Crown Mushrooms, Wanneroo

This is ten-year-old Reilly Aloysius Johnson. He goes to work with his dad Scott Johnson every day, at Crown Mushroom Farm in Wanneroo.

Reilly Aloysius Johnson

Reilly Aloysius Johnson

Established in 1972 and still owned and run by the Johnson family, Crown Mushrooms is Western Australia’s largest locally owned mushroom farm, producing 25 to 30 tonnes of fresh mushrooms every week. Considering that the average mushroom is around 40 grams, that’s a mind-boggling lot of mushrooms.

At Crown Mushrooms, Wanneroo

At Crown Mushrooms, Wanneroo

Last year I attended the Australian Mushroom Growers Association annual lunch, organised by Noelene of Fresh Finesse. At lunch, I expressed an interest in learning more about mushroom farming/production, as did a number of the chefs in attendance. As a result of that conversation, Noelene organised this tour of a mushroom farm.

Our tour guide Scott Johnson

Our tour guide, Scott Johnson of Crown Mushrooms

Scott Johnson, son of Crown Mushrooms founder Trevor Johnson, is our tour guide this morning. Noelene, chefs Nik, Don and Carl from Panorama Catering and I follow Scott as he shows us around the property and tells us all about how mushrooms are grown. Reilly Aloysius quietly trudges along with us, tail wagging.

Scott, Reilly and the chefs

Scott (pointing), Reilly Aloysius and the chefs

Mushrooms don’t need sunlight to grow – they get everything they need out of the soil and so good compost is a crucial ingredient if they are to thrive. 140 tonnes of compost is produced here at the farm every week, used for growing mushrooms.

Compost at different stages of the production cycle

Compost at different stages of the production cycle

Compost at different stages of the production cycle

Compost at different stages of the production cycle

The mushroom compost is made using straw and poultry manure. At every step of the process, the compost is carefully monitored to ensure pH, moisture and various elements are at the correct levels.

Hay bales

Straw bales, a key ingredient of mushroom compost

The compost is pasteurised over 7 days to kill off any bad bacteria. By the end of the process, it smells quite sweet – not at all like the manure it was made from.

Scott reflects on how much the production of compost has evolved over the years to a process that incorporates precise, scientific methods and automatic watering. When he was a boy, one of his much-loathed after school chores used to be watering compost by hand with a hose.

Scott also tells us that the spent mushroom compost is sold to gardening shops/nurseries and can be used as a mulch or to enrich soil. It’s particularly good on vegetable gardens, roses and palms, he says; not so good with camelias and azaleas (something to do with acid levels – I’m no gardener).

Making mushroom compost - front end loader

Making mushroom compost – Jac would love to drive one of these front end loaders.

Crown grows white and portobello (also known as Swiss brown or cremini) mushrooms. The mushrooms are grown all year round and harvested and sold in four stages of growth – as champignons, buttons, cups and flat (also called field) mushrooms.

Mushroom beds

Mushroom beds

It’s a modern and high-tech production process developed and perfected from years of research and experience. State-of-the-art climate control technology is used to ensure optimal environmental conditions are monitored and maintained. The temperature, humidity and pH levels in these mushroom growing beds determine when the mushrooms get to “fruiting” stage, and then have a direct bearing on the size and number of mushrooms that will be produced.

Mushroom beds

Mushroom beds

In all of these rooms where the mushrooms grow, there is a wonderful smell of wood and moist earth… forest. It’s very still and quiet here. I feel like I should be tip-toeing.

Mushroom bed

Mushroom bed

First mushrooms

First mushrooms

We visit a number of rooms, each with mushrooms at different stages of growth. In the first room, the mushrooms are barely visible, so I’m excited to see finally little white button mushrooms peeping through the soil, like twinkling stars in a night sky.

First mushrooms

First mushrooms

The lights are left off when there’s no one in the rooms, but Scott flicks them on so we can see and photograph the mushrooms better. I love the sight of the tiny baby mushrooms peppering the soil, but I’m really keen to see mushrooms that are ready for picking.

This is a thrilling sight.

An abundance of button mushrooms

An abundance of button mushrooms

There’s movement in among the mushroom beds – mushroom pickers quietly working, harvesting and sorting mushrooms.

Scott tells us it takes three months training and experience before a mushroom picker truly gets up to speed, picking and correctly grading approximately 30kg of mushrooms per hour.

Picking mushrooms

Mushroom pickers are hard at work

I could stay here for a long time, just enjoying the smells and taking photographs of mushrooms.

Button mushrooms

Button mushrooms

Button mushrooms

Button mushrooms

I really feel like eating mushrooms now.

Portobello mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms

We leave the mushroom growing rooms (me, somewhat reluctantly) to check out the packing area.

Portobello mushrooms in punnets

Portobello mushrooms in punnets

Packing mushrooms

Packing mushrooms

Finally, we assemble in the tea room where Scott and his staff give us fresh mushrooms to take away.

A box of mushrooms for the chefs

A box of mushrooms for the chefs

Reilly Aloysius pops in to say hello and good-bye.

Reilly Aloysius Johnson pops in to say hi

Reilly Aloysius Johnson pops in to say hi

Thank you to Noelene for organising the excursion and to Scott for taking the time to show us around the farm.

Crown Mushrooms
163 Belgrade Road
Wanneroo WA 6065
Telephone: (08) 9405 1636

The tour of the mushroom farm was a great way to start a day, but it was off to work for me afterwards.

Just look at the beautiful white and portobello button mushrooms Crown Mushrooms gave me! My work colleagues were intrigued and a little jealous!

White button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms

White button and portobello mushrooms from Crown Mushrooms

My first words to Jac that evening were: “Can we have mushrooms for dinner tonight?”

Jac made a delicious mushroom soup which we ate with fresh crusty bread and butter. On another night, she fried the rest of the mushrooms with garlic and butter, which we enjoyed with beef sausages and pan-fried tomatoes.

What’s your favourite way to eat mushrooms?

Mushroom soup and garlic mushrooms

Jac’s mushroom soup (garnished with a blob of sour cream and chopped parsley) and garlic mushrooms in the wok

Facebook comments

comments

, ,  2

Share this post