Fun with Fungus

Among the cornfields and barns of Wayne County, Tom (above) and Wendy Wiandt run a certified organic farm. But their crops start in a laboratory. The couple grows fungus, not fruit, and their Killbuck Valley mushrooms are prized by some of the area’s top restaurant chefs, including Michael Symon, Flying Fig’s Karen Small and Light Bistro’s Matt Mathlage. Home cooks can snag their own supply at the North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square and Crocker Park. But get there after 10 a.m. and the lion’s mane, shiitake and oyster mushrooms will be almost gone. They also sell in-season wild mushrooms from their woodlands. “Our stuff is so popular with chefs that we don’t really need to do the farmers markets,” Tom says. “But I really love that interaction with customers.”