Discover Mushrooms

From Mine to Menu: How James Beard Chef Paul Smith Elevates Hernshaw Farms Mushrooms into Culinary Art In the foothills of West Virginia, something remarkable is happening underground — and on the plates of some of the region’s most celebrated restaurants. Beneath Paint Creek Mountain, in the cool, steady air of the historic Memorial Tunnel along the West Virginia Turnpike, Hernshaw Farms cultivates gourmet mushrooms that are redefining Appalachian cuisine. Aboveground, in Charleston’s thriving culinary scene, Chef Paul Smith — the state’s first James Beard Award finalist — is transforming those same mushrooms into edible works of art. The Meeting...

Meet the Black Pearl King The Black Pearl King Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus × Pleurotus eryngii) is one of the most fascinating hybrids in the gourmet mushroom world.Bred originally in Asia, this cross between the classic King Oyster and the vigorous Japanese Oyster combines the best of both: Thick, meaty stems that cook like scallops or steak Silky gray-black caps with beautiful rippling edges Fast colonization and reliable fruiting in indoor and tunnel environments At Hernshaw Farms, we cultivate our Black Pearls inside the historic Memorial Tunnel along the West Virginia Turnpike, where the consistent underground climate is perfect for controlled-environment...

Growing Wonder: How to Take a Reishi Mushroom Kit and Grow It Out of Something Truly Extraordinary There are few sights more enchanting than a mushroom breathing new life into something forgotten. Here in the mountains of West Virginia, where every ridge tells a story of labor, loss, and renewal, Hernshaw Farms has built a movement around that transformation — turning history itself into habitat. And few mushrooms embody that idea better than Reishi — the ancient Lingzhi, “the mushroom of immortality.” Once reserved for emperors and healers, now you can grow it yourself with the Hernshaw Farms Reishi Grow...

From Highway Icon to Mushroom Haven: The Story of West Virginia’s Memorial Tunnel If you’ve ever driven the West Virginia Turnpike, you’ve traced a route that once dove straight through Paint Creek Mountain via the Memorial Tunnel—a 2,802-foot engineering feat that opened in 1954. Decades later, the same tunnel is home to a cutting-edge agricultural reuse: an Appalachian mushroom farm turning infrastructure into opportunity. Few places on Earth have made a leap like this—from four-lane traffic problem to fungi paradise—and the West Virginia Turnpike is at the center of it. Where the West Virginia Turnpike Met the Mountain Built as...

How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms (Blue, Pink, Gold, Black Pearl & King) — Ultimate Guide How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms (Blue, Pink, Gold, Black Pearl & King) Your complete oyster mushroom grow manual from the Appalachian experts at Hernshaw Farms in Charleston, West Virginia — including temperature & humidity ranges, light & CO2 control, fruiting timelines, harvesting tips, and fixes for common problems. Links included for each kit so you can start today. Shop Oyster Grow Kits Spawn, Supplies & Wholesale Full Instructions Page Jump to: Oyster Basics Setup & Equipment Fruiting Conditions Species-by-Species Guides Harvest & Storage Troubleshooting FAQ...