About The Farmer
ABOUT THE "FLORIDA SHROOM KING"
Fungi Focused Farmers Market Fanatic
Say NO to FUNGIPHOBIA!
I started with mushrooms the same as 90% of other shroom farmers. One shroom at a time. With growing mushrooms passion flourished and a career growing gourmet and functional mushrooms became the dream. Like all good things, life required a few more years before the dream could even begin to be achieved.
In the years between I struck up a passion for organic and living soil with plants & gardening, I have always had a love and interest in growing things and biology.
During the pandemic, it was a now or never situation, I made full efforts to switch to being a full time mushroom farmer. I immediately sought and fell in love with Farmers Markets.
When I began as a mushroom purveyor I was surprised at how many people expressed not simply disinterest, but were so expressive with themselves being repulsed. Everything on the table is understandably foreign and even alien in appearance. I was now aware that some people were actually afraid of mushrooms!
Fungiphobia has developed in the western culture due to massive lack of education and misinformation. I loved theese mushrooms, and so did most people who were brave enough then to give them a try! So I put my effort into understanding the fear and taught people how to enjoy and properly prepare mushrooms. I found and made sure every one who came to my booth to learn knew the key to cooking awesome meaty mushrooms, and getting rid of that spongy texture that's normally the cause of people not enjoying eating them!
These days things have certainly made a 180 improvement! Mainly credited to the release of Fantastic Fungi and the health benefits many Americans are noticing from taking mushroom products and sharing with their friends. Now we can focus on improving what we have, we can do better for the mushrooms, as they can do for us!
Andrew Johnson
Mush Love! ✌️❤️🍄👑
Photo Credit: Joy Sagar