Back to the Roots

Hi everyone! This is Jasmine Jackson, the Community Happynes Guru at Back to the Roots. Just over a year ago, our two founders, Alejandro and Nikhil graduated from UC Berkeley and during their last semester went from investment bankers to full-time urban mushroom farmers after becoming passionate about a newly learned fact: gourmet mushrooms can grow entirely on recycled coffee grounds! We're passionate about turning the whole idea of waste 'upside-down' through our easy and fun kits. I'm excited to answer any questions you may have about our kits or how we got started and hopefully have you growing your own 'shrooms with a brew soon! :)

Thanks for an awesome post Daily Grommet!

Love your story guys! I'm curious, do the coffee grounds lend themselves to the growth of a particular mushroom or did you choose which mushroom you were going to grow? If it was a choice, why did you choose this variety over a different variety?

@Kate: Hey Kate! There are actually only a few mushrooms that grow well on 100% recycled coffee grounds, and out of those, oyster mushrooms have the best yield and fastest growth cycle. Also, if you look at oyster mushrooms in stores, they're often really beat-up looking because of how delicate they are, so we thought it had all the qualities to make a great kit! They grow the fastest, offer the most yield, and are delicious gourmet mushrooms, but hard to find fresh! Thanks for your interest in the kits!

what a cool post... I'm growing mine right now & just plucked my first havest -- bought at my local WF two weeks ago!

How long do these mushrooms continue to grow and how many pounds (on average) is harvested from one kit?

@Liz: Hi Liz! You can get at least 2 harvests from the kit (though we've had some customers get more!). The first harvest will be around 1lb, and the second, as nutrients are used up, is often around .5-.75 lbs. Hope this helps!

@Nik Arora: 2 pounds of mushrooms for $40? You have to be kidding. What's up with that? Am I missing something?

@Mary: Hi, Mary! There are two kits included in today's Grommet. So that's about 4 pounds of mushrooms - and, based on our experience, probably more. Some people get 3-4 crops out of each kit. You'll definitely get two crops out of each one. The best part about growing these yourself is that they mushrooms are very fresh. Mushrooms don't tend to store or travel very well. The ones I can buy in the grocery stores here in Boston come all the way from Oregon and don't look great when they get here. Personally, I love having access to fresh mushrooms that have just been harvested and thrown into my pots and pans. And being able to grow them myself is a priceless experience for any kid at heart!

Have you tried grown MORELS, would be very interested in the process, please advise. Thank you MickeyZ

@Michelle Zastawny: Hi Michelle! We have not tried to grow Morels (they don't grow well on coffee grounds), so unfortunately, I can't offer too much help here. However, if you look a book by Paul Stamets: Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, it may have more information there. If you haven't tried oyster mushrooms though before, I'd highly recommend them. They have a chewy, almost meaty texture, with a woody flavor that makes them great in soups, pastas, sautes, or even just grilled!

Just a quick question about the containers. Do you use recycled materials for the bags and box and are they recyclable?

@Christy : Hi Christy! The container is made out of post-consumer recycled cardboard and printed on with soy ink. The bags are recyclable, though because of the special conditions we need for mushroom growing, are not made out of recycled material. We're always working to improve our zero-footprint mission though and open to suggestions / feedback! Thanks!

Luv this concept ... can't wait to try! Quick Question, have you tried growing Shitake mushrooms this way??

@Laura: We have tried shiitakes (and still working on them!) They have a much longer life-cycle to grow, months rather than days, and offer less yield on the coffee grounds. We're still working on it though, and hopefully will have something out by the holidays this year. Stay on the lookout in a few months though for a few new types of kit we'll be launching to compliment the Mushroom Garden - rosemary, thyme, and basil kits!