Behind the scenes with Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms

Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms founded by Brent and Jude in 2018 is a ‘low-tech’ startup growing Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms for restaurants and farmers markets in repurposed shipping containers using sawdust and soy.

With New Zealand currently in level four, farmers markets have stopped, so they have had to change the way they get their mushrooms to tables across New Zealand. 

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With farmers markets closed where is your produce going? Are you
selling as much / more / less than normal?
We always take orders online for our mini mushroom farms and make them up to order.  These are shipped to customers all around NZ, from Invercargill, to Northland and even to Great Barrier Island.  We have seen an increase in demand for these since the lockdown.  They are great for people to grow at home while in lockdown, including fun for kids/families, and supplying themselves with fresh protein and a food that increases immune system.
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We also take orders online for fresh produce and produce around 15kg a week currently. 
We have lowered our production because we can’t sell as much online of fresh as we do at farmers markets which of course are all closed. We are selling less fresh than usual, but still have it on offer to meet demand from our regular and growing customer base.

What are you doing to keep your staff safe?
We are lucky to live onsite in a "paradise bubble" off the grid in Horowhenua. We are a very small business and only a team of two, Brent and I.  When we drop our online orders to the NZ Post depot in Levin we only meet one NZ Post staffer, and we keep the 2m distance and wear gloves.

What are you doing for food safety?
We always work to a high standard because of the nature of our product. We harvest wearing gloves, we ship fresh produce in compostable food grade bags.

A Gourmet Mushroom recipe to try while in lockdown.
Chipotle Ohau Gourmet Oyster Mushroom Sliders
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Category: Vegan
Servings:  4 people

Ingredients

• 500g or 4 cups Ohau Gourmet oyster mushrooms, cut into 4-8 large pieces
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed or coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Chipotle BBQ sauce (recipe below)
• 4 vegan ciabatta buns
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup raw collard greens, very thinly sliced
• ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
• CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCE:
• 1 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
• 1 cup vidalia or yellow onion (about 1 medium onion), chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke
• 1 ½ tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. MUSHROOMS:
2. Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat.
3. Place the mushrooms onto the skillet cut side down, and sprinkle the salt over them.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
5. If you’re using two skillets, place the other one on top of the mushrooms. Cook for 7 minutes, before flipping the mushrooms, and continuing to cook between 2 skillets for 5 more minutes, or until browned and tender.
6. Alternatively you can cook the mushrooms on both sides without placing another skillet on top. Or roast the mushrooms at 350° for 20 minutes.
7. Pour the vegan BBQ sauce over the mushrooms, and gently stir to coat.
8. Continue cooking uncovered for 5 more minutes.
9. If you are cooking the mushrooms in the oven: coat them in BBQ sauce and continue to roast for another 10 minutes.
10. To assemble the sliders toast the buns on each side.
11. Spread 1 tablespoon of vegan mayo the inside of each bun. Top the bottom bun with collards, then the BBQ oyster mushroom.
12. Serve immediately

CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCE:

1. Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic, then sauté until the onions starts to become translucent.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and let it cook for 20 minutes.
5. Using an immersion blender (or standing blender), blend the mixture until it becomes a thick sauce.
6. Use immediately or store the BBQ sauce for up to 1 week.

For more information or to order mushrooms or your own mini farm head to https://mycobio.co.nz