Chad and Pam McClure
LOWCOUNTRY MUSHROOMS
Growing Mushrooms from Start to Finish in a Beaufort Basement
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY
Mushrooms are one of those foods that can divide a room. Either you love them or you hate them. Well, after talking to Chad and Pam McClure of Lowcountry Mushrooms, you might change your mind about hating them, given the immense amount of health benefits that they boast!
Chad and Pam McClure are from Augusta, Georgia, both graduating from UGA with degrees in Journalism. They moved here in October 2013 from a rural town called Thomson. Thomson’s population is only 6,553, and the McClure’s lived a block from Main Street, giving them the opportunity to walk to their church, the movie theater, and the local pizza joint. They had a large piece of property in Thomson where they grew everything. Chad’s father and grandfather both farmed and gardened, so it has always come naturally to Chad. They grew so much in Thomson that they were able to mostly live off of what they grew and what Chad provided by fishing and hunting. They also were able to share with friends and sell to other friends who owned farm-to-table restaurants.
All of this shifted when Chad was offered a job in Beaufort. They went from having their large property to having a much smaller space and having to go to the grocery store again! They went back to business as usual with their jobs and didn’t spend too much time thinking about growing things.
In 2018, they found a home that felt like a forever space for their family, and it provided a little more property. Over the next two years, they decided to homeschool their two boys, Charles and William, Pam quit her job, and then Covid hit. During the two weeks that they spent at home together, they were working on planting another garden, and Chad came up with the idea to utilize their basement (which is a huge space) to grow mushrooms. They have always loved mushrooms, foraging their own and enjoying cooking them.
They now have a small commercial farm, giving them the opportunity to sell mushrooms to restaurants here in Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and Savannah. They have found a way to maximize their space and be a part of the local food community again that was so important to them while living in Thomson.
Growing mushrooms is an incredibly time-consuming job. There is more to it than you might think! Chad and Pam do everything from start to finish. They have their basement set up for each different type of mushroom that they grow as each type takes a different amount of time.
They explain the process, “It all starts in the lab, where cleanliness is of the utmost importance. All the tables inside the lab are stainless steel, and everything is washed down with alcohol prior to doing any lab work in front of the laminar flow hood, a giant commercial filter that blows clean air over our workspace. This eliminates any airborne contaminants from the process. We introduce mycelium into sterilized bags of grain. Each piece of grain then becomes an inoculation point or a ‘mushroom seed,’ that is later added to sterilized substrate. These blocks of substrate are placed in a cool, dark room where colonization occurs. Depending on the species, this may take a few weeks to several months. Once fully colonized, the blocks are moved to a fruiting chamber, where we drop the temperature, increase the humidity and oxygen levels, and add light, which induces the fruiting process. Within 7 to 14 days, we will have mushrooms to harvest.”
They grow different varieties of mushrooms, including King Trumpet, Golden Oyster, Blue Oyster, Lion’s Mane, Chestnut, and Beech:
King Trumpet – King Trumpet mushrooms are medium to large in size and are easily identified by their thick, cylindrical stem and their small, flattened cap. The ivory to white stems can grow up to twenty centimeters in length, five centimeters in diameter, and are firm, dense, and chewy. The small, smooth caps are grey to brown and have rounded, curved edges. Underneath the cap, the stem and cap are joined by off-white, thin, short gills. Raw King Trumpets, though dense and spongy in texture, lack aroma and flavor, but when cooked, the mushrooms have a savory umami flavor, a soft, crunchy texture, and a mild flavor reminiscent of abalone.
Golden Oyster – Yellow Oyster mushrooms are small to medium in size with caps averaging 2-6 centimeters in diameter and are attached to a short or nonexistent stem. The thin, dry, smooth caps are daffodil yellow, semi-circular, and look like small petals clustered and layered into a small bouquet. When young, the caps are flat, and with age, they begin to curl and become convex with wavy edges. Underneath the caps, there are many soft, short, white gills that connect to an ivory white, small stem. Yellow Oyster mushrooms have a fruity aroma reminiscent of aged red wine and are velvety, crisp, and chewy. When raw, Yellow Oyster mushrooms can be somewhat bitter, but when cooked, they develop a balanced, nutty flavor similar to the flavor of cashews.
Blue Oyster – Blue Oyster mushrooms are medium to large in size with caps averaging 5-25 centimeters in diameter and a very short or nonexistent stem. The caps are broad and fanlike and have curled edges that become wavy and lobed with maturity. White gills extend from beneath the cap, and the flesh is white, meaty, and firm. Blue Oyster mushrooms have a slightly chewy texture and are soft with a bittersweet aroma reminiscent of anise. When cooked, they have a mild and nutty, seafood-like flavor.
Lion’s Mane – Lion’s Mane or Hericium erinaceus is an edible mushroom that is grown or harvested for both culinary and medicinal uses. Native to North America, Europe, and Asia, it can be identified by its long spines, occurrence on hardwoods, and tendency to grow a single clump of dangling spines. It has a unique combination of texture and a flavor that many people describe as reminding them of crab or lobster meat.
Chestnut – Chestnut mushrooms tend to grow in clusters, similar to Oyster mushrooms, but taste much more like a mild Shiitake with a distinct “nutty” taste. Chestnuts are quite satisfying while chewing; they retain a little bit of snap to the stem after cooking, with a similar texture to that of asparagus. They even leave you stained orange until you wash your hands!
Beech – The richly flavored Brown Beech mushroom is regarded as one of the most “gourmet” of all the oyster-like mushrooms. Firm textured and possessing a mildly sweet, nutty taste, this mushroom can be incorporated into a broad range of recipes from soups and sauces to stir-fries. The creative cook or chef will find this superior mushroom to be highly versatile. If packaged in a cluster format cut off and discard the base of the cluster. The mushrooms are grown and packaged under very hygienic conditions, but if desired, just before using the mushrooms, they may be lightly rinsed or brushed, but do not soak in water. The mushroom may be either used whole or sliced. Uncooked, Beech mushrooms have a strong, bitter flavor, but cooking transforms the flavor and renders its nutritional components more available for complete digestion and assimilation.
Mushrooms are super high in fiber. While you can eat them raw, it’s not advised because then you will only get the fiber and miss out on all the other benefits that mushrooms hold. Mushrooms are packed with antioxidants, nutrition, and a fantastic source of Vitamin D. Each mushroom has different capabilities. Mushrooms are currently being researched to help with anxiety, depression, tumor-fighting capabilities, Alzheimer’s treatments, and so much more. If you eat mushrooms every day, you will not only get all the fiber you need, you will boost your immune system. They offer a lot of health benefits. They are considered a superfood!
Pam and Chad hope to add more restaurants to their list of buyers over the next few years as they expand. When they are not growing or homeschooling their sons, Chad enjoys fly fishing and hunting, and Pam enjoys running and going fly fishing with Chad. They have four dogs and keep chickens as well!
“I absolutely love our local farmers markets. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many interesting people and mushroom lovers during market days, and look forward to seeing and talking to our regular customers each week. We are also lucky to have so many talented and creative chefs in our area, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know them and working with them. We hope to meet even more and see our mushrooms incorporated into more restaurants as we continue to grow our business,” Pam says.
You can learn more about mushrooms and the McClures by visiting the Lowcountry Mushrooms website (lcshrooms.com) or by visiting Lowcountry Mushrooms at the local farmers market!
