The Kids Are Growing Mushrooms
Te’Lario Watkins II shares how he started his own mushroom farm, plus his favorite mushroom recipe
At just seven years old, Te’Lario Watkins II decided he wanted to start a mushroom farm in his home state of Ohio.
“I grew catgrass and basil with my Cub Scout troop and loved watching and growing my plants,” Watkins says. “After harvesting, the basil and catgrass died and I wanted to keep growing something in the winter. I read a book about mushrooms and I told my parents we could grow mushrooms in the dark.”
What started as a passion project officially became Tiger Mushroom Farms in 2015, and over the past few years the farm has expanded to sell fresh and dried mushrooms at local farmers markets. Watkins even wrote a book based on his experience starting the farm, called Te’Lario’s Amazing Mushroom Farm, encouraging others to “dream big and believe big!”
Watkins says his work with the mushroom farm gave him the opportunity to become more connected with his community, and with issues around…
