Walking through the wood-chipped paths of the Environmental Interpretive Center, Director David Susko bent down to examine some mushrooms growing on a log.
鈥淛ust a warning,鈥 he said as he broke one off and popped it in his mouth, 鈥淭he taste will linger.鈥
It鈥檚 a taste many in the UM-Dearborn community are getting to know well鈥攖he earthy, meaty flavor of 100 percent organic shiitake mushrooms, grown in the EIC鈥檚 Urban Mushroom Garden.
This fall, EIC staff members already have collected more than 30 pounds of shiitake mushrooms.
鈥淪hiitakes, or Lentinula edodes, are highly prized mushrooms that can be eaten fresh or dried for later use,鈥 Susko said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e great saut茅ed, steamed, fried or in soups.鈥
The EIC sells the popular mushrooms, using the proceeds to fund activities and programs within the mushroom garden.
鈥淲e have 300 inoculated logs in the garden. We easily could have used all 300 logs to grow shiitake mushrooms,鈥 Susko said. 鈥淏ut we are a demonstration garden. Our goal is to show the community how to cultivate a variety of mushrooms using different techniques.鈥
The different techniques are on full display in the mushroom garden.
Visitors see stacks of logs in one corner, a mini-garden of dead stumps sticking out of the ground in another; even the woodchips they walk on are fertile ground for the mushrooms.
Susko hopes educating the public about mushrooms introduces them to a sustainable way for growing food, even in an urban setting.
鈥淧lants need sunlight and soil to grow. But mushrooms thrive without sun and get their food from breaking down dead organic matter from things like logs and woodchips,鈥 Susko said. 鈥淭hat makes mushroom gardens ideal for urban areas.鈥
This urban area鈥檚 current crop of mushrooms should thrive for another week or two. Interested in purchasing mushrooms from the UM-Dearborn鈥檚 garden? They are available on a first-come, first-served basis in the EIC.
