Pikes Peak Mycological Social welcomes Austen Brinker, owner of Fungus Farm Colorado, as our first speaker of the season on April 27, 2022. Austen is a Colorado Springs native (Coronado–go Cougars!), a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a stand-up comedian and a pro-disc golfer. When he isn’t competing in professional MMA events, touring the country as a comedian or killing it on the golf course, he is growing mushrooms.
Adding to his already impressive repertoire, Brinker turned his COVID hobby of mushroom cultivation into a successful business. What began as a small operation in his garage, is now Fungus Farm Colorado, an urban mushroom farm in an impressive 1600 sq. ft. warehouse. He sells the fruits of his labor to local restaurants, such as The Famous and Urban Steam and The Joint, a local vegan food truck. You can also find many of his varieties at local Farmer’s Markets and at his comedy shows.
For the first club meeting of 2022, Austen will demonstrate how he grows lion’s mane, pioppino, beech, shiitake, reishi and several varieties of oyster mushrooms. You will be able to check out examples of grow bags and agar plates. If you have ever been interested in growing your own fungi, or just want to learn more about how fungi grows, you won’t want to miss this presentation!
For more information about Fungus Farm Colorado, or to find out how to purchase his mushrooms, visit https://www.fungusfarmcolorado.com/.
We welcome everyone at our monthly club meetings, held on the 4th Wednesday of the month April-September. Meetings are free and open to the public. Our first meeting is April 27, 2022 at 6:00 pm at Fire Station 16, located at 4980 Farthing Dr. (Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood).