Lost Creek Mushroom Farm Shiitake Mushroom Log Kits: Give Friends and Family Years of Gourmet Mushrooms and Give Mushroom Farmers in Ghana the Gift of a Livelihood
Ma & Pa Shiitake, mushroom farmers Doug & Sandra Williams from Lost Creek Mushroom Farm, are contributing proceeds from the sales of their shiitake mushroom log kits to Mushrooms in Ghana, a project to support mushroom farmers in Ghana and West Africa and assist with introducing protein-rich shiitake mushrooms to Ghanaian farmers and the Ghanaian diet. The top-selling log kit company in the US takes the first steps into social entrepreneurship.
Perkins, OK (PRWEB) November 25, 2008 -- Ma & Pa Shiitake, mushroom farmers Sandra and Doug Williams of Lost Creek Mushroom Farm, have been successfully marketing their shiitake mushroom log kits for more than 15 years. They're now the top-selling log-kit company in the U.S. and on Amazon.com.
But this year is different. This holiday season, proceeds from their sales will help African mushroom farmers make a living.
'We went to Ghana, West Africa, as Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers in mushroom production,' Sandra explained. 'Farmers were growing oyster mushrooms in bags of composted sawdust. There had been a nation-wide problem with contamination that wiped out as many as 60% of the bags. The farmers depended on that single crop, and many of Ghana's 5,000-7,000 trained mushroom growers, most of them women, lost their livelihoods.'
'We worked with Bernard Bempah, of BemCom Youth Enterprises/Association, a research, resource and training center in non-traditional agriculture. It was Bernard's idea to increase the farmers' chances of survival by adding shiitakes as a second crop.'
The Williams's founded Mushrooms in Ghana Project to help support the oyster mushroom industry in West Africa and to assist Bempah in introducing the protein-rich shiitakes to Ghanaian mushroom farmers and the Ghanaian diet. They're raising money to bring Bernard Bempah and BemCom Production Manager Godwin Baokye to the US to learn shiitake production and will provide laboratory equipment so BemCom can make its own spawn (the mushroom "seeds").
This is a completely new endeavor for the budding social entrepreneurs. According to Sandra, 'The response has been encouraging. We've had offers of help from every group where we've spoken and shown our video. We've been invited to the United Nations Committee on Sustainable Development, where this year's focus is agriculture. Now we're raising those funds, too.'
The Magical Child Foundation is partnering with Mushrooms in Ghana to accept tax-deductible donations.
Sandra is hopeful for the success of Mushrooms in Ghana Project. "Lost Creek Mushroom Farm log kits grow shiitakes every two months for 3-5 years. In those same 5 years, shiitake farming in West Africa could -- well -- mushroom."
Shiitakes are low in fat and high in protein, second only to meat by volume, making them a have-to-have product for vegetarians. According to Doug, 'Once people know the meaty texture of log-grown shiitakes, they're hooked. Especially chefs.' Log-grown shiitakes are prized for their ability to strengthen and stimulate the immune system and are used in the treatment of cancer, AIDS, and other medical conditions.
Lost Creek Mushroom Farm Shiitake Log Kits. Shiitake log kits bring the world's second-most popular mushroom into the house, a unique gift for gardeners, gourmets and mushroom lovers.
The logs need light and are kept indoors with plants or outdoors in shade. 'Soak them in ice water and harvest in 6-8 days,' Doug explained. 'They'll grow every two months, with increasingly larger harvests for the first several years. These mushrooms are pretty impressive.'
Log kits come in a variety of sizes and prices: $16.95 for a 6-inch 'Shroomie, $28,95 for a 10-inch log, and $43.95 for a 14-15-inch log with its own soaking tray. Prices include shipping and handling. Kits come with instructions, recipes, and are fully guaranteed to produce.
Lost Creek's newest product is the Ma & Pa Kit. 'It has two logs, so you can harvest shiitakes every month by alternating the producing log,' Sandra explained, 'and we have several options that make bountiful gifts for friends and family and good savings for our customers.'
The Ma & Pa Shiitake Mushroom Log Kit comes with two 10-inch logs for $47.95, including shipping.
Order online, by phone at 1-800-792-0053, or by mail to Lost Creek Mushroom Farm, PO Box 520, Perkins, OK 74059. Prices on Amazon.com are slightly higher.
To make a tax-deductible donation to Mushrooms in Ghana, call 800-792-0053, use the Magical Child website or make checks payable to the Magical Child Foundation and mail to the address above.
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