of sawdust at some growing facility. This is no easy task since foragers tend to resist domestication too. Ian playfully describes many of them as “feral,” noting, “It is a type!” He chuckles when he says, “It’s kind of like herding cats at times … [But] they're the most U.S. producing less than 1%, the Garrone brothers saw an opening to expand mushroom production in the States from a hobbyist scene to serious production. “Nobody wanted to share any of their information,” recalls Ian, noting that everyone had room for improvement. Armed with the belief that better practices lift all growers, the Garrones invited other U.S. farms to compare notes—a game changer since each mushroom has its own unique preferences for heat, humidity, airflow and light. Some species are particularly finicky. “Maitake [‘Hen of the Woods’] is just a diva,” Ian observes. “You can grow it out and everything could look good,” but one factor can send it spiraling. “Did you say 65 degrees? No, I'm not doing that,” Ian mimics in a mushroom voice. On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got ABOVE: Toby Garrone bags button mushrooms at Far West Fungi's farmer's market stand. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: FAR WEST FUNGI A
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