Grow your own mushrooms with Merryhill Mushrooms

In trying to live in a more sustainable and environmentally-conscious way, a topic that always comes up is growing your own produce. Living in a big city like Edinburgh means having a small or non-existent garden, which poses a challenge when trying to grow your own vegetables.

So as you might expect I was super excited when Merryhill Mushrooms reached out to me to do some food photography for their social media and website.

I got two of their grow your own mushrooms kits, one for yellow oyster mushrooms and another for shiitake mushrooms. Both kits were very easy to care for and pick (no excuse for not having a green thumb!).

I chose to make two dishes that made the mushrooms the hero ingredient to highlight their freshness. With the shiitake mushrooms I made a simple mushroom garlic spaghetti, and with the oyster mushrooms I made a vegan mushroom soup with a crispy topping.

Things I loved about Merryhill Mushrooms

1. Low daily maintenance
   All the Merryhill Mushroom kits require very little maintenance. Just spray them with water twice a day (according to the kit instructions) and you’re done. I had no excuses for not having a green thumb!
   
2. Seasonal all year round
   It surprised me to find out that mushrooms grow throughout the year and is a great way to incorporate seasonal produce in your dishes.
   
3. Great value
   We picked a massive bowl of the shiitake mushrooms that was enough to make 6 main meal portions. And it goes without being said that they were deliciously fresh and juicy too.
   
4. Clear and concise instructions
   Both mushroom kits come with clear instructions of how to care for your mushrooms as well as helpful troubleshooting tips. (Their website has more in-depth troubleshooting advice as well.) 
   
5. Variety of mushrooms!
   Merryhill Mushrooms have a wide variety of mushroom kits you can grow at home. They also have both yellow and pink oyster mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms and the classic white mushroom, to name a few. 
   
6. Minimal sunlight requirements
   You’d think that Scotland, with its dire amounts of sunshine, would be the last place you could grow your own vegetables indoors, right? Interestingly enough, mushrooms don’t need a lot of sunlight to grow. They need low, indirect light and can’t be allowed to dry out – perfect for our humid Scottish weather!

Who would’ve thought that you could grow your own mushrooms, indoors, in Scotland?!

Have or do you grow your own produce indoors? I’d love to hear your stories and recipes – you can find me on Instagram or drop me an email.

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