Our journey to start a small organic urban farm growing mushrooms turned into more than we could imagine. How our dream to start an urban farm turned so much more
Our Plans to Think Big
Looking upon our backyard is a 4,000-square-foot wonderland. With mushrooms growing inside and out of our home, colorful nasturtiums blooming, and 17 varieties of heirloom produce all around, it’s a beautifully unique landscape, and not what our neighbors would have expected of us when we first moved in our suburban backyard.
Mowing the lawn was my least favorite thing about owning our house. I'd always dreamed about having a large vegetable garden. One day I asked Danielle, my wife, “Are you going to be OK with me taking up most of the backyard for a garden we may or may not be able to make succeed because I don’t know what I’m doing?” As a parent to a growing family of boys (including Malachi just born this July), Danielle told me to go ahead. “At least we’ll be able to use all the produce for ourselves and cut down on our food bills.” We broke ground on our joint lifestyle venture that blends the professional and personal, incorporating our children in the work to make our organic urban micro farm run. This is our third season at Twin Cities metro area farmers’ markets.
Just before this writing, I was just loading blocks into our in-house mushroom incubation room. The colors and shapes of the mushrooms are as beautiful as their names: pearl and golden oysters, lions mane, pioppino, and shiitakes. Like humans, fungi inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. As they grow, they produce warmth. Making sure that they don’t overheat is as important as providing the right food. The cultivated mushrooms grow from a mix of hard oak sawdust and organic soybean hulls. The strains come from a closed commercial mushroom growers network whose members share successful cultures much like bakers share sourdough starters.
I was drawn to mushrooms because of their unique personalities. After being laid off from a St. Paul engineering firm three years ago, I took out several loans and launched a mini mushroom farm. I didn't know what I was doing and about 2/3rds of the money invested was wasted on things I didn't need. Danielle and I are also licensed foragers through the Minnesota Mycological Society, which allows us to offer locally foraged seasonal items at market like Morels, Chanterelles, and Chicken of the Woods.
I enjoy outreach and education. I want to inspire other people, whether it’s urban farming or more organic practices for their own yards. I've been working with a professor at Dakota County Technical College to document our best practices so that others can replicate our farming model. We have a camper in our driveway where people interested in establishing our own micro farms can spend a packed week living and working with us with continued mentorship afterward.
Danielle, the compact workhorse and graphic designer behind our urban farm Tiny Tinks Farm, didn’t really care for mushrooms. She was in favor of the garden so that there would be things she wanted to eat. Now an ardent advocate for the versatility of mushrooms, she cooks them frequently. “I’ve grown to really like mushrooms in each dish. I’m kind of bummed when we sell out. Then I’m like, how are we going to make our pasta sauce?”
Tiny Tinks farm offerings include a range of unique vegetables for the local community. Including microgreens which we thought was a logical fit. Microgreens are just a little bigger than tiny little sprouts with little true leaves pack a powerful punch of nutrients at 40x the nutrient density. Our micro farm, is also very small compared to a commercial farm. Danielle is also very small (but Mighty!) . That's why we came up with the name "Tiny Tinks Farm". Danielle seeks out unusual produce that she’s excited about. New items this year include tiara cabbages and Mexican gherkin cucumber—also tiny items. The uncommon produce can be a conversation starter with a market-goer unfamiliar with our products. It also caught the eye of local celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, who featured their produce on an Instagram Live program last summer.
Another richness of their micro farming lifestyle is the communities we've found: mushroom guilds, farmers’ markets, CSA members, and our own employees. Looking back I remember saying “We didn’t see that coming. We thought we were just going to start a mushroom farm and try to sell the stuff at markets.” Danielle especially enjoys the farmers’ market community, “My favorite part is being able to be outside and socialize with other people besides my toddler! I also love to cook so it’s fun to tell people recipes and get them excited about cooking. I also get to learn from the other vendors and explore what they’re growing.”
Through farming we have found new personal food favorites through the market community. Danielle tells me my eyes lit up when I describe Great Harvest’s flour milling process that results in lemon sugar cookies that I love so much. While she enjoys making her own salsas, Danielle is a big fan of Mean Green’s mango hot sauce. At home, they love cooking from the classic The Silver Palate and continue to sharpen our recipes as well as our knifes in the kitchen.
You can follow both adventures in organic urban farming on Instagram @midwestmushroomsmn and @tinytinksfarm or through our websites https://midwest-mushrooms.com/ and https://tinytinksfarm.com/
Try some new mushrooms to make with our go-to pasta sauce. This is a rich mushroom sauce where all the flavor from the mushrooms goes into the cream.
Tiny Tinks Umami Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 pound Tiny Tinks Farm Mushrooms (Pioppino, Pink Oyster, Italian Oyster, Shiitake or other Umami rich mushroom)
butter, garlic, salt
3 Tbsp. Dry White Wine
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Cream to taste
Chop mushrooms and sauté with butter, salt, and garlic at medium low heat.
(Do not wash mushrooms, store in fridge in a paper bag.)
Once mushrooms have softened and cooked, add white wine and cook for 1 minute or until alcohol is cooked off.
Add parmesan and cream and stir until it has a smooth consistency.
Add over the top of chicken or fettuccine or both!
Meet the Minnesota Makers: Land of 10,000 Treats is an occasional feature by freelance writer Michelle M. Sharp. email her at: [email protected]
