NEW BERN, N.C. – During the pandemic, you may have started a vegetable garden or a flower garden. But did you ever think about starting a mushroom garden?

What You Need To Know

  • Tank Wethington is a chef and mycologist who started growing his own mushrooms earlier this year

  • He opened his own mushroom business called Fruits of the Fae in September

  • Mushrooms have many health benefits that most people do not know about

Tank Wethington, a chef at Harbour Point Grille, decided to start growing mushrooms earlier this year.

“It takes patience. You got to have a lot of patience. When you think you've already failed, just give it a little bit longer, and you might, you'll see it happening” he says.

He also says this hobby isn't always easy. Mushrooms need very particular conditions; moisture, just the right amount of sunlight and a very sterile growing environment. Growing mushrooms can take anywhere from a couple weeks to three months to start growing.

Wethington became interested mycology—the study of mushrooms—earlier this year.

“Mycology is one of the newest sciences there is right now,” says Wethington. “And, it's also endangered because there's not a lot of mycologists out there.”

Wethington opened his own mushroom store, Fruits of the Fae, in September. In his lab, he grows nine different types of mushrooms. These mushroom spores grow in jars, then Wethington adds them to a mixture of wet wood chips and soy pellets, and lets them sit. Then they start to grow.

Although Wethington loves cooking with his mushrooms, he says there's more to it than that. Mushrooms are often underrated because most people don't know about their health benefits.

“They're finding that it helps with dementia and Alzheimers, anything with the central nervous system that keeps you sharp, so to speak” he says.

Other studies show that certain mushrooms can be antioxidants or even fight against cancer.