Mahinaʻai Mushrooms

08/18/2021

Aloha mai kākou, it’s been a hot minute! We pray that you all are doing well. E kala mai for our full stop production with no explanation. Life happened, 2020 happened, and we rose to the decision to say a hui hou to Mahina’ai. Ke Akua has given us many blessings and opportunities in 2021, and we wanted to give thanks to every one of you who benefited from the medicine we shared. Everybody that made a delicious meal with our mushrooms. Every person who supported us to invest in our dreams. It was fun, and it’s only just begun. Mahalo a nui a pau’ole, Hanakekua, Bobby and Friend Farquhar

10/14/2020

Hannah of Sweet Birch Herbals sharing the medicinal & delicious benefits of maitake!

10/14/2020

We are so humbled to offer an abundance of wildcrafted maitake mushrooms with our community! Hannah of Sweet Birch Herbals has entrusted us with this seasonal gift of “Hen of the Woods” harvested sustainably from the ‘āina of the Nipmuc Nation, her family’s home in Florence, MA. If you live in Western Mass or Connecticut, we’d love to share fresh Hen of the Woods with you in all her glory and beauty. To our ‘ohana overseas, we will be providing dried maitake in our online shop shortly so stay tuned for this treat! Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

10/10/2020

The awe inspiring abundance of autumn. What gifts have this crisp season given to you? This visually stimulating Chicken of the Woods, the Northeast’s gradient of foliage, and the exhilarating Atlantic Ocean breeze have been a few of the countless blessings we’ve received. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!
P.S. - Go outside! Sheltering in place you say? Find refuge in nature - it’s wicked awesome.

09/24/2020

Alas, we have crossed the threshold into autumn. As we journey into the great exhale of this year, we’ve been finding quiet moments to reflect, rest and find gratitude. We recently spent a week at Cape Cod to bid a hui hou to summer, and were delighted to find amanita flavoconia (yellow patches) and armillaria mellea (honey mushrooms). As we descend into darkness, I reflect upon fungi’s fearlessness. Their capability to spread and take up space within the earth, retract when they’re complete and rise to break the earth’s surface only to disappear as quickly as they arrived. With less than 100 days left in 2020, we too are available to rise, find gratitude, break barriers, exude beauty, reflect and rest. What will you do with this precious exhale? Me ka māuiili o ka hāʻulelau, with the autumn equinox? Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance.

09/07/2020

📸: Brandon Chen
Today I felt the crisp kiss of autumn on my cheek.  I feel fall on our heels, in the breeze and trees.  With that, we look back at our summer in the shades of golden and pink oyster mushrooms and give thanks for what we've preserved for the seasons ahead.  If you need to stock up on summer's gifts, we're here to share what we've sown.  We hope that you enjoy the close of these late summer days by soaking up the sun, filling your belly with harvest delights of the earth, and welcoming the winds of change.  Mālama Pono, Take Care.  Mush Love & Abundance!

09/07/2020

📸: Brandon Chen
Today I felt the crisp kiss of autumn on my cheek. I feel fall on our heels, in the breeze and trees. With that, we look back at our summer in the shades of golden and pink oyster mushrooms and give thanks for what we've preserved for the seasons ahead. If you need to stock up on summer's gifts, we're here to share what we've sown. We hope that you enjoy the close of these late summer days by soaking up the sun, filling your belly with harvest delights of the earth, and welcoming the winds of change. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

08/24/2020

We do our best to provide maximum freshness to our local community. Our general rule of thumb is to sell fresh mushrooms no more than four days after harvest. After four days, we dry what is not sold to preserve and lock in the mushroom’s nutritional benefits and unique taste profile. This honest endeavor is noticed by our customers with an unwavering focus on consistent quality over financial gain. Thanks to our community, we can continue to provide this service while respecting the mushroom’s process and in turn, offering them at their very best. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

08/23/2020

A glimpse from our late nights of late summer. You may or may not know this, but not only do we plant by the cycles of the moon, but we tend to harvest in the dark of the night and the moon’s light. We’ve listened and that’s when the mushrooms, more often than most, tell us they’re ready. If you live near Springfield, Massachusetts, we are pleased to share our new moon’s harvest with you. May you sip the sweet summer nights in, and taste the earth’s bounty through our shiitake. We’re humbled to share our fresh crop with you, which has been anointed by the new moon. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance to you and yours.

08/13/2020

Ain’t no moment like the present moment to gift yourself a Monsoon Provisions Box. 🎁 Featuring fresh produce, mushrooms, coffee, meats, bread and more from local businesses who are down-to-earth, good people. Support local and in turn, support yourself! Order here from Thursday to Sunday: https://www.monsoonroastery.com/provisions
Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

08/04/2020

Pink oysters are our summer love - tender caps that reminisce the soft lips of a summer romance. A delightfully mild and subtly sweet flavor that pairs smoothly with a variety of dishes, traditional and unique. If you’re new to specialty mushrooms this is a great place to start! Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

08/03/2020

Shades of sunrises and sunsets, juicy watermelon and tender kisses. We've been enamored with summer's delights, including our seasonal pink oyster. Interested in this limited treat? We can ship and deliver to your door with love. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

07/03/2020

Mahalo nui loa for capturing our story and including our mushrooms in your weekly provisions! If you live near Springfield, MA + wanna support your local businesses and farmers, e hele mai! Order Thursday, Friday, Saturday and we’ll deliver or you can pick up your provisions at Gasoline Alley! There’s only aloha here, and we’d love to fill your cup and bellies. Watch to the end to meet the newest member of our farm family! Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

06/24/2020

A treasure trove of golden oysters for provisions 🦜✨If you’re near any of the towns that touch Springfield, MA, consider breaking free from traditional markets and ordering online! We’ve collaborated with other farmers and local businesses to offer a weekly smorgasbord of delivered delights. Buy local and your community delivers! DM us if you’re interested, near and a dear. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

06/23/2020

We're so grateful to be a collaborating with local businesses to be a part of this online market. If you're local, your community delivers!

As shutdowns began going into effect across the nation, an idea for a new venture to help Western Massachusetts residents shop locally was brewing.

06/21/2020

For the month of June we kept our social media accounts silent to amplify melanated voices in their joys and struggles. This month we too have endured our fair share of heartache and happiness, with the most impactful business losses to date in conjunction with coinciding plans to expand. We are grateful for the humble sum we received from the Cornell Small Farms Grant to carry us through high water, and keep this budding dream a blossoming reality. P.S. - Here's our goddaughter, Aya, gushing over her dehydrated Mahinaʻai Mushrooms. This photo has encouraged me to keep going this month, and I hope her contagious smile does the same for you. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance, Hanakekua ♥️

05/23/2020

"I highly recommend this wonderful company run by the most genuine, loving humans! I’ve purchased mushrooms from them twice now, the mushrooms are superb! I live in Seattle and dehydrated mushrooms shipped to me from Massachusetts was quick and easy, the service was wonderful as an added benefit! I love rehydrating my mushrooms and adding them to egg dishes and various sauces (recommend black pearl with eggs drizzled in honey!). Would highly highly recommend this delicious food and this superb company! Mahalo nui!" - Anna van Zeijts

05/22/2020

We're unapologetically relaxing because we got some merchandise for you, family! We're pleased to offer you our "What's Your Flavor" line of tees, featuring blue oyster and chestnut hues. Pictured here is a comfy, utilitarian unisex t-shirt for Team Chestnut. Get yours here and mahalo for supporting a small start-up with big love: https://www.massmushrooms.net/shop

Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

05/21/2020

Wildcrafted Chaga

In the midst of a pandemic, an alliance with chaga makes a home apothecary whole. Most of the proceeds of these sales (omit shipping + handling) is donated to Temple Forest Monastery in New Hampshire with gratitude for the gifts and abundance that nature provides. Our chaga is sustainably harvested in woods of Massachusetts.

• Appearance – Found protruding from the trunk of birch trees, this parasitic fungi has canyons of deep chocolate browns and blacks surfacing to colors of a fading sunset. Highly resembles charred wood and ember.
• Taste – Intended to be ingested as a slow cooked tea or a double extracted tincture. Silky in texture, with a bland to bitter taste with a close profile to coffee without the acidic zing. Pairs perfectly with chai tea, coffee and creams. When a recipe calls for water, replace with chaga tea. Hana prefers to make rice with chaga instead of water or broth, and add coconut ice cream to tea for chaga lattes ;)
• Benefits – Chaga has been utilized in eastern folk medicine for centuries as a magnanimous inhibitor of viruses and bacteria alike. A powerful ally against cancer and gastro-intestinal ailments. One of the most antioxidant rich foods on the planet packed with zinc, b-vitamins, digestive enzymes and minerals, reduces inflammation, cleanses the liver…the list goes on and on. We once overheard a mycophile say in an introduction of chaga, “the real question is, what does chaga not do?”

05/20/2020

We're beyond stoked to *finally* offer dried shiitake! Check out massmushrooms.net to order online - from our farm to your doorstep, we're grateful to feed you with this labor of love. Cheers to this chapter of Shiitake!

• Appearance - This mushroom stands alone with an earthen brown tea cup cap descending to a hearty golden stem. The most well-known of specialty mushrooms, found often in cuisine across Asia.

• Taste - A unique profile for the palette with a rich and buttery flavor that takes ones senses to the woods. Notes of smoke and earth.

• Benefits - Uplifts and improves the immune system, with an increased production of T cells and immunoglobulin A. Aids in expelling cold and flu, and said to prevent and reduce tumors in the body. May prevent oral diseases such as gingivitis, and better oral health as a whole.

Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

05/18/2020

Our ancestors paid close attention to the cycles of the moon to plant and harvest their crops. This month we've patiently observed the growth of our mushrooms, and by respecting their process and setting aside our own agendas, we were humbled to harvest an immense bounty during the nights of full moon's light. As the new moon approaches and we close the chapter of this cycle's harvest, we have processed a plethora of fantastic fungi to share. We are pleased to announce an array of new medicinal and delicious dried mushrooms to our line. Our website will be fully stocked in the next 48 hours, so stay tuned! Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

05/09/2020

Aloha mai, we have a medley of fresh and dried mushrooms available for delivery! An abundance of your familiar favorites, blue oyster and black pearl, and offering for the first time shiitake and chestnut mushrooms! From our crop to our community, we’re here to feed you. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

05/04/2020

Sometimes the most special gifts to be given are surprises. Between Earth Day & Motherʻs Day, Mother Earth revealed a king in the fungi kingdom to Bobby - morels! A rare specimen to be found, even to the most trained, hungry eyes. Bobby was humbly surprised to stumble upon an abundant trail of morels. In his own words,

"I keep noticing that the more time I spend with friends, the more magic is created. From synchronicities to new ideas and feelings of fulfillment and peace. Friends can take you out of your own stories and can help co-create a beautiful new path to healing. Just the other day I was visiting a few very special friends and found morel mushrooms. Now I have only been intentionally foraging for mushrooms once or twice before; finding anything is always special, let alone morels! My buddy said he had been searching for morels for days without any luck. It had been a couple years since he had found any at all. On this day it appeared to us as we were reconnecting and walking through their garden. I believe it showed up to honor the magic of true friendship."

It was also magic that we were wearing our Mahinaʻai Mushrooms shirts while finding these treasures! We have a few sizes left for you, your foraging friends and your mama - letʻs connect and share this special gift. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

04/25/2020

We recently began another round of mushrooms during this quarantine period. As a budding business, weʻre beginning to see how our industry is being affected by the global supply chain. This made us pause and appreciate our ability to move like mycelium and adjust to what is available. We feel quite fortunate to try different methods, take risks and find the fun in forging new pathways. We understand the wherewithal and privilege that we possess because we not only have the space to explore, but most importantly, we can continue to respect the process of the mushrooms and not exploit them as a mere product. We know of other enterprises that are ending after many years of service, and are in awe that we are still standing and thriving - we can only give thanks to all who have and continue to support us. We are currently initiating just shiitake and chestnut mushrooms, and will be providing our oysters and lionʻs mane in our next flush of fruiting. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

04/19/2020

Lion’s Mane Changing the Game 🦁🧠🍄 These handsome mushrooms need a home - are you in Western Massachusetts or Connecticut? Your mahina’ai are ready to deliver this deliciousness to your door. Let’s connect! Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

04/11/2020

Aloha Western Mass Family,

We have an abundance of black pearl beauties that will be ready for your bellies this upcoming week. If you’ve been watching our IG + FB stories, you’ve had the pleasure of witnessing these babies grow up. We are delivering daily and serving towns touching Springfield and beyond. Currently all dehydrated mushrooms are sold out on our website (e kala mai to our ‘ohana outside of Massachusetts) but connect with us directly to inquire if we can deliver fresh mushrooms to your door. Our email is [email protected] 🍄

Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance!

04/09/2020

Coming in for a landing! 🌕🛸
Fresh blue oysters grown with aloha always.

04/08/2020

We did a thing today, thanks to you all: we invested in a new refrigerator unit and are screen-printing shirts! Are you interested in some Mahina’ai Mushrooms Merch? Drop us a line & your t-shirt size! We can’t thank you enough for supporting our start-up farm, and in turn, supporting yourselves. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance.

04/05/2020

Thank you to everyone who invited our mushrooms into their homes to feed yourselves and your families. We are sold out of most of our last crop, with a few remaining bags of dried lion’s mane to be served from our farm to your table. Delicious and medicinal for the brain’s functioning, neurogenesis, memory and sleep. When our brain is happy and our bellies are fed, we all can make better decisions. We hope you are navigating through the unknown with discernment, and don’t hesitate to let us know how we can support you. Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance.

04/03/2020

📷: Gary Shea

Some of the greatest rewards that I've experienced in this lifetime is from growing our own food. In the most foundational way, food sovereignty makes us feel safe, secure and strong. In this day and age of unconstitutional changes, it is our birthright to have access to food, water, shelter and medicine. Therefore, empower each other and develop resiliency through providing these needs for yourselves and others. We are blessed to know that we can adjust, just like nature, to these changes. Have any questions on growing food? Connect with your mahinaʻai, your farmers. We got your back (and your bellies). Mālama Pono, Take Care. Mush Love & Abundance.