our story
We are two young farmers who also work as landscapers, installing native and edible gardens. We try to tend to the land every chance we get! We dreamt of starting a farm with mushroom logs and got the opportunity to work with an Oak restoration project to make that dream a reality. We thought we should name our farm after the wild oak forests that gave us our start.
We lease a little patch of the forest at Dancing Light Lavender Ranch in Corbett, OR. We chose to grow food in the forest because we think forest health is one of the most important aspects of climate resilience. When we work with the processes already set in place by the forest we can have food with little disturbance to the natural ecosystem. We can even have a regenerative impact by nourishing the native plants, building soil, curbing invasives and dispersing rain water when the forest needs it most.
There is so much potential for humans to enjoy delicious food that grows easily in the woods. We hope if people see the abundance the forest has to offer we can work to keep them healthy for the future of our planet and quality of our lives.
Where do our logs come from?
Our Oregon White Oak logs were harvested in Dallas, Oregon on 60 acres of land being restored to native oak savanna habitat. Oak savannas once spanned thousands of acres across the pacific northwest. To restore this habitat we thin the overgrown understory and create 20 foot spacing between the larger oak trees. This new space is then planted with native grasses and flowers to be grazed as they once were.
Our Maple and Alder were harvested in Corbett, Oregon at Dancing Light Lavender Ranch where all our logs reside until they are brought to you. These trees were removed as an understory management practice. We create space and light for existing trees to grow bigger and native understory plants to thrive.
Understory management practices are necessary to make up for the lack of wild grazing animals and indigenous land management due to colonization. We can work to curb wild fire danger, prevent overcrowding of trees and remove invasive species to invigorate the forests we’ve disturbed.
Our logs were hauled out of the woods by hand and stacked and cared for with those same hands :)
Why mushrooms?
Mushrooms take very little space, water and sunlight to produce delicious food. Not only are mushrooms delicious but each type provides its own unique health benefits. Shiitake mushrooms contain eritatdenine which can improve your heart health. Oyster mushrooms are rich with antioxidants which can prevent cell damage from free radicals and improve your immune health. Just to name a few!
How do we uphold our Waste Free mission?
Growing mushrooms on logs requires very little plastic making our farm nearly plastic free! The only plastic we use is from the bags of sawdust spawn we buy. We hope to produce our own spawn one day and eliminate our plastic use all together. We uphold our mission to eliminate the waste stream of our food and farm by making all our information available online or printed on 100% hemp fiber paper. Hemp fiber is one of the most sustainable fibers and can be easily composted in your own backyard.
