Golden Gills

Golden Gills Golden Gills is a woman-owned and woman-led urban mushroom cultivator in Lake County, IL.

It’s the end of an era for Golden Gills HQ. Too exhausted and sad for articulation right now. Eternally grateful to the...
05/01/2026

It’s the end of an era for Golden Gills HQ. Too exhausted and sad for articulation right now. Eternally grateful to the ladies of GG who have carried me through this this past month of packing up and moving out.

03/25/2026

Such a fun event!

I’m sharing this to help raise support for a dear friend of mine .illustration who is the artist who created the logo fo...
03/04/2026

I’m sharing this to help raise support for a dear friend of mine .illustration who is the artist who created the logo for our company, and is facing an unimaginable tragedy.

Sarah was recently involved in a devastating car accident that left them with two broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. Tragically, their husband Simon, a person deeply loved by a large and vibrant community, lost his life in the crash.
Sarah is now navigating the overwhelming process of healing physically and emotionally while also trying to rebuild life without Simon. Sarah’s medical bills are mounting, and any support offered during this incredibly difficult time will mean the world.  Mutual aid and community can minimally ease the burden. 

I’ve known Sarah since about 2013 when we both worked at a sh*tty boutique donut shop on Hubbard x Wabash during the polar vortex winter of 2013.   I was working a part time job on the 5am shift so I could make it back in time to work my full-time WFH job on Pacific Standard Time.  Super fun.  Our shared hatred of the donut job helped pass the time.

Sarah was the quirky, dramatic, creative and enigmatic little firecracker at the job.  Sarah was already making great art, even back then, and I was excited to follow their future arc.  It very well may be one-sided, but I really felt some sort of older sibling type of kinship with them during our time working together and at times, after, even though we did not see as much of one another after I left the job.  

We kept in touch, through various personal twists of fate and upside downs we both experienced through the shared experience of compounding grief. I was glad to see Sarah find such a lovely, caring and creative life partner in Simon. 

In 2021, I decided to start Golden Gills and as I was thinking about the branding and design concept.  I immediately thought of Sarah and their illustrations.  I thought their work was the perfect natural curiosity I was looking for, and I identified their work being the way I wanted to show myself to the world.   

Con’t in comments…

We are setup today at the fantastic annual Great Seed and Soil Event, taking place at McHenry County College in Crystal ...
02/07/2026

We are setup today at the fantastic annual Great Seed and Soil Event, taking place at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake until 2pm!

We have loads of our dried mushroom medleys as well as all of our functional mushroom tinctures! Be the first to grab our newest tincture, Chaga!

This event is packed with great vendors, artisans and educators, and it is FREE!

Here till 2pm, hope to see you!

FOR SALE: Substrate Bagger We’re continuing to downsize parts of our cultivation operation and are offering our substrat...
01/07/2026

FOR SALE: Substrate Bagger

We’re continuing to downsize parts of our cultivation operation and are offering our substrate bagger for sale.
This is The Fenrir by Cap N Stem, purchased, built and put into service spring 2024. It has been very well maintained and functions exactly as intended.

Details & upgrades:
✔️ Includes spare 24-volt transformer
✔️ Hopper was built with expansion in mind (supports up to 4 augers) Can be sold with or without the hopper/framing.
✔️ Clean, efficient, and reliable
✔️ Ideal for farms looking to scale bagging throughput without jumping to fully automated systems

📦 Buyer pays shipping
📩 DM for pricing and details

This has been a solid, thoughtfully designed piece of equipment for our farm and would be a great fit for a growing operation.

FOR SALE: Mushroom Substrate Sterilizer - Chicagoland AreaWe’re downsizing part of our cultivation operation and are off...
01/07/2026

FOR SALE: Mushroom Substrate Sterilizer - Chicagoland Area

We’re downsizing part of our cultivation operation and are offering our 85-gallon mushroom substrate steamer for sale.
This is the Bubba’s Barrels 85-Gallon Mushroom Substrate Steamer, purchased summer 2022, and it has been well cared for, kept clean, and works perfectly.
Included with the sterilizer:
✔️ Stainless steel drum dolly ($210 retail)
✔️ Replacement PID cable ($25 retail)
✔️ 10 PSI pressure regulator ($20 retail)
✔️ Replacement k**b for heating element

This unit has been a reliable workhorse for our farm and is ready to go straight into another grower’s operation.

📍 Buyer pays shipping
📩 DM if interested or for pricing - or email [email protected]

Happy to answer questions — would love to see this go to another grower who will put it to good use.

Snapshot from our end of year 2025 team meeting where we discussed our last push of fresh mushroom cultivation, and the...
01/01/2026

Snapshot from our end of year 2025 team meeting where we discussed our last push of fresh mushroom cultivation, and the future of Golden Gills as we lean more heavily into our expansion of our functional mushroom line.

While much is left to be determined, first we begin to look for a smaller home. I look forward to giving more freedom to Taisa and Andrea as we forge ahead. So much of mushroom cultivation, the true dynamic of it, is on the precise harnessing of energy. Lightning in a bottle. Capturing and replicating processes at the peak of their viability. The team has done this so well, and so consistently. 2025 was challenging, but at every instance, this team met every challenge and delivered. I’m so proud, and so very lucky.

As 2025 crept to a quiet close here, I was kept company by ruminations of what once was, and the raw tenderness of it all coming to a close.

As I know all too well, this life is a series of adaptations - so we push on with heads held high after a much deserved brief respite.

Love to all who are in our orbit. Happy New Year 🎊

The cooking. The driving. The hosting. The over-bearing grandma...If your nervous system is feeling a little crispy righ...
12/23/2025

The cooking. The driving. The hosting. The over-bearing grandma...If your nervous system is feeling a little crispy right now — we’ve got you!

Our functional mushroom tinctures are here to help you recover from holiday burnout, support stress response, immunity, focus, and provide gentle energy when you need it most.

Take one for yourself, or grab one as a last-minute stocking stuffer!

Walk-In Sale — December 23 only
20% off all tinctures and flights

Golden Gills HQ
429 W. Liberty St.
Wauconda, IL

Open til 3pm, come thru!!

Delivering the last gasps of summer sunshine to your plate via our incredible partners at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest. fin...
09/11/2025

Delivering the last gasps of summer sunshine to your plate via our incredible partners at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest.

find these beautiful golden enoki mushrooms there this weekend.

Once in a great while, a supplemental delivery aligns with the opportunity to sit and enjoy the fruits of our labour. As...
08/09/2025

Once in a great while, a supplemental delivery aligns with the opportunity to sit and enjoy the fruits of our labour.

As always, nothing but stellar dishes and warm feelings tonight where we were able to partake in a most excellent dish by & co.

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra In B***o Fuso Of Lions Mane Garum & Golden Enoki Mushrooms With Flowering Thyme

Intentional. Thoughtful. Delicious. And I am most appreciative and fortunate to be in such good company.

Address

429 W. Liberty Street
Wauconda, IL
60084

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm

Telephone

+13128488708

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Golden Gills posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Golden Gills:

Shortcuts

Share

Category