Mushrooms are an integral part of the Irish diet and they are used in a variety of dishes covering breakfast, lunch and dinner.
All the familiar mushrooms you see in the supermarket are grown indoors, all year round. During the growing process, the conditions of a typical autumn morning are re-created. This is the time of the year mushrooms flourish. They are carefully monitored and controlled with the conditions inside the growing houses creating this perfect environment for growth.
Mushrooms are a very nutritious, versatile, healthy and tasty food, and a key ingredient in many dishes. There are a range of mushroom types.
Mushrooms are a perishable product with a relatively short shelf life. The ‘best before’ date is five – seven days after harvesting. They are produced 52 weeks a year and are grown on specially manufactured substrate/compost. A layer of peat is added to the top of the compost that acts as an interface between the compost and the air. The peat provides the conditions necessary for mushroom pin heads to form and grow into the mushrooms we see in the shops. It also provides a reservoir of water essential for crop growth.
The most popular type of mushrooms available; closed cup, or button mushrooms have creamy white caps with pink gills which darken to beige when they grow, these mushrooms have a veil that has just begun to open around the stem. They are deeper in colour and flavour than buttons, with a firm texture, and absolutely tops for versatility. Great to sauté, stuff, grill or barbecue. Cup mushrooms can be used whole, quartered, or sliced in soups, sauces, casseroles and stir-fries.
Monaghan Mushrooms are one of the biggest producers of mushrooms in Ireland and they have a number of farms supplying them with the various types of mushrooms. The majority of which is exported to the U.K market.
One such farm that supplies Monaghan Mushrooms with a specific type of mushroom is McKenna Mushrooms who for the last four years have grown their production rate year on year.
For this month’s edition of Irish Tractor and Agri, we speak to Gareth McKenna about this flourishing business that is located in Loughanstown, Rathfeigh, Co Meath.
This family run business produced mushrooms in the early 90s on a small scale as Gareth’s father worked in the industry before they had their own compost yard.
A move from Northern Ireland saw them relocate to Co Meath where they bought a farm and totally renovated it into what it is today.
“We produce white closed cup mushrooms for Monaghan Mushrooms. We are four years doing it now and the business has grown on a yearly basis,” said Gareth.
“The whole farm was redeveloped and we now have 16 tunnels producing up to 35-38,000 mushroom per week. Each year we have upped the production and any money that we have made in the last four years has been re-invested into the business.
“This year alone, we plan to erect two 50 tonne tunnels later this year and we now have 55 pickers working for us. The summer months would be slightly quieter than the rest of the year, but we are producing mushrooms 52 weeks of the year.”
Gareth gave an insight into what it takes to grow the perfect mushroom as he revealed that not every mushroom would be accepted.
“The shelves in growing houses are spawned with compost, which is then topped with a layer of peat. The mushroom spores begin to grow up through the compost over the next three or four days.
“Our growing houses are equipped with the latest technology in mushroom production to ensure consistently high quality products.
“All our mushrooms are handpicked using a unique one touch picking technique to keep our mushrooms in top condition. Mushrooms are placed directly into punnets and quickly cooled to help lock in freshness.
“All our mushrooms are picked to a certain specification and then graded to meet the standards of our customers. All of our expert harvesters complete twelve-weeks of training, to make sure that quality is never compromised.
“The mushrooms are then transported in specifically designed refrigerated trucks to our packing facilities. After the crop of mushrooms has been harvested, we reuse the compost as a soil conditioner. The growing rooms are then washed, ready for a new growing cycle.”
Gareth added that there are plenty of legislation and health and safety rules to be adhered too in the industry.
“There are audits carried out every year in health and safety as well as legislation, while there are regular spot checks carried out by the department, while Monaghan Mushrooms do their own regular checks as well. The traceability of all mushrooms is now an essential part of the business as not only does each punnet have a number, so too do the pickers.”
Gareth admitted that their aim is to continue growing the business at the rate they have been over the last four years and he is confident that they can achieve their goal.
“We want to continue growing the business. Monaghan Mushrooms have been very helpful to us as we have grown the business and our production and working hand in hand with them, there is no reason why we can’t continue in the same vein.”
McKenna Mushrooms
Rathfeigh Farm,
Loughanstown,
Tara,
Co. Meath
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 7, August 2015
