Alannah Johnson in her “incubation room” where she prepares new batches of fungi to sell through her business, New Earth Fungi. Now, she’s selling delicious mushrooms from her gourmet and medicinal mushroom farm,On a snowy day at the Brotherhood Bridge Trail, Alannah Johnson recalls the lush green of summertime.
“I just love the challenge of looking for mushrooms and like paying really close attention to detail,” she said.sounds of mushroom “music”She says mushrooms have helped her feel more connected to nature and the food she eats. And those values are the core of her business New Earth Fungi. Now, Johnson regularly leads forays for tourists and locals alike. Equipped with wicker baskets and a stack of field guides, she works to demystify fungi as food.
“They’re pretty easy for me to grow. And a lot of people are familiar with them,” she said. “So I started like, okay, what do people want to eat?” A combination of education and cultivation form the foundation of New Earth Fungi. Johnson refined her business plan at the Path to Prosperity three-day business boot camp, an annual business development competition hosted by Spruce Root, a nonprofit focused on community development.