Across Alberta, a small but committed network of producers grows gourmet mushrooms in a province better known for dry winds and long winters. One of those growers is Trafford Farms near Didsbury, Alta., where Sya and Charlie Trafford cultivate pink and blue oyster, lion's mane and chestnut varieties.
The mushrooms fruit in climate-controlled rooms that recreate the humidity and temperature these delicate species need to thrive. Another producer in this network is Meghan Vesey, who develops mushroom spawn and supplies farmers across the region with the cultures required to begin growing any variety of mushrooms.
Vesey is also supporting Trafford Farms as they experiment with local waste materials that could become new substrate options for mushrooms. By building controlled grow rooms that mimic a woodland environment while keeping non-native species out of natural ecosystems, these producers are adapting mushroom crops to conditions that bear little resemblance to their original habitat.
Their efforts reflect a broader shift in Alberta's food landscape, where diets are expanding and specialty mushrooms once considered too fragile for the climate are finding space in grocery stores, restaurants and farmers' markets.
Read more at Calgary Journal
