Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill naming the Golden Chanterelle as California's official state mushroom.
"I think anything on the mushroom media is a plus for us," said northern San Luis Obispo County mushroom farmer Chris Batlle.
Batlle has run Mighty Cap Mushrooms for three years and attributes some of his success to the growing interest in mushrooms that took place during the pandemic.
"A lot of this came out of that COVID era. A lot of people were home and saw an opportunity to grow and start working with their own food in their own house, and so a lot of people adapted that small-scale mushroom thing at home, and a lot of people don't do it anymore because they start to realize how much work it is. I think that was kind of the beginning of what we call the 'shroom boom,'" Batlle said.
Due to both the "shroom boom" and a greater public awareness of mushrooms' health benefits, Batlle says there's been a higher demand for mushrooms in recent years. Where he originally produced 50 pounds per week a few years ago, he now has enough customers relying on him to grow 700 pounds per week.
In addition to supplying customers with mushrooms, Batlle says he provides them with critical knowledge about the fungi as well.
"Having this new 'shroom boom' happening and us being able to educate along that journey has been great," Batlle said.
He advises those interested in mushrooms to use caution when trying new mushroom varieties.
"Always be 100 percent when you ID something," Batlle said. "Read lots of books."
Additionally, he notes that the Golden Chanterelle only grows in the wild and can't be grown by independent farmers like himself. According to castatemushroom.org, because California's signature mushroom grows under oak trees, it is also commonly found near poison oak, so take caution if foraging for it.
