Organically Grown and Locally Owned From Our Family to Yours!
EST. 2012
At Mousam Valley, we strive to grow mushrooms as close to wild as possible.
We cultivate our fungi on Maine hardwood & straw, sourced sustainably from the very woods & fields we forage in. The end result is a mushroom that could have been picked right off the side of your favorite foraging path. The only difference is that we grow them year round & know exactly when they will be perfect for you to enjoy!
FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS...ORGANICALLY GROWN & LOCALLY OWNED
Our Story
Mousam Valley Mushrooms is a family farm started by father, John Sharood, son Robert Sharood, and daughter Emily Sharood. John has a background in start-up businesses specializing in software-systems and is the paternal backbone to the growing Mousam Valley Mushroom team. Robert is our mycologist and head of quality control from the strains we use to the substrate our mushrooms eat. He is continually updating and modifying his culture library of strains ensuring we always have superior mushrooms. Emily is the marketing & design director who also myco-farms with brother Bob and over sees our lot traceability initiative. We work together as a team to provide our customers with top quality mushrooms at an affordable price.
Our Farm
We love nature but not its surprises. Thus, all of our mushrooms are grown and packed in a totally controlled and fully automated indoor environment, while optimizing the ideal conditions present in their natural habitats. At the same time, it eliminates natural threats such as adverse weather and competitors allowing us to produce savory mushrooms year round!
We are located above the Mousam River Valley in Springvale Maine inside of a historic dairy barn that we have renovated into our mushroom farm on twelve acres of farmland.
Aerial Farm Photo
Our Mission
At Mousam Valley Mushrooms it is our mission to sustainably grow and market healthy native and exotic mushroom strains. We maximize customer value while minimizing waste. We do this by using organic agricultural by-products such as local wood chip and straw for our growing medium that in turn becomes nutrient rich compost for local farms. In addition, we are continually researching and developing better more efficient methodologies that use less energy, more innovation.
Just like mushrooms we want to create a mycelial network between local mushroom farms where information is shared, so we can all grow together for the greater good of feeding our community healthy delicious mushrooms! It is our ultimate mission.
Organic & Local
We are a certified organic mushroom farm in Maine and are paving the way for more Maine mushroom farms to become organic certified as well! All of our Oyster & Shiitake mushrooms are certified organic by both the USDA and Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA).
We are also pleased to offer a 5-7 day fresh guarantee to all customers from the date of delivery. Not only are our mushrooms harvested and delivered within 24-48 hours of being harvested but they are also exclusively grown for the New England area making them truly fresh and local.
Mushies Making Headlines
MEET Emily Sharood
Mushroom Magic
Beyond mushroom soup: Maine Growers
Mousam Valley Mushrooms in Springvale, Maine
The Sharood’s Mousam Valley Mushrooms
Maine Farmers Tap Technology to Grow
Mushroom Business Grows
Maine Technology Institute Awards
Seacoast Harvest
Sharood's Shrooms - Village Magazine
Our Products
Preparation, Uses, and Tips
To prepare, a simple sauté is an easy but delicious way to taste the savory flavors of our Oyster & Shiitake mushrooms. Sauté or fry mushrooms in butter or oil for up to 5 minutes, or cook them with a small amount of liquid such as wine or apple cider vinegar in a covered pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
Storage Tips
To maintain freshness, keep Oyster & Shiitake mushrooms refrigerated between 35-45° F for up to a week in a paper bag or our individual packaging. If you plan on storing them longer, it is best to cook and then freeze them. This allows you to thaw them out and then reheat when you would like to consume them while maintaining their original texture.
You can also dehydrate mushrooms in your oven at 150° F for two hours. Just chop them up into each individual petal removing most of the stem before dehydrating; once they are out of the oven let them continue to dry for a half hour until they are crisp and dry, then seal in a tight container such as a mason jar. To rehydrate, place in water or stock for twenty minutes prior to cooking.
Our Packaging is 100% Recyclable
Bulk Packaging
Our bulk boxes are 100% compostable, soy ink printed & made of food grade cardboard; they spaciously hold 3 to 5 lbs.
Individual Packaging
Our 3.5 oz. individual boxes are also 100% recyclable; we use soy ink printed, recycled paper labels, & cardboard berry boxes covered by recyclable shrink wrap.
Individual Bulk Trays
Our bulk trays are 100% compostable printed with soy-ink and carry up to 15 x 4 oz. boxes. They come with lids and are easily stackable on pallets.
The Way Mushrooms Should Be
We currently sell local organic Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms that are available year-round. Oyster mushrooms grow in tightly layered non-uniformed clumps and have a similar appearance to bouquets of flowers. Shiitake, pronounced shee-TAH-kay, range in colors from amber to chocolate brown. Each mushroom has a wide, umbrella shape with a characteristic curled rim and have a cream-colored interior described as supple-firm. We make sure our mushrooms are always delicious & nutritious. They are grown naturally and safely in an ideal controlled clean environment with plenty of nutrients, ensuring each of our mushroom varieties have exceptional taste and texture.
The Mousam Kitchen
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Shiitake Bacon
If I told you that if you take Shiitake mushrooms and soak them in a little bit of soy sauce or Dr. Bragg's Liquid Aminos and sauté them, they have...
Read More » -
Drunken' Shrooms Over Pasta
Preparation Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle mushrooms with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast...
Read More » -
Behind the Scenes at an Organic Mushroom Farm
5 JUN 2014 BY THEKITTCHEN Two years ago, my brother’s friend Bob Sharood started his own exotic organic culinary mushroom farm in Maine. At...
Read More »
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