By EMILY MANCINI
The East End Mushroom Company in Cutchogue is the premier grower and purveyor of mushrooms on Long Island.
Those mushrooms have everyone from professional chefs to passionate home cooks raving.
“People are always commenting on the freshness and taste,” said owner Jane Maguire, who runs the company with fellow grower John Quigley. “
We grow our mushrooms in a state-of-the-art facility with computerized climate control and we pick them daily to ensure freshness.”
The art of mushroom growing is a delicate operation, one devoid of dirt and chemicals.
Maguire and Quigley grow shiitake, maitake, and oyster mushrooms in an indoor hydroponic facility, where they can monitor humidity, carbon level, and temperature down to the perfect degree. There are no chemicals or preservatives used at any point in the process.
East End’s mushrooms are then distributed to farm stands and restaurants all across New York.
East End Mushroom Company’s oyster mushrooms will be featured in dishes by Chef Elmer Rubio of Chachama Grill and Chef Hirbin Manzanares of South Ocean Grill at Island to Table July 31 in Patchogue Village.
The oyster mushroom is known for its mild sweetness and woodsy flavor, a culinary go-to for stir-frys and soups.
The East End Mushroom Company’s retail farm in Cutchogue is open every Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The East End will also be hosting its second annual Mushroom Cook-Off at Macari Vineyards in Mattituck on Saturday, Sept. 10; all net proceeds will be donated to East End Hospice.
Tickets for Island to Table are $150 per person.
Visit the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce website to purchase tickets online.
Photo: Shittake mushrooms grown at East End Mushroom Co. (Credit: northforker.com/Vera Chinese)
