Their business is mushrooming

October 23, 2011|By Joel Brown, Globe Correspondent

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“The whole team over at Colby has been really great to us,’’ said Stehlin, including storing their fresh straw for them. Both sides hope to sell Shady Oaks mushrooms at the popular Colby Farm stand on Scotland Road.

Cleanliness is next to godliness in this business. Gloves and hand sanitizer are all around. While Seyler and Johnson sit and answer a visitor’s questions, Stehlin dons boots and a jumpsuit and sets to cleaning the greenhouse.

“One of the key things we provide our customers is we care so much about these. We’re so careful with them, we make sure our deliveries are as fresh as possible because the shelf life is so short,’’ Seyler said.

At Ten Center Street, Stehlin mostly worked the front of the house, but became friends with chef Billy Brandolini. Now the chef at Ceia Kitchen + Bar and the Rockfish in Newburyport, Brandolini forages for mushrooms too. He’s one of Shady Oaks’ supporters, having seen what they produced from Middleton.

“It’s legit - it’s the only [producer] around and they’re producing mushrooms that are beautiful,’’ he said, noting that usually when he orders mushrooms, they come from as far away as Oregon.

Brandolini said he is looking forward to a steady supply of grown-in-Massachusetts Shady Oaks mushrooms.

“Everything about it is better,’’ he said. “Obviously it’s a lot fresher. I’ll use them in pasta, use them with proteins. Right now, all of my specials are mushroom-involved.’’

Joel Brown can be reached at jbnbpt@gmail.com.