The waiting list to become a customer for Penn State mushroom crops is up to a year and a half long, he said, adding that between 35,000 and 40,000 pounds of mushrooms are produced annually. I don't think people understand how difficult it is, how complex. The entire compost to harvest process takes about 10 weeks and the facility harvests a crop every three to four weeks. He explained workers must be sensitive to the ingredients and the environment during this stage. Other phases of mushroom growth involve pasteurizing the compost to kill insects, introducing spawn-makers and applying a top dressing of mostly peat moss called a casing, Beyer said.
Many people think mushrooms are grown and harvested in completely dark rooms.
This is not true for the university facility or many others in the state. They have these fluorescent lights. The lights, which have no effect on mushroom growth, are turned on to make harvesting easier for workers. The type of mushrooms grown at the facility, the common white, round variety, are the biggest seller in the American market, Rhodes said. Currently, the facility does not have anybody who is involved in the Mushroom Science and Technology minor working there and welcomes undergraduate involvement.