Surprise Valley Farms

Surprise Valley Farms A small urban farm, specializing in growing and consulting of gourmet mushrooms; but also sharing our journey/interest of all things growing, food, & travel.

08/26/2026

3 min a day to help improve your balance & reduce the likelihood of falls!

Implementing some simple routines might save you tremendously later. Take charge!

Come pick & eat us!
08/26/2026

Come pick & eat us!

These Blue Oysters are what started it all!These were the 1st gourmet mushrooms I ever worked with. I wanted to do somet...
08/26/2026

These Blue Oysters are what started it all!

These were the 1st gourmet mushrooms I ever worked with. I wanted to do something different with our 1st home/yard and Lindsey was really passionate about the garden so I wanted to give her the space there, to do what she wanted.

This shady spot in our yard ended up being a pile for cleanup, and then I had a mess on my hands...
A normal person would haul them to the yard waste collection point, but my tailgate was broken and I thought... what if this material could be used for something??

Down the rabbit hole of composting and mushrooms I went, and I haven't been back out. 😆

Back to the Blue Oysters; This was one of two varieties I planted that year, and it was the only successful one. I burried a bunch of logs and made a "pit" and I believe this is proof I was successful in establishing a perrenial patch!

After harvesting the 1st time, there was no going back to grocery store mushrooms... no freaking way!

So this is where it all began... These Blues led me to build a tent over them which lead to a whole lot of other things.... Now im cold pastuizing straw in my driveway and I'm pretty sure all my neighbors think I am crazy... 😆

It's been fun and exciting learning & happy to share with others who might be interested. It feels great to produce food that can benefit others and just do something positive.

08/26/2026

~ How to "Cold Pasturization" of Straw Part 1 ~

On this video, I show how a "cold pasturization" process is applied to straw used for mushroom substate.

One of my main interests with Oyster mushrooms in particular, is how they can utilize waste or byproducts to produce food on an industrial scale.

I see a lot of potential to add another value line to farmers' crops in my area. Many times, I see straw being advertised for giveaway if "U-Haul."

We also have lots of tree rows, farmsteads, and people who produce for farmers markets but don't have any fresh product to offer until maybe July.

It feels great to learn how to produce food and share with others!

Pasteurized straw basically gives the mycelium a clean plate. It eliminates most other competing organisms and bacterias that exist in the straw.

Cold pasturization simply refers to a non heat induced method, and using picking lime (calcium hydroxide) raises the PH to above 12.5 and kills existing pathogens.

This is a good idea when preparing outdoor beds, mush buckets, bags, anything straw related that won't dissolve or turn to mush.

Part 2 is simply allowing the straw to drain and rinse. Be careful here, the water has a High PH and you dont want it to go on your grass or plants. It will also stain and hav we some color leaching from the straw, so be mindful of drainage & runoff. I stayed and hosed/dilluted for about an hour after dumping onto the screen.

Good Morning!
08/25/2026

Good Morning!

We harvested this Monster-like Black Pearl King Oyster Mushroom this morning. This mushroom developed like something sta...
08/25/2026

We harvested this Monster-like Black Pearl King Oyster Mushroom this morning.

This mushroom developed like something starring from the classic movie "Little Shop of Horrors" with this shape! 😆

If you look through my reels, you can find my last harvest of this variety planted directly into the ground and how differently it turned out. Ill link the video in the comments. I believe this development was caused by being low in the tub and CO2 sinking down around the base. Instead of "opening" up, this mushroom kept reaching up for fresh air and it needed a beefy base to do so!

The Black Pearl King is prized by chefs for it's ability to create this thicker stem where the tissue is pretty similar to the texture of scallops; and is sliced to mimic the shape. This one got a little extreme on the thickness, but you can see in the photos after I cut the base how this would be a nice section to work with as far as cooking.

I think this illustrates just how much cultivation techniques can effect mushrooms of the same varieties appearance and ability to cook with. Working with this mushroom, I know I have a new appreciation for those perfectly shaped mushrooms and all the trial and error that went into figuring things out. An experienced cultivator can save you a lot of prep time and make for a more pleasant experience cooking with mushrooms.

The proper shape for this mushroom is somewhere in between this and the 1st one linked in the comments, so I have some adjustments to make to get the proper shaping.

08/23/2026

~ Harvesting my 1st Snow Oyster Mushrooms ever & largest harvest to date! ~

🎊🥳 1st Snow Oyster Mushroom harvest ever with this block from Ten Mile Mushrooms is also my largest!!928 grams is over 2...
08/23/2026

🎊🥳 1st Snow Oyster Mushroom harvest ever with this block from Ten Mile Mushrooms is also my largest!!

928 grams is over 2lbs!!

These turned out stunning and we are nit wasting any time to try them for lunch today. 😋

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222 4th Street
Tioga, ND

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