Golden Gills

12/10/2024

Big News! 🍄 + 🥩

We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Hofherr Meat Company, owned by the incredible duo Sean and Arielle Hofherr. Their unwavering commitment to sourcing the finest local and sustainable ingredients has made them some of the most respected butchers and business owners around.

Together, we’re blending the best of gourmet mushrooms and premium meats to bring you unforgettable culinary experiences. Stay tuned for what’s coming next—this is just the beginning!

12/09/2024

Story time!
I don’t usually call out brands, but this feeling getting stale—and big companies really need to do better for all consumers of their brands.

I got a promo email from and thought, “Hey, maybe I’ll grab a new pair of coveralls.” My current Dickies, from 2021, are falling apart thanks to years of mushroom cultivation and live music engineering.

I started scrolling through their sale, looking for women’s coveralls. The men’s were featured front and center, so I figured ours would be there too. Wrong.

Turns out, the sale on “gifts they’ll put to work” doesn’t include women’s workwear. Hilarious, right? Especially when I’m literally buying these for my job.

As a workwear company, you’d think they’d recognize how many women are out here doing labor-intensive jobs, hobbies, repairs, and creative work. We deserve a sale too.

Looks like I’ll be giving my money to or instead. ✌️

12/02/2024

Save the Date: Golden Gills' Winter Market – Dec 14th! 🎁 -

We take pride in the community of small business owners and artisans that we are a part of, and we are looking forward to bringing many of our friends together for the holiday market.

12/01/2024

🎄✨ Save the Date! ✨🎄

We’re thrilled to host our Inaugural Indoor Artisan Market on December 14th, from 12 PM to 5 PM!

Join us as we celebrate the holiday season and the incredible small businesses and artisans that make our community so special. This is the perfect opportunity to stock up on unique gifts, holiday essentials, and delicious treats—all while supporting local!

🌟 Our vendor lineup includes:
• El Molcajete Sauces (Evanston, IL): Authentic and delicious mole sauces.
• Plum Goods by J.M. Plumridge (Chicago, IL): Beautifully knitted goods.
• Wild Trillium Farm (Richmond, IL): Stunning holiday wreaths and dried floral bouquets.
• Worth Her Salt Sourdough (Woodstock, IL): Mind-blowing loaves of baked goodness.
• The Wandering Acorns (IL): Seasonal gifts, handmade jewelry, and household décor.
• Golden Gills Mushrooms: Medicinal tinctures, dried & fresh mushrooms, plus ceramic ornaments by .

Let’s come together to support small businesses and celebrate the season with warmth, community, and creativity. 🎁

📍Golden Gills HQ
429 W. Liberty St,
Wauconda, IL 60084

📅 December 14th, 12 PM - 5 PM

11/21/2024

🎉 Join us for our Indoor Winter Market at Golden Gills HQ on December 14th from 12pm to 5pm! 🍄✨

This is your chance to support local businesses and stock up on amazing products for the holiday season.

Here’s a sneak peek at our vendor lineup:
🌾 Wild Trillium Farm (Richmond, IL)
🥖 Worth Her Salt Sourdough (Woodstock, IL)
🌶️ El Molcajete Sauces (Evanston, IL)
🧶 Plum Goods by J.M. Plumridge (Chicago, IL)
🍄 Golden Gills (Wauconda, IL)

We’re still on the lookout for a couple of exceptional vendors to join this inaugural market! DM us if you’re interested or know someone who’d be a great fit. 💌

📍 Golden Gills HQ
429 W. Liberty St.
Wauconda, IL

📆 December 14 | ⏰ 12pm - 4pm

Let’s celebrate the season and our vibrant local community! 🌟

10/31/2024

The mighty Pholiota Adiposa, better known as PA1/PA2…or the Chestnut mushroom around these parts. Rich, earthy, elegant, yet familiar. The button mushroom of your dreams. These shown are still in a slightly immature phase, but a beautiful specimen!

It is a perfect addition to any chef’s toolkit, or any novice who is working mushrooms in as a healthy meat replacement or enhancement to their meals.

Rather striking amber-brown caps, and a delicate, slightly nutty flavor - chestnut mushrooms bring a touch of umami. Their unique texture holds up beautifully to high heat, making them perfect for sautéing, roasting, or grilling.

They deliver a satisfying bite that pairs well with roasted vegetables, artisan pastas, or even the richest sauces. Find them gills up atop the café tartine.

We love to grow them, once folks meet them, they can’t get enough of them.

Our forever crush, the mighty chestnut.

10/31/2024

New Season, New Us: Latest from Golden Gills -

During these times, we facilitate CSA share pickups, as well as welcome walk-ins for tinctures, powders, and dried mushrooms.

10/06/2024

Tomorrow is the big day!

We’ll be opening doors from 1-5pm tomorrow to celebrate 3 years of growth, and to welcome everyone to our new farm after an intense year of growth and constant output.

We are tired, a little dirty and very full of excitement to show everyone what we’ve been up to.

Come through, we’d love to see you!

G O L D E N G I L L S
429 W. Liberty St.
Wauconda, IL 60084

October 6th
1-5pm

09/24/2024

Hello good humans of Chicago!

Come see us this weekend at where we’ll have a space set up outside for the !

We’ll have some tinctures, powders, and our popular dried medleys for SOUP SZN!

It will be wonderful to be in the city, we are excited to meet some new faces!

09/12/2024

🍁🍄 Autumn Mushroom CSA/Farmshare is Open! 🍄🍁

Golden Gills 10-Week CSA runs from:

October 14/15 - December 16/17, 2024!
(*biweekly starts one week later)

Subscribe today to enjoy fresh, local mushrooms and choose a subscription that suits your needs with weekly or biweekly pickups from our Wauconda storefront. 🍁

📍 Pickup from Golden Gills HQ:
🗓 Tuesdays & Wednesdays
⏰ 10am - 3pm

🧺 Share Options:
* Single Share: $13 (1 lb)
* Large Share: $25 (2 lbs)
* Family Share: $35 (3 lbs)

*Detailed info available at goldengills.com

We’re also considering local delivery options too—stay tuned, or reach out if you’d like more info! 🚗🍂

Support sustainable, woman-owned farming while enjoying seasonal varieties like oyster, lion’s mane, chestnut, and more!

Link• in •bio • to • subscribe! ⛓️‍💥

08/13/2024

Golden Gills is proud to supply mushrooms each week to Duke’s Inferno in Woodstock, IL. While is a well-known institution, many people may not realize that Duke’s has expanded to offer wood-fired pizzas and an impressive, ever-changing array of dishes that prioritize not only local but also seasonal ingredients.

Zak Dolezal is a dedicated supporter of local farms, growers, and artisans. It’s rare to find someone as kind and understanding as Zak, and his positive spirit extends to the entire team behind every dish and drink at Duke’s Inferno. When I started in the business, I heard from multiple farmers about Zak’s generosity—how he would step up to buy a farmer’s bumper crop and feature it as a special to help get it out there. Whenever we’ve needed assistance, they’ve always been there, with a reassuring message of “farming is dynamic!” and “we’ll make it work.”

has been continuously evolving, seeking valuable input from their customers and diligently applying changes to better serve the community. If you’re in McHenry County or western Lake County, I encourage you to visit Woodstock and enjoy a meal at Duke’s Inferno.
And if you’re dining on a budget, they’re offering an amazing deal—$10 off any reservation made and kept this week.

Support the communities you want to see thrive.
Local food tastes better.

08/01/2024

Constantly observing and manipulating dozens of variables, the meticulous work behind the scenes is evident in the flushes produced.

We are working harder than ever to produce the same consistency we’ve been known for, but we’re also expanding, and we are turning 3 this month!

Come see us tomorrow at Elawa Farm, we’ll be cooking up some tasty mushroom based dishes and we’ll have our tinctures, powdered product and fresh mushrooms!

Thanks to all who have been faithfully supporting our small but mighty farm.

It means a lot when the days are hard, and we’ve had those in abundance lately. We hope to have a little celebration soon!

07/12/2024

We’re out here till 1pm, slinging fresh food, tinctures, powders and dried et cetera!

Fresh mushrooms in the cold case and CSA members get Black Pearl Trumpets this week!

Also…baby goats!

06/27/2024

🚨🚨No fresh market or Golden Grills pop up this week!! 🚨🚨

Fresh mushies can be found in the cold case at this week’s market, but we will catch you next week!!

🐐🐐🐐

06/21/2024

Come say hello this fine day, here - we are selling fresh mushrooms, tinctures, and grilling up sandwiches and tacos until 1pm!

You can find us here each Friday during the summer months 🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫

(Pictured: Bánh-Mì taco)

06/19/2024

🌽🌽 Thrilled to announce that is now serving a fantastic new drink featuring our tincture!

We’re honored to partner with such a talented team to highlight how functional mushrooms can enhance daily life, from morning coffee to a night out at a three Michelin-starred restaurant.

I’m very excited for what we are currently building and what is to come. More soon.

Until then, get yourself to Smyth + The Loyalist!

‘Natural Corn Killers, fashioned with ’s elite corn liquor, butter washed whiskey, Sol Tarasco rum, corn flakes and Cordyceps Tincture by .

Served with a scoop of housemade sweet corn ice cream, meant to be enjoyed between sips.

Boozy, umami-forward and balanced.’

05/24/2024

Come on out to in today. We are here until 1pm, slinging fresh mushies and griddled sandos and tacos!!