Photo courtesy Sandia Farms
History: Johnny Cerra first learned about mushroom farming in 2006 while watching an episode of the show “Dirty Jobs,” and the former electrical engineer has been fascinated with fungi and mycelium ever since. “Little did I know that was going to be the seed that got planted,” he says. In 2019, after leaving their full-time jobs, Cerra and his wife, Megan, founded Sandia Farms. “The leap was necessary to satisfy the mushroom growing dream,” he says.
Specialties: Located in Prince George, the farm is mostly dedicated to growing prized pink and pearl oyster mushrooms, fuzzy lion’s mane, shiitake, maitake and vegetables such as arugula and chiles.
Production: The Cerras harvest their mushrooms inside incubation chambers where they have created ideal fruiting conditions. The chambers feature rows of shelves lined with sawdust blocks.
Buy: Sandia Farms produce can be found on menus at Perch, Longoven and Small Batch Local Kitchen. Fresh mushrooms and grow kits are available online.
