Benton REA - Growing Green

Ostrom produces three types of mushrooms at its Sunnyside farm: White button, Crimini and Portabella. White buttons are their most popular mushroom. PHOTO BY EMILY MCLAUGHLIN


Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside focuses on the future through sustainable technology and farming practices

By Emily McLaughlin

The largest mushroom producer in Washington is growing greener.

Every year, Ostrom Mushroom Farms produces 12 million pounds of mushrooms and sends them around Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. The farm relocated to Sunnyside from Olympia in 2019. Its state-of-the-art facility is built on a 43-acre property, giving Ostrom the opportunity to double its current mushroom production.

When building the Sunnyside farm, Ostrom implemented the newest sustainable technology. The company received a $102,585 new construction rebate from Benton REA because of its future-focused design.

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Room to Grow

Marlen Garcia stacks crates of mushrooms inside the processing facility of Ostrom Mushroom Farms in Sunnyside on Jan. 18.


Huge Ostrom farms operation thrives despite challenges of finding, training workers

By JOEL DONOFRIO
YAKIMA HERALD REPUBLIC

SUNNYSIDE — The size of an individual mushroom is the only thing that's small about Ostrom Mushroom Farms in the Port of Sunnyside business area. Built in 2019, the $60 million indoor facility uses state of the art technology to grow, harvest, package and ship between 8 million to 9 million pounds of mushrooms each year, Ostrom CEO Travis Wood said. And with the popularity of mushrooms soaring as a cooking-at-home ingredient during the past two years of the COVID pandemic, the 43-acre Sunnyside site could potentially double that production if enough workers can be hired and trained, Wood said. "The New York Times recently called mushrooms the ingredient of the year," Wood added. "The industry itself is in hyper-growth mode due to surging consumer demand, and we're struggling to keep up. "The labor aspect is really a challenge. It was an issue before the pandemic as well; COVID just exacerbated the issue." Ostrom moved from Olympia to the Port of Sunnyside after purchasing 43 acres of property at Midvale and Duffy roads. At the time, the company said the port property was ideal due to its proximity to a wastewater plant and the region's agricultural labor force. 

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Ostrom Mushroom Farms Receives $102K Energy-Efficiency Rebate from Benton REA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 19, 2021


Ostrom Mushroom Farms Receives $102K Energy-Efficiency Rebate from Benton REA

Sunnyside, Wash., -- Ostrom Mushroom Farms accepted a $102,585 energy-efficiency rebate from Benton REA, its electric cooperative utility, on November 18, for construction and installation of energy-saving equipment at their Sunnyside facility.

In 2019, Ostrom's installed several energy-efficient measures including LED lighting, water-cooled chiller equipment and variable frequency drives on air handlers, cooling tower fans, boiler fans and composting tunnel and bunker fans. These new-construction projects are projected to save the company 2,383,097 kilowatt hours each year over the energy they would have consumed with lower-cost, less efficient baseline equipment they could have installed.

Ostrom Mushroom Farms CEO Travis Wood accepts the $102,585 rebate from Benton REA on November 18. From left: Troy Berglund, Benton REA community development and member relations manager, Wood, Shannon Olsen, Benton REA assistant community development and member relations manager and Eric Miller, Benton REA Energy adviser.
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Facts About Mushrooms During COVID-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Lori Harrison

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Facts About Mushrooms During COVID-19 from the American Mushroom Institute
Now More than Ever, Mushrooms Offer Much Needed Nutrients and Vitamins

Olympia, WA, April 6, 2020 -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has upended supply chains across every industry, but the fresh produce community has been hit particularly hard. Including the mushroom farming community.

To address this, American Mushroom Institute (www.americanmushroom.org), along with the Produce Marketing Association, is working to ensure consumers are well-armed with positive practices and accurate facts about produce during this time. With input from experts including Dr. Max Teplitski, PMA's Chief Science Officer, and Dr. William Li, the author of the New York Times bestseller "Eat to Beat Disease," the organizations have pulled together top-line tips, facts, and soundbites surrounding the benefits of buying and eating fresh produce.

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September is National Mushroom Month


From the rich, meaty texture to the undeniable umami flavor and great nutritional perks, there's a lot to love about the mighty mushroom. Cook your favorite mushroom dishes all month long or be brave and try something new. Eat them raw or cooked, on their own or blended into some of the classic favorites.
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Ostrom's Vitamin D enhanced Mushrooms!

 All 8 oz and 16 oz packaged sliced white and crimini mushrooms now contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin D per 3 oz serving. That is 400 IU's.!

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Our New Farm


As you can see from the updated video on our homepage we have made a lot of progress since our snowy video was taken last February. Half of our harvest rooms are now finished and ready to go. 

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Bruschetta with Portabellas

Ingredients: 10 ounces portabella mushrooms 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp. minced garlic 1 loaf Italian bread, cut diagonally in 12 slices 1 cup coarsely chopped plum tomatoes 2 tbs. capers 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings 6 ounces goat cheese cut in 12 slices Directions: Preheat outdoor grill, or broiler until hot. Trim portabella stems, if attached, slice m...

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Chicken, Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

The secret to a great risotto lies in adding the liquid in stages, and stirring well until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Continue stirring until the risotto is nice and creamy. Ingredients: 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 yellow onion 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 ...

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Thai Curried Shrimp with Mushrooms

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons stir-fry flavored or vegetable oil 12 ounces fresh white mushrooms, quartered (about 4 cups) 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups) 2 cups fresh broccoli florets 1/2 cup green onions (scallions), cut in 1-inch pieces 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 can (15 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk 14 ounces froze...

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Rachael Ray - Ferg Burger Patty Loaves

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin Kosher salt and coarse black pepper 1/2 pound bulk sweet Italian or breakfast sausage 1 1/2 tablespoons sage (a few sprigs), thinly sliced or about 1 teaspoon ground sage, 1/3 palmful 1 small onion, grated (about 1/2 cup grated onion) 2 large cloves garlic, grated, pasted or finely chopped About 2 tables...

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Sausage and Wild Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed, crumbled 8 ounces portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills scraped out, caps diced 10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, diced 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano 1 1/2 cups Madeira 6 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup butter 1 large oni...

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Chicken and Mushroom Quesadillas

These quesadillas are cooked on the grill. Serve them with salsa and sour cream. 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced 4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken 2/3 cup finely chopped onion 1/3 cup chopped ...

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Chanterelle Cream Sauce

1/2 ounce dried chanterelles, reconstituted and chopped reserving soaking liquid. 3/4 cup cream 2 tbs. shallots, chopped 2 tbs. parsley, chopped 2 tbs. butter 2 tbs. Madeira wine or brandy 1tbs. flour Salt and pepper to taste Combine soaking liquid and cream and set aside. In a medium saucepan sauté shallots and parsley in butter until shallot...

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Shiitake Mushroom Beef Sauce

Ingredients: 1 ounce dried sliced Shiitakes, reconstituted. 4 tsp. olive oil 4 ounces sliced fresh white mushrooms 2 tsp. soy sauce 1/2 cup concentrated cream of mushroom soup 4 tsp. white wine Pinch of ground bay leaf Preparation Instructions: Squeeze excess liquid from shiitake mushrooms. In a skillet sauté shiitakes in the olive oil over me...

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Clear Watercress & Enoki Soup

Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 cups chopped and trimmed watercress 1 pkg. fresh Enoki mushrooms Directions: Wash and cut the lower portion of Enoki mushrooms and discard. Simmer together chicken broth, watercress and Enoki mushrooms for 4 to 6 minutes, until watercress is dark green. Serve at once. Yield: 4 Portions

Primavera Soup

1/2 ounce Soup Blend dried mushrooms 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup stewed tomatoes 3 peeled and sliced potatoes 2 tbs. olive oil 1 cup assorted diced vegetables Dried basil, thyme and sage to taste Salt and pepper to taste Mix all Ingredients together and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Garnish with gra...

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Fettuccine with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

1 1-ounce package dried sliced shiitake mushrooms 1 1/2 cups hot water 1 tablespoon olive oil 6 bacon slices, minced 3 shallots, minced 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms or button mushrooms, sliced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 cup beef stock or canned unsalted broth 1 1/4 cups half and half 8 ounces fettuccine 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan che...

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Oyster Mushroom Souffle

Ingredients: 6 tbsp. Butter 1 medium Onion, finely chopped 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped 3 oz. Self-rising flour 2 oz. dried Porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and chopped finely (retain water) 1 cup Milk 1 to taste Salt and Pepper 6 oz. Oyster Mushrooms, roughly chopped 3 large Egg Yolks 4 large Egg Whites Directions: Preheat ove...

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Brie and Mixed Mushroom Fondue

Porcini and shiitake mushrooms are the delicious difference in this fondue. Other varieties would work well, too. 1 cup water 1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, finely chopped 2 tablespoons chopped shallot 1 pound ripe Brie cheese, well chilled, rind trimmed, cheese cut into ...

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