Dave's Keene Mushrooms
08/09/2009 15:28
On farmer’s market day in Keene, we ran into a surprising sign that announced one of the alleys between the downtown blocks as “Mushroom Alley.” I couldn’t resist, so we strolled down it to find Dave Wichland under a white tent at the corner of the parking lot behind the main farmer’s market area. His homemade sign announced him as “Wichland Woods Mushrooms,” and he had a variety of fresh and dried mushrooms, mushroom art, and even two flavors of sun-brewed mushroom tea, which he was offering samples of to passersby.
Paul Stamets’ book Mycelium Running was prominently displayed on the table, so we had a starting point for conversation. Dave has been to Stamets’ seminar, sells his sporulated chain-saw oil, and is probably the local expert in the same way Stamets is the expert on northwestern mushrooms. One of the things that became apparent in our conversation, is that Dave has taken a lot of the general knowledge in books like Stamets’, and adapted it to the particular conditions of the New Hampshire climate and landscape.
We bought a package of fresh Chanterelles and Black Trumpets, which went into a nice white sauce for pasta that evening (it’s always a challenge for me, finding out how to use new and different foods, because I’m not a big fan of recipe-reading. I like to start by using the new thing in something I’d normally eat anyway). Dave also has a landscaping business, and can consult on or implement mycological projects for bioremediation (cleaning up toxins in agricultural runoff, for example) or permaculture-style biological diversity.
Dave has developed a hardy local strain of “garden giant” mushrooms that have been very successful outdoors in Keene. He grows them in his yard, which is walking distance from my yard, so I’m looking forward to dropping by to see his plantings. And then putting some around the yard, so maybe we can pull mushrooms from the garden next year! Dave has tackled all the issues I thought were the “Hot buttons” when I was reading Stamets. It’s great when someone does cool stuff, so you don’t have to do it all yourself!
If you miss Dave on market days, ask Michael and Barb at 24 Carrots – that was the first place I saw his mushrooms.
If you miss Dave on market days, ask Michael and Barb at 24 Carrots – that was the first place I saw his mushrooms.
