A foray into the woods with commercial mushroom hunters 12 years ago changed Jen Olsen's life.

“It was love at first sight. I fell in love with mushrooms,” Jen said. “I bought all the mushroom books I could find.”

Her fascination with fungus led her to the University of Washington where she earned a degree in mycology. Jen, 29, and her husband and fellow mycologist Dustin, 29, opened The Mushroomery on their 14-acre Mount Hope Drive property last January.

Dustin's passion for mushrooms began when, as a teenager he identified a wild mushroom as edible using a mushroom identification guide.

“So I ate it, and embarked on my journey,” Dustin said.

The mushroom he identified is known as the Shaggy Mane and along with the Chicken of the Woods, Cauliflower Fungus and Old Man's Beard make up the group known as the “fool proof four” because they are so easy to identify in the wild.

The pair met six years ago at a mushroom farm she was managing near Bellingham, Wash., and began selling wild mushrooms they gathered - wildcrafted - from local forests.

The Mushroomery specializes in both wildcrafted and cultivated mushrooms.

Mushrooms harvested from the Cascades supplement what they grow. They collect some of the more well-known varieties such as chanterelles, but their expertise lets them collect more edible types than the average hunter. Of the roughly 4,500 mushrooms that grow in western Oregon, about 70 are edible.

“There are only two common deadly mushrooms around here, but they are pretty small and most people wouldn't eat them,” Dustin said. “There are 25 to 30 that will make you pretty sick.”

Wild mushrooms sell for $6 a pound for common varieties and up to $50 a pound for Mazataki mushrooms.

Dustin is experimenting with cloning wild species such as Chicken of the Woods and Fried Chicken mushrooms to grow indoors. His hope is that after the wild ones become less plentiful in late winter, they will still be able to supply customers with the cultivated variety.

Getting mushrooms out of the woods and to the market is a seven-day-a-week job for the Olsens. Four days a week, they are typically up at 4:30 a.m. doing chores and in the woods by first light, ready to pick until darkness falls.

“We're loving what we do. It's our life,” Jen said. “We don't enjoy anything as much as being out in the woods. You're walking deep in the forest. It's quiet. It smells clean.”

“On a day when it's nice and sunny, mushroom hunting is an awesome job,” Dustin said. “Then there are the days it's raining. Those days are a little bit more challenging. At the end of the day you are cold and soaked to the bone.”

Audric, Jen's 11-year-old son, is becoming an accomplished mushroom hunter in his own right. He recently surprised his mom by identifying an edible mushroom she had never heard of - an Earth's Tongue.

“I like the challenge of finding mushrooms,” Audrick said. “I like to see the different kinds, like purple or glowing mushrooms.”

Starting with little carpentry or electrical skills, Dustin built a 2,400 square-foot six room growing facility complete with a laboratory last spring.

Unlike most commercial mushroom farms that grow only one or two varieties, the Olsens specialize in harder to find species. Their mycology background lets them make their own spawn, giving them the ability to grow a wider variety of specialty mushrooms.

The Olsens sell 90 percent of their mushrooms at local farmers markets'. Sales to stores such as the First Alternative Co-op in Corvallis make up the rest.

In addition to fresh mushrooms, The Mushroomery sells dried mushrooms, mushroom spices for cooking and mushroom kits for those who want to grow their own mushrooms.

“We have a pretty good clientele base,” Jen said. “I think it's because of the variety we offer.”

By selling retail, they do not have to grow a huge volume, Jen said, and it lets them spend more time sharing their knowledge with customers.

Although many people appreciate the gourmet properties mushrooms add to a dish, a lot are unaware of their medicinal benefits.

Mushrooms have high amounts of Vitamin C. Oyster varieties are believed to lower cholesterol. The almond portabella is considered the most medicinal mushroom because it's high in polysaccharides, which research has shown to shrink tumors.

“There are thousands and thousands of different mushrooms. Who knows what kinds of cures are out there,” Dustin said. “Every day, research shows mushrooms can literally help save the world.”

Using a technique called mycopesticide, scientists have used mycelium to kill insects. Oyster mushrooms have been used to break down petroleum products in contaminated soil, Dustin said.

Jen said it is important to them that their business follows environmentally friendly practices. That can mean growing with the seasons so less electricity is used for heating, not over-harvesting an area and knowing which mushrooms can be pulled up and which need to be cut to allow them to regrow.

“I like to go to areas marked for clear cuts,” Dustin said. “I can go in there and I'm guilt free.”

And when the family does have time off, vacations are planned around new places to pick mushrooms. They have picked mushrooms all over the country and hope to go explore what mushrooms Thailand has to offer.

Both are quick to share their knowledge with customers who come to their farmers' market booths with questions or mushrooms they'd like identified.

When time allows, the Olsens plan to offer mushrooming field trips where novices can learn to harvest edible mushrooms in a sustainable manner.

“We love telling people about mushrooms,” Jen said, adding that because mushrooms can sometimes look different in the ground than they do in guide books, novices should learn from experienced wildcrafters before venturing out on their own.

Despite the cold weather and long hours, Jen said she can't imagine doing anything else.

“It's my life, my love, my livelihood.”

For more information contact The Mushroomery at

258-5855