While some farmers are heading out to the fields under the bright sunshine this weekend to harvest their crop, you will find Michael Marit wandering out in the woods behind his Sturgeon Bay home to harvest his. Marit started Door County Mushroom Company out of curiosity to grow his own food. His mushroom operation sits about 100 feet away, where he has produce growing and ducks, chickens, and geese waddling. The process of growing mushrooms begins in the spring when he drills holes into hundreds of logs that lean up against larger limbs. With an inoculation of mushroom spawn into the holes, Marit can usually harvest each log twice a year for five years before he needs to cycle in new logs. He tries to impart his wisdom to others who want to learn about the origins of their mushrooms and how to cultivate them.

You can find Marit’s mushrooms from Door County Mushroom Company at select eateries in the county and at the Sturgeon Bay Farmers’ Market. You can watch our entire Ask a Farmer video presented by the Door County Farm Bureau below.