Check out this video discussing the book:

It all started when…

It’s December 2012, and I just received my first mushroom cultures. I’m eager to share, of course, so I posted a few photos on Facebook. For me, mushroom cultivation is only a hobby at this point. I have a lab set up in the spare bedroom, I’m cooking grain spawn on the kitchen stove, and I plan to build my experimental greenhouse grow room in the backyard; hopefully by the spring.

“What The Fungus have you got yourself into?” Says my buddy Michael Villeneuve jokingly on Facebook. Mike is a long-time friend, who loves making hilarious jabs whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Faith laughs, reading the post with excitement.

But I get all serious, sensing the opportunity. “I might use that for my business name, thanks, Mike it’s GOLD.”

Mike replies, in his typical confident demeanor, “My brilliance shines through again. Looking forward to taste the fungus of your labor.”

By Dec, 21th, 2012, I had registered the business name “What The Fungus”, and was already brainstorming a cool WTF logo. This was the beginning………..

Table Of Contents:

PART 1
HOW TO STAND OUT
Our Story
Our Farm
Demand for Local Produce
Mushroom Industry In North America
The Opportunity
Our Mission Statement
WTF’s Value Proposition

PART 2
LOCAL BYLAWS
Know Your Bylaws

PART 3
LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA
How To Build A Brand With Social Media
Storytelling
Mastering YouTube
Converting Subscribers into Customers

PART 4
STATE OF THE BC MUSHROOM INDUSTRY
Target Market
Market Overview
What Does The Consumer Want
Health And Wellness Trends

PART 5
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS
How Our Immune System Responds To Mushrooms
Medicinal Mushroom Types
Beneficial Compounds
Mushroom Extraction Process
Hot Water Extraction
Alcohol Extraction
Mushroom Extraction Powders

Part 6
STARTING A MUSHROOM BUSINESS
Flow Of Operations
Determining Potential Farm Capacity - with 5 Greenhouses
Actual Vs. Potential Capacity
Laboratory And Incubation Room Environments
Greenhouse Growing Environment
What The Fungus Farm Layout
How To Maximize Farm Capacity

PART 7
HOW TO SETUP AND RUN A COMMERCIAL LABORATORY
Setting Up A Commercial Mushroom Lab
The Ultimate Lab Design
Mushroom Cultures
Mushroom Spawn
How To Prepare Grain Spawn
How To Prepare Sawdust Spawn
Advantages To Sawdust Over Grain Spawn
Spawn Production
Incubation Room
Regulating Temperature
Lab Efficiency

PART 8
CULTIVATING MUSHROOMS ON HARDWOOD SPECIES
Current Industry Practices
Super-Pasteurization
Current Capacity
Sterilization Unit Diagram (Old Design)
Sterilization Unit Diagram (New Design)
Growing Mushrooms On Woodchip Substrates
Challenges With Woodchips
Dry Bagging – Hardwood Fuel Pellets
Dry Bagging - Sawdust
Local Substrates Are Better
Harvest Yields

PART 9
GROW ROOM DESIGN
Seasonal Greenhouse “GROW ROOM” Design
Grow Room Procedures
Post-harvest Area
Spent Mushroom Substrate Compost
Pest Management

PART 10
SEASON EXTENSION
Challenges Growing Seasonally
Overwintering
Overwintering In The Lab
Overwintering In The Greenhouse
Growing Mushrooms In Summer

PART 11
MARKETING AND SALES STRATEGY
Securing Sales
Approaching New Clients
Grow Local, Sell Local

PARTING WORDS

Appendices
Appendix A: Glossary Of Mycological TermsAppendix B: WTF Culture List
Appendix C: WTF Food And Safey Action Plan
Appendix D: Examples Of Professional Development And Training
Appendix E: Regulations Overview
Appendix F: WTF Data Sheets And Monthly Sales Breakdown Example
Appendix G: Grow Room Design Parts List And Recommended Suppliers
Appendix H: Development Variance Permit And Supporting Documentation

Brian Callow
What The Fungus