Dear Friends of the RDC ~ I’m a great believer in the notion that sending information and helping each other strengthens everyone. So in that spirit, I’m taking my normal Monday Morning Victory Garden Post space to share some information that you might not need. But perhaps someone you KNOW might need the info. Or, even someone you know that knows someone. One of the very “best bets” I could always look forward to when stopping by the Urban Agrarian’s farmer’s market stands, or visiting their store, was the absolutely heavenly OM Gardens mushrooms. I truly do hope that a new entrepreneur takes over this operation, and look forward to hearing the good news when that happens. So, without further ado, here is a post from the Urban Agrarian in its entirety about a local organic mushroom operation that needs an owner. Thanks,
[kelly]
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by Matthew Burch, Owner – Urban Agrarian
As many of you know, OM Gardens is shutting down. They have been producing organic mushrooms in Norman, OK for nearly 4 years now and have certainly accumulated some serious infrastructure over the course of time. Steve Morton, owner and operator, is now looking to sell off his equipment and begin a new chapter personally and for his business. I went down this week to take an inventory of the assets and help spread the word…
Here are some simplified instructions on the mushroom production process as well as some amateur photos and video of their current setup. All of this equipment is for sale, terms are negotiable, and it should be mentioned Steve is very willing to help the buyer setup, grow, consult, or participate in the process in many ways.
You could be the next (and at this point only) organic mushroom producer in the state of Oklahoma. Let me show you what is available…
A shipping container mushroom farm:
2 fully equipped, wired, temperature controlled, humidity controlled 50-foot shipping containers sitting side by side with additional rooms built on to both ends. Only 1 container has been finished completely, as you can see in the video at the end of our post.
Notable equipment:
First of all, there is the equipment for producing a suitable substrate for mushroom production.
This includes (2) refrigerators with external thermostats for precise temperature control. These are for holding your mushroom “spawn”, small amounts of which inoculate prepared blocks with mushroom mycelia.
To prepare the substrate blocks, there are (6) pressure cookers which sterilize wood dust and/or grain in preparation for inoculation.
Preparing substrate bags is done using this bagging stand.
After sterilization, bags of substrate are taken into the laminar flow hood. This hood blows a soft, constant, sterile wind during the inoculation process. This prevents any foreign contaminants from entering the substrate.
For post-harvest storage, there is a large commercial refrigerator with extra insulation added to the glass doors. Also, handsinks are installed in the end rooms for proper sanitization.
I shot some video which has some poor spots regarding light and audio quality but it gets the point across and gives you a quick overview of their facility which can be slid onto a flat-bed truck and moved to a new location.
Alright, that is what I’ve got. Consider that this is an operating farm with existing customer base, website, and all proper licenses and certifications. To contact Steve Morton email omgardens@gmail.com.