http://www.rivercitymushrooms.ca/

River City Mushrooms, 75 Young Street, Winnipeg, MB (2025)

04/02/2025

Hey folks! I’m very pleased to announce that I will be hosting a mushroom log inoculation program @ The Forks on Monday May 5th! Visit the RCM website for details, or check out the link in our bio to read up on more details for the event and register! 🪵

This is one of the more popular requests that I get for programming, and although getting access to logs that are cut at the right time and in the right condition can be tricky, the stars have successfully aligned this year to make it happen! ⭐️

There are 3 ticket tiers available for this program, based on whether or not you would like to just come and learn ($30), inoculate your own log to bring home and grow ($50) or come along with a partner / friend and take home a log to grow together! ($80) 🤝

This program is limited to 30 spots, so if you’re game to try growing your own mushrooms in logs this year, don’t delay! We’re likely to sell out quickly. My newsletter went out yesterday morning, and we are already just under 1/3 full! 😧

Drop a comment below if you have any questions about the program! The willow logs that we will be using this year have been generously supplied by Paul Krus whos wind row willows needed some thinning this year 🪚

03/24/2025

A question that I sometimes get is ‘what happens to the grow kit after it is finished producing mushrooms?’, and I’m glad to tell you that there is a very good and satisfying answer to that.

Our grow kits are produced using entirely natural materials. Our blends contain nothing more than hardwood sawdust, wheat bran, soybean hulls, oat grains, and of course mycelium.

These blocks shrink considerably over their life space and hard days producing beautiful, delicious mushrooms, sometimes by as much as 1/3. Most of this is loss of moisture.

This leftover material, still rich with living mycelium, is a gardener’s delight. This substrate is rich in carbon from the sawdust as well as additional accumulated and manufactured nutrients from the mycelium.

Spent blocks can be removed from their bags, then broken up and shredded before being added directly to a compost pile or worked directly into the soil. There, they can continue to work their mushroom magic.

Both the mycelium and sawdust components, as they decompose, enrich the soil while also improving the workability, moisture holding capacity and porosity of your soil. It’s fantastic for loosening up heavy clay.

So, never throw away your spent grow kits! If you have access to a garden space, recycle them back into the earth from which they came. There, they will help to return all the carbon they contain back into the ground, where it belongs.

03/21/2025

Happy spring equinox! Figured this would be as good of a time as any to introduce the newest member of our grow kit line up! Available online now and at markets throughout the summer months! 🌻

Our Manitoba enoki (Flammulina velutipes) is a high yielding and reliable producer that is directly cloned from a wild specimen found growing in the West End neighbourhood of Winnipeg. 🏡

This species has a definitive preference for growing from dead elm trees, but has proven adaptive enough to flourish when growing from our supplemented sawdust substrate that is a feature of all our grow kits. 💪

This strain grows as a dense cluster of small, bright yellow and orange mushrooms with a sweet, mild flavour and a snappy, almost noodle-like texture that is most at home in light, brothy soups like miso and ramen! 🍜

The cluster forming habit facilitates an easy harvest that is also mess free! Trim mushrooms by an inch or so from the base once harvested, leaving the long, flexible stems intact! 🍄‍🟫

Try it out and let us know what you think! We plan to grow out these beautiful enoki mushrooms fresh as well, so be on the lookout for it this summer when we get back into outdoor farmers market season! 🥕

02/28/2025

Hey folks! We’re honoured to welcome our last panelist for the Fungi Film Festival screening evening: David Beer!

“David Beer grew up with a love for being in nature, harvesting various wild foods and farm produce with his Aboriginal family.

Caitlin also had a love of the outdoors from a young age and pursued becoming a Horticulturalist later on.

In 2018 David and his wife Caitlin founded Wildland Foods, a western Manitoba based company, as a way to share the unique products they harvest with others in a sustainable and healthy way.”

Join myself and our four panelists after the film screening for some insight as to how we all got involved with mushrooms and fungi, and what they mean to us 😎

Only two more sleeps until the screening on Sunday evening! Doors @ 5:30pm, part 1 starts promptly at 6pm. Hope you see you there! ✌️🍄‍🟫

02/27/2025

Surprise! & are teaming up to offer one lucky film fest attendee a door prize! Everyone that comes out to the Fungi Film Festival screening this Sunday has a chance to win! 🤩

Simply grab a ticket at the door on your way inside and keep it handy - we’ll announce the winner of the draw right after the last film concludes @ 9pm! You have to be in attendance to win.. so no sneaking out early! 😉

This door prize has a $165 value and includes 3 premium dual extract tinctures (reishi, lion’s mane and cordyceps) from Microbe Monastery and a 5 lb. white oyster mushroom grow kit from River City Mushrooms. 🍄‍🟫

For more information about and their production methods, you can check out their profile for a link to their website! See all you fun(gi) friends soon!! We can’t wait for Sunday to arrive ♥️

02/26/2025

Hey everyone! Today we’re very pleased to finally reveal to you all the surprise panelists for the Fungi Film Festival screening this coming Sunday evening! 🤩

I have had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with these fine folks on numerous occasions over the last few years and thought that this evening would not be complete without them! 👏

My own journey exploring the mycological landscape (both literally and metaphorically) in Winnipeg and beyond has brought me in touch with these wonderful humans. 😘

Get ready to put on your thinking (mushroom) caps and join us for a 40-50 minute long panel discussion following the conclusion of the films! 🤓

Stick around and hear about how our special guests found their way into the mycological sphere and what gets them most excited about mushrooms and fungi in Manitoba! 🍄‍🟫

It’s still not too late to grab tickets! doors open at 5:30pm and the first part of the film selection will start promptly at 6pm following a brief introduction. hope to see you there!🍿

02/21/2025

Hey folks! Now that we’re approaching almost a week before showtime.. we decided to run a little contest for you just to keep things fresh and exciting 😉

If you’ve been on the fence about joining us for Winnipeg’s first public screening of the annual Fungi Film Festival, now is your chance to get to attend.. admission on us! 🤩

How to Enter:

- Give a follow 🍄‍🟫
- Like this post 👍
- Comment and tag a fungi loving friend 🥰

Optional: Share this post your story for 3 extra entries! ✨
(If your account is private and you share this post to your story, be sure to send us a screen shot so that we know!)

Already purchased a ticket? No problem! If you’re chosen as the lucky winner then we will reimburse you the cost of your ticket! 🎟️

A super enormous THANK YOU to everyone that has already grabbed their tickets and helped promote the event! 😎

We’re so excited to see and meet you all on March 2nd! Winners will be announced and contacted directly on Tuesday February 25th @ 7pm 🍿

GOOD LUCK!! 🍄🤞

02/19/2025

We’re less than 2 weeks away now!! Our panelists have been confirmed and we’ll be letting you know who they are next week! In the meantime, check out the trailor for the film fest (fungifilmfest.com) for a sneak peek! 🍿

In case you haven’t heard, here’s the lowdown:

Join us for an evening of 3+ hours of cinematic mushroom magic. Experience 20 diverse short films from 17 countries that explore all of the diverse interactions and relationships that we have with fungi. 🤝

This screening will feature a selection of short films and one feature documentary from the official Fungi Film Festival, an annual celebration of human-mycelium creativity in motion picture format. 🧠

A panel discussion featuring locals from within Winnipeg’s small but quickly expanding and highly interconnected, knowledgeable and enthusiastic mycological community will follow the conclusion of the screening. 🤓

Interested? We’re super excited for this event and would be delighted for you to join us. Tickets can be purchased on The Park Theatre website (link in bio). See you then? ✌️Questions about the event? Let us know 👇

01/23/2025

This is shoutout to one of my current favourite mushrooms to grow. I rotate through my strains quite a bit, but I keep coming back to these ones. I have been growing Pioppino, or black poplar mushrooms (Cyclocybe / Agrocybe aegerita) for a couple of years now and I finally feel like I’ve figured them out.

Pioppinos are steady and reliable, producing brown capped mushrooms that grow in dense clusters on long, white stems. They take about 3-4 weeks after inoculation to begin forming mushrooms, and average out around 1 and 1/4 lbs. first flush from 5 lbs. of substrate.

They don’t yield as abundantly compared to some of the other commonly cultivated mushrooms, but they have their advantages. Pioppino do not have high fresh air demands, which makes them very well suited to growing indoors, especially during the winter as they prefer cooler conditions.

They can be grown essentially anywhere inside, so long as they receive indirect light (from a window), and are kept humid using a spray bottle, plant mister or humidifier. The mushrooms can also be encouraged to grow from either the top of the bag, or from the side, as shown.

Pioppino mushrooms have a lower water content than other varieties of specialty mushrooms and brown very easily when chopped and cooked. They also hold their shape while they are cooking, even if being tossed around in a pan or skillet.

They retain a nice chew and meatiness, even after thorough cooking. This makes them well suited to recipes braising, stewing or adding to long simmered sauces. Pioppino mushrooms have an exceptionally pleasant nutty flavour that works well with many types of cuisine.

Lastly, these are a rare specialty mushroom that I believe is undeservingly underrepresented within the industry. I did have to work with some cultures that I determined to be less than cooperative before I found one that I liked, but it absolutely worth it.

Thanks goes out to for this pioppino culture. Also, check out who has got a great post and YouTube video where he discusses these great mushrooms and shares some recipe ideas. Comment or DM if you’d like to learn more ✌️🍄‍🟫

01/22/2025

Hey folks! I’m very excited to announce my latest program and hands-on workshop happening next month! Please join me for a cozy and comfy evening of chatting about the ins and outs of all things mushroom cultivation with Kristin at ! 🌿

As a part of the program, you will have an opportunity to put together your own lion’s mane mushroom grow kit that you can take home to grow. All care instructions and tips to ensure you can make the most of your mushroom grow kit will be covered during the workshop. 🔎

For this program I’ll be offering a tiered ticket structure to accommodate whatever type of learning experience you like. Want just the basics with no commitment? Too busy for a grow kit at the moment? No problem! Just select the ‘Information Only’ option. 🧠

But if you want to dive right in and can’t wait to start growing, you can select the ‘Information & Grow Kit’ option. Looking to take your friend or sweetheart out to do something creative and different? Select the ‘Couples / Buddy Special’ to both attend the program and share a grow kit together! 😘

Please visit rivercitymushrooms.ca/products to register! Hope to see you all at Verde next month! Feel free to comment or DM me if you have any questions about this program! 👌

01/10/2025

Hey folks. Happy 2025. I’ve been a bit quiet over here lately (as happens from time to time) but there have been some exciting developments that have taken place recently and I promise that I’ll highlight in due time 😎

Firstly, thank you to everyone that was able and willing to support this me last month during the holidays, as well as at any point over the course of this business journey. I’m very fortunate to have all of you behind what I do 😘

The online store has been refreshed with updated inventory, and I have also started accepting pre-orders for plug spawn for the 2025 inoculation season. Full details on all of that can be found online, or drop me a question in the comments 👌

This month’s newsletter will be out sometime this weekend. As always, thanks for being here. Talk again real soon. Pictured: a grow tent filled with ‘Princess pearl’ white oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) mushrooms, along with a regular eavesdropper ✌️

12/17/2024

A great big THANK YOU to everyone that has supported me over the last few weeks by grabbing a grow kit to gift over the holidays or by signing up for one of programs that I already have planned for the New Year. 🍄‍🟫

There’s lots of exciting things happening behind the scenes, including some very special and exciting news that includes another local Winnipeg business that I greatly respect and have done collaborations with in the past. More on that tomorrow! 😎

If you are still wanting a grow kit before the holidays, let me know! There’s definitely still some time left, but that window is closing fast. I only have white oyster and pioppino grow kits left. Everything else is sold out until next year! ⭐️

12/11/2024

Stock is selling out online quickly! But not to worry - gift cards are always available and can be used right across the entire website. Choose however much you would like to gift (or to gift yourself!) and redeem at a later date 👌

We have limited inventory available right now but will be restocking after the holiday season. So don’t fret if you aren’t able to order what you would like this time - use your gift card in the future for spawn, cultivation supplies grow kits, programs and more! 🍄‍🟫

A big thank you to everyone that has already submitted pre-orders for holiday grow kits! You’re keeping us busy and that’s something I’m always grateful for. Stay tuned for a pick up confirmation email before arriving to claim your order 📦

12/09/2024

Hey folks! Big special announcement over here that I’ve been keeping pretty quiet. Our popular, high yielding and reliable mushroom grow kits are now available in brand new packaging!

Just open up the box, remove the grow kit and you’re ready to start growing! Each grow kit comes with detailed instructions and troubleshooting support. These 5 pound blocks will yield on average 2 lbs. of mushrooms.

We are also still accepting holiday pre-orders for a wide selection of our grow kits until the end of this week! Orders received before Thursday December 14th will be available for pick up by the weekend.

Have a question about our grow kits? Let me know below 👌🍄‍🟫❄️

07/05/2024

Pioppino, also known as poplar mushrooms (Cyclocybe aegerita) are coming in hot this week for an inaugural release next week at . They’re my current favourite gourmet mushroom and I’m willing to bet that they’ll steal your heart too!

They’ve got a nice firm texture and chew with tender yet snappy stems. They’re a popular spring mushroom throughout in regions of Italy where this species grows wild. Whether sautéed or marinated, shredded and stewed in a hearty sauce, these mushrooms are a real show stopper.

These hearty (fun)guys’ flavour is mild yet nutty and sweet. I plan to have these available on the regular starting next week! Be sure to stop on by the market to try some It’s a great market in a fantastic neighbourhood that I’m thrilled to be a part of this year 🔥🍄‍🟫👌

06/21/2024

Yet another flush of wild oyster mushrooms (likely Pleurotus ostreatus) from a deceased elm stump here in one of the many tree lined neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. The unique traits and genetics that this particular specimen contains will be plated onto agar and cultured in the lab for further use.

This particular wild strain seems to produce thick, sturdy and durable clusters of light brown or buff coloured mushrooms that should be well suited to handling. It’s also not a bad thing that they seem to be tolerant of producing during warm weather. So let’s see how it does in cultivation!

Working with local phenotypes of wild saprophytic fungi is something that I would love to do much more. This is one of the reasons why I started growing mushrooms in the first place. Growing with local mushrooms species and strains that have already adapted to our local conditions is also an excellent way to cultivate and develop new relationships with our local ecology.

This tissue, taken from the flesh on the inside of a mushroom, will generate more mycelium as it grows. This expanded mycelium can then be used to make grain or sawdust based spawn for the purpose of producing more of the exact same mushrooms under controlled conditions.
If this new strain does well, maybe you’ll see it available soon! Stay tuned to find out ✌️🍄

05/23/2024

Very excited for this next hands on mushroom growing program in collaboration with !

A 1 hour lecture style program will be followed by a 30 minute hands on component where eligible participants will be shown how to correctly assemble their own pail of oyster mushrooms.

Instructions describing how to care for and harvest your mushrooms will be covered during the program and made available after the program through a follow up email.

To register, visit rivercitymushrooms.ca/products or click through the link in our bio. Comment below if you have any questions! 🍄✌️

04/16/2024

Hey everyone! Things have been a little quiet over here on the mushroom front, but just like the natural world outside of our windows, things are just about to make a break for it and I couldn’t be more excited.

After spending the last two weeks travelling out of province to visit family and friends, I am eager to get right back into production mode, continue myceliating and connecting all of you with what you need to get growing mushrooms this spring and summer.

Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have pre-ordered spawn for the upcoming season! I have a few units of plug spawn left available for pre-order, but once these are gone, that’s it for the year! 10,000 plugs out there in the world.

There are also a few spots left for my mushroom themed weekend series with the Harvest Moon Society on May 4th and 5th. Visit the workshop page on the RCM website, DM or comment below for more details! We’re at about 3/4 capacity right now.

Stay tuned for more updates on the horizon ✌️🍄

River City Mushrooms