Ozark Forest Mushrooms

“We take pride in our sustainable forestry program which provides a renewable supply of oak logs for shiitake production.“

Timber Farms, The Sinks is a family farm located in the Big Springs Region of the Southern Missouri Ozarks. The area abounds with vast tracts of oak forest, clear springs, caves, and sparkling streams; an area designated as one of the “Last Great Places” by the Nature Conservancy.

The microclimate along Sinking Creek provides ideal conditions for growing our specialty, wild-simulated shiitake mushrooms. Ozark Forest Mushrooms is one of the few farm companies still cultivating shiitakes on oak logs according to oriental growing practices.

We take pride in our sustainable forestry program which provides a renewable supply of oak logs for shiitake production. This does not contribute to clear felling, but maintains our forest in a healthy ecological state.

Farm Size

2000 acres, with 1/2 acres for vegetable production

Products

• Varieties of fresh mushrooms, including shitake and oyster mushrooms all year long
• Fresh foraged mushrooms like chantrelles and morels
• Dried mushrooms
• Spicy greens
• Value added products, such as pesto

Note: Ozark Forest Mushrooms offers products from other farms in the region – some of which are not Known & Grown farmers – and specialty mushrooms from around the world. 

Conservation Practices

• Crop rotation
• Cover crops
• Compost
• Riparian herbaceous cover
• No synthetic chemicals
• Integrated pest management
• Pollinator habitat enhancement plan

Additional Practices

Waste avoidance: The mushroom mycelia consume the sap wood (outer layer) but do not degrade the heart wood (core of the log). When the log is ready to be retired it is moved back to the indoor greenhouse where it becomes fuel for a boiler that pumps hot water into a radiant floor heating system.