Guided By Mushrooms

04/10/2025

Big salute to for coming out to the farm today to award us a plaque for the DLM 2024 Vendor Honor Roll!

The DLM Vendor Honor Roll is an annual award that recognizes outstanding Ohio local vendors for exemplary food and service. We’re pleased to announce we’ve received this honor for five consecutive years!

We value our long-standing business partnership with DLM and support their continuing commitment to food excellence and local economy in our beloved Dayton.

You can find our full product mix in any DLM produce department:

➙ Fresh gourmet edible mushrooms
➙ Local Lion’s Mane Mushroom Honey
➙ GBM Umami Spice Blends: (powders) Garlic Reaper, Greek Herb, Audrissa, World Blend, Garam Masala, Oyster Mushroom, Lion’s Mane
➙ Functional Mushroom Supplements: Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Turkeytail, Cordyceps

Oakwood, Washington Square, Springboro locations all open 6a-9p Mon-Sun. (4th Mason location opening this summer!)

Dorothy Lane Market, with 3 locations, is the premier gourmet grocer in Southwest Ohio. From their epic Killer Brownie to the best meat, cheese, pantry, bakery, produce selections and more, DLM is truly a foodie haven with tons unique gifts and local gourmet goodies.

Keep an eye out for our functional mushroom coffee and tea blends coming to DLM soon!

Mush on, friends. 🍄🫡

04/07/2025

This is our latest news story with WYSO. We will keep fighting for farmers and families.

The USDA cut a program that helps food banks source from local farmers. This leaves Ohio and Dayton-area food banks with less food access and leaves some farm suppliers without the source of revenue.

04/07/2025

Mushrooms have been quietly earning a reputation as brain-boosting powerhouse mushrooms for memory and focus. Read our latest blog post to find out more.

You know that feeling when your brain just won’t cooperate? You’re staring at your screen, trying to remember where you left your keys, or maybe you’re struggling to focus on a task that should be simple. It happens to all of us—brain fog is real. But what if the solution isn’t another cup...

04/04/2025

Plastic Eating Mushrooms! Learn about the amazing Discovered by Yale students in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, Pestalotiopsis microspora is a game-changer.

03/30/2025

Join us TOMORROW: Sunday, March 30 at 10:30am for “Morel Mushroom Foraging 101” with Michael Goldstick from Guided By Mushrooms at 2nd Street Market, Dayton OH. We’ll be doing slides and Q & A. Set your reminder in this post and follow our Channel for updates!

Spring is here, and that means mushroom season is back! We’re foraging for morels and other edible Spring mushrooms here in Ohio. We will focus on morels, because those are what everyone is looking for…right?

To prepare for your next mushroom hunt, we will tell you what to bring, where to look, when to look, what trees to look for, and some special tips, tricks, and etiquette.

We’ll identify 9 other wild edible Spring mushrooms you can find right now that are not morels and share some fun facts. These are great additions to your foraging basket or consolation prizes if you don’t find any elusive morels.

All ages are welcome, and this event is FREE.

2nd St. Market is located at 600 E. Second St. Dayton, OH 45402

03/26/2025

CLASS PHOTO 2025: Who We Are. “What is Guided By Mushrooms?”

Guided By Mushrooms, established in 2018, is a veteran and female-owned GAP-certified cooperative mushroom farm located in New Lebanon, just outside of Dayton, OH. We specialize in all-natural, vegetarian-friendly gourmet and functional mushroom-based products for culinary, agricultural, and health/wellness clients. We service groceries, restaurants, health food stores, practitioners, markets, specialty stores, farm stands, and food banks with high-quality mycological products.

We began as a hobby garage operation in 2018 and have grown into the largest commercial mushroom farm in SW Ohio, serving over 80 active store locations across 7 states in the Midwest/Mid-Atlantic region and customers in all 50 states on our website:

www.guidedbymushrooms.com

Our mission is to improve access to healthy, sustainable food, to create high-quality jobs in our local economy, to give back to our community, and to clean the planet.

We execute our mission by:

1) donating mushrooms to local food pantries in food deserts like House of Bread (300-400 lbs/yr) and participating in goverment programs that support The Ohio Foodbanks (LFPA)

2) hiring within the community, paying a livable wage for our workers and promoting a safe, positive work environment

3) donating our ecologically valuable spent mushroom blocks to areas in need of soil remediation, community gardens, gardeners, etc

4) educating the community on various mushroom topics in several different formats (blogs, classes, interviews)

5) partnering with small businesses and organizations that share our same values and mission

We are a proud partner of Co-op Dayton , an incubator for cooperative businesses that creates and fosters job growth in the Miami Valley.

Drop us a line if you have any questions under the sun, and make sure to join our IG channel link below for the latest and greatest direct mush-updates! 🍄🫡

03/18/2025

Happy National Ag Day! Support your local farmers🍄

Today is National Ag Day! 🧡 Farmers, farmworkers and other food producers are vital partners in the movement to end hunger. We are grateful to work with local organizations like Candlebrook Farm, Mile Creek Farm, Narrow Way Farm, E&K Family Farm, Guided By Mushrooms, Seven Seed Sowers, and Oberlin Food Hub.

Together, we connect U.S. Department of Agriculture foods with people facing hunger, fostering a strong food system that's beneficial to all. Thank you, farmers, for all that you do!

03/17/2025

Join us Sunday, March 30 at 10am for “Morel Mushroom Foraging 101” with Michael Goldstick from Guided By Mushrooms at 2nd Street Market, Dayton OH. Set your reminder in this post!

Spring is among us, which means we are entering the mushroom season, and we’re pumped! Ohio is a popular state for mushroom foraging, boasting a variety of wild edible mushrooms.

But all the mushroom hunters know that the morels are highly coveted for their richness of flavor, difficulty to cultivate and hunt, and limited window of availability.

Seasoned morel hunters are very protective of their find spots, or “honey holes”. They know in Eastern North America you can usually only find them late March to May, and that the growing popularity of mushroom hunting has increased competition.

Without giving up somebody’s “honey hole”, we’ll give you some tips on what to bring with you on your mushroom hunt, and what to look for when searching for the elusive morels.

We’ll also identify some other edible Spring mushrooms you might find, whether as a complement or consolation prize to the elusive morel. Pheasant backs, oysters, mica caps, shiitakes, and chicken of the woods need love too!

All ages are welcome, and this event is FREE.

2nd St. Market is located at 600 E. Second St. Dayton, OH 45402

03/15/2025

Here are some excerpts from the Dayton Daily News article we did about the Local Food Purchase Assistance program getting terminated. We will keep fighting for farmers and families.

Full article: https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/usda-program-cut-impacts-local-food-banks-local-farmers/VMZWRGNB5ZBG7JI4DWVJVKHLJA/

The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended a program used by farmers and food banks across southwest Ohio.

The USDA this month notified states that it did not plan to carry out a second round of funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program for fiscal year 2025, but funds for existing contracts nationwide aren’t frozen. This move followed the Trump administration approving steep budget cuts at the USDA.

Michael Goldstick, of Guided By Mushrooms in New Lebanon, said local farmers have a little bit of time to plan around this change, as existing contracts will be funded through June.

“We invested, planned and grew for this program,” he said. “We appreciate the runway to work toward alternatives, a Plan B, but we’re disappointed that small farmers, hungry families and food banks will be impacted by this. And this is nationwide.”

For Guided by Mushrooms, Goldstick said the New Lebanon-based business sent off 130 pounds of mushrooms per week to the region’s food bank. The business is looking to identify other buyers.

He said that sometimes Guided By Mushrooms would receive social media messages from people asking for advice on how to prepare mushrooms — ranging from lion’s mane to blue oysters — that they received during food distributions.

“I think it’s really important to talk about the successes of this program,” he said. “And I’d love to see a similar plan, a different program in place that still links farmers to families. We’re hopeful that local mobilization will drive change.”

03/13/2025

We're Using Mushrooms As Barbells Here at Guided By Mushrooms!

03/12/2025

We will continue to execute our mission to improve access to healthy food in underserved areas and create high-quality jobs even when this program is gone.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended a program that partners local food banks with local farmers used by farmers and food banks across southwest Ohio.

03/11/2025

We are sad to announce that the LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance) program funded via USDA grant that connects local food producers (like us) to hungry families on a state level via The Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF), has terminated future funding (which would have supported purchases beginning in July 2025 through June 2027). This is a devastating national termination for all LFPA participating states, not just in our state (operating as Ohio CAN).

OAF received word from USDA yesterday and passed the news to us.

This was a significant weekly revenue stream for our small farm. We’re still figuring out what to do next. Obviously, we’re seeking a new market for about 130 lbs a week after June. The list is long and much work needs to be done. Reach out if you have ideas.

Our hearts go out to fellow small farms, hungry families, and the food banks - who had already seen their funding cut before all this.

So what can you do to help?

First off, emphasize your commitment to buying local. Small farms need your help more than ever. Farmers often invest, plan, and grow directly for programs like these. The impact of suddenly having those funds cut off could mean farmers can’t pay their workers or afford necessary equipment.

Second, speak up!
Ask your Congress members to contact USDA on behalf of small farms, food insecure people, and food banks! Tell them how important the LFPA is for improving access to healthy food in underserved areas, supporting small farms, and stimulating local economy.

Here’s a list of great people to put pressure on or complain to:

USDA Secretary Rollins [email protected] (top of the food chain)

In Ohio, the State Rep in your district (ours is Mike Turner)

Governor DeWine, Bernie Moreno, Dave Yost

State Dept of Agriculture, AGs, members of Congress across the nation, especially Republican majority members.

Let your voice be heard! Progress begins on the local level and trickles up in this case.

Thank you. Please contact our Biz Line (937)369-0696 or DM us here to start a conversation.

Be well and kind to each other. ❤️

03/04/2025

Gem City Market isn’t just a place to shop—it’s a space to connect, to see familiar faces, and to be part of something bigger. Every visit strengthens the community we’re building together.

03/04/2025

Without local food programs like these, farmers and underserved families will suffer. We proudly support the Ohio Association of Foodbanks

03/02/2025

Happy Sunday, here’s your mushroom moment. ✨

Come find these Velvet Pioppini and other locally-grown mushroom stars at these fine Ohio grocers:

Dayton: and (Saturdays only)

Cincy:

Columbus:

Mush on!

02/22/2025

Seven Sisters Apothecary & Art in Troy! 🍄💚

02/22/2025

New customer alert! East Aurora Cooperative Market in East Aurora, NY outside Buffalo 🫶