Trevor Contreras
from
Solano Mushroom

SOLANO MUSHROOM owners, Sam and Sun Hee Shin have been growing mushrooms for some twenty years. Most are grown in a 6500 square foot, climate controlled building in Vacaville with different varieties grown in different rooms depending upon their cultural requirements. The common brown and white mushrooms are grown in compost while the others require oak chips. Over the course of a year, they will be selling approximately twenty different cultivated varieties including Portabella, Crimini, Oyster and Shitake. In addition to the above, the Shin's harvest six varieties picked wild on 150 acres in Mendocino: Bolete, Candy Cap, Chanterelle, Hedgehogs, Natsutake and Morel.

Trevor Contreras, the person you're most likely to see in the mushroom booth at the Grand Lake Market, has worked for the Shin's for three years. This is one of ten to fifteen markets the Shins and their employees do in a typical week with mushrooms also sold wholesale and directly to the restaurant trade. Trevor observed that their customers are a bit mushroom-phobic. That is, they're typically reluctant to try new varieties. He cites for example, the Royal Trumpet which tastes a bit like abalone. When it was introduced, they twisted arms or occasionally included a small sample. Currently, it is a very popular choice. For more information, please visit their website.