Real Fungi started out as a plan for woodland cultivation of exotic mushrooms on the family farm. The owner, John Jackson became interested in mushrooms at a young age, after an adventure hunting Morels with his grandfather. These spring mushroom excursions became for him, as anticipated as the major holidays. Many hours were spent on the hunt and the excitement of eventual success was beyond comparison. Nothing on earth, however, was more rewarding than the taste of Morels fried in butter upon our return from the forest to the kitchen. The thought occurred to John, why not farm them? With determination he dove deep into the study of cultivation, only to learn of the difficulty in growing these rare mushrooms. A change, of course, was in order. John studied up on all of the edible varieties in the region and set out to find their habitats. After nearly two decades he had built a solid repertoire of productive locations. The next step was building relationships with other local hunters to help with sourcing sufficient inventory. In 2017 John obtained his Wild Mushrooms certification from both Michigan and Pennsylvania. Later that year he began making his products available to local restaurants. In 2018 Real Fungi, LLC was formed and began its inaugural farmers market season. Our efforts have been rewarded with success and we continue to grow.  In 2019, Real Fungi expanded into the cultivation of woodland species in a controlled environment. This website was created with the intention of making our products available nationwide, with a focus on restaurants in Pa and OH, offering a low flat rate on next day delivery.
We have chosen Xochipilli (pictured) as our patron. The Aztec god of art, beauty, dance, flowers, and song, he was believed to be responsible for the occurrence of sacred mushrooms.