Last week, members of the Preti Green Team took a mushroom trip, but not the kind of mushroom trip you might expect. We traveled to Afterlife Mushrooms in Ridgewood, Queens, to learn how our kitchen’s compost becomes the mushrooms we use for our events.
We toured the inconspicuous third-floor operation, currently growing about 9-10 species of mushrooms, including Blue Oyster, Pink Oyster, Lion’s Mane, and Shiitake.
As part of our ongoing sustainability efforts, the kitchen crew at Thomas Preti diligently composts all food scraps. We recently partnered with Afterlife Mushrooms, which uses our compost to feed their mushroom farm.
The team at Afterlife Mushrooms begins the growing process by organizing and bagging collected compost. They sterilize the food waste in large vats at 225˚F and 18 psi for 3-4 hours to kill any harmful microbes. Once sterile, they add different varieties of mycelium, which dictates what mushrooms will grow. They also use gypsum to neutralize naturally acidic waste (such as lemon). It takes about 10-14 days for the mycelium to colonize. After successful colonization, the bagged waste moves into a separate area of the facility exposed to frequent misting and 90% humidity. The team then cuts a hole in the bags as oxygen gives the mushrooms life. It then takes about 7-10 days for the mushrooms to grow fully. Each bag can accommodate two growth cycles.
Afterlife Mushrooms grows about 600 lbs. of mushrooms per week, which requires about 600 lbs. of food waste. They’re excited about the prospect of their new location, as the space can accommodate the growth of 1500 lbs. of mushrooms per week. We look forward to contributing our compost to their growing operation (and, of course, the delicious fungi return as well).
Big thank you to Afterlife Mushrooms for a beautiful tour and learning experience!