All things mushrooms from Whispering Pines

A love of foraging wild mushrooms has led Antony and Renee Brlec deep into the world of fungiculture.

Having purchased a property in Mulmur, the Brlecs discovered there were a lot of mushrooms growing there. Antony said he learned from his parents, who are from Slovenia, how to forage and which mushrooms were safe to eat.

He said the local foraging was great, except that when they brought their harvest back home they brought the forest with them and onto the cutting board, including the dirt and the bugs. They set out to cultivate organic mushrooms so they could be grown in a cleaner environment.

To replicate their natural environment, mushrooms are grown on blocks of hardwood and soy hulls in a climate controlled environment. Contrary to common belief, mushrooms require 10-12 hours per sunlight each day.

While Antony set up the infrastructure, Renee took on the science and marketing side of the business.

Friends began asking them to supply their restaurants in Collingwood and they also became a supplier to CSA programs.

Whispering Pines Mushrooms were sold at the Creemore Farmers’ Market last summer, before opening a retail store on the main street in Creemore before Christmas.

Anthony said one of the reasons they decided to open the retail store was to have a consistent outlet for the mushrooms as restaurants continued to open and close due to pandemic health protocols.

“A lot of people have never seen a mushroom store,” said Antony. “We think it’s the only one in Canada.”

Whispering Pines sells 10 different varieties of mushrooms including six different kinds of oyster mushrooms, Lion’s Mane, Chestnut mushrooms and pioppinos. They each have different culinary qualities, ranging in taste and texture, from crunchy to smoky, and different vitamin complexes and health benefits. They also plan to expand into medicinal mushrooms.