Peterson Farm

Greetings,

Summer is progressing onward and it is already school time again. We have been so busy time has passed quickly. We are still almost overwhelmed with work to do and, as usual, some of it just won’t get done.

We have been blessed to have good rains in this area so crops and pastures have done well. It is time to begin planting fall crops so we hope it will continue to rain some to get them started.

We usually send the Farm News toward the end of the week but we wanted to let you know we now have shiitake mushrooms for sale. They are grown at a partner farm in Low Gap, NC on hardwood logs using entirely organic methods. They are watered with pure mountain spring water. These are very high quality, local, organic, fresh as can be, beautiful and tasty! We also have them dehydrated and in powder form to flavor your favorite dishes. Fresh shiitakes may be eaten raw in salads, added to soups and stews, top roasts and steaks. They may be grilled, sautéed, or prepared just about any way you want them.

The health benefits of shiitake mushrooms are well documented and have been used in eastern cultures medicinally for hundreds of years. They are known to boost the immune system (even in AIDS patients), lower cholesterol, and combat cancer tumors among other things. And knowing where and how they are grown gives assurance they are not laden with dangerous chemicals and pollutants.

In our research we could find only a few stores that had shiitakes for sale. All those we did find were imported from China or India. Some of you probably know how I would feel about imported mushrooms. To those who don’t if imported is all I could get I would never knowingly eat one. There are at least two reasons. There is no way to know the conditions in which they are grown, handled, or packaged.(It is well known water quality in these areas is bad) And the farmers who grow them receive next to nothing for their work.

As for prices, we had to search the internet and found only a few places local shiitakes were for sale. It appears the price for local, organic, and fresh is about $27 to $28 per pound. Our price is less than that.

Shiitake Mushroom Pricelist

2 oz. cup dehydrated  -  $5.00
Buy 5 or more and receive $1.00 discount per cup

1 oz. powder  -  $4.50
Buy 5 or more and receive $.50 discount per oz.

4 oz. pk. fresh  -  $6.00

8 oz. pk. fresh  -  $11.75

16 oz. fresh  -  $22.00
Buy 5 16 oz. pks. and receive $1.00 per pk. discount

Restaurants and retail businesses ask about volume discounts

If you know someone that has a restaurant or food business let them know we have shiitakes. We can supply them in volume.

Mushrooms are now available at the market in our regular business hours. (listed below)

We still have summer vegetables including tomatoes, squash, okra, field peas, peppers, Yukon Gold potatoes, heirloom onions and eggplant.

We have a good supply of grass-fed Jersey beef and pasture raised chicken.

Our hours at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market are Tuesday though Friday (9:00 until 3:00) and Saturday (8:00 until 4:00)

We hope to see you at the market!