Welcoming New Farmer Black Forest Mushrooms to Pike Place Market

Fresh to the farm tables at Pike Place Market, we welcome Black Forest Mushrooms!

Peruse through the arcade and it will be hard to miss these abundantly sprouting bouquets of mycelium. The trumpeting waves of the Blue Oyster mushroom, toasted amber tops of the Chestnut mushroom, and the otherworldly plush of the shaggy Lion’s Mane mushroom boast an eye-catching display.

This producer is innovating urban farming at its finest. Black Forest Mushrooms offers delectable gourmet mushrooms grown with a keenly attentive science to ensure the highest quality of harvest.

While many commercially grown mushrooms are often transported from hundreds of miles before they reach the shelf, these hyperlocal fungi travel just 30 minutes from their climate-controlled indoor farm north of Seattle to the Market.

Owner Nathanael Engen is a lifelong entrepreneur, who began experimenting with small-scale hydroponic systems and creative ways to grow with a background growing up around farms, food service, and working in sales.

Nathanael is also a veteran, who served in the Air Force supporting families of fallen service members. He’s open about the heavy toll the military took on his mental health and experience with PTSD. Seeking a fresh start after transitioning back to civilian life, he got to work developing in his garage.

By the summer of 2022, Nathanael made his farmers market debut with his line of homegrown gourmet mushrooms and quickly realized how great the demand was for quality produce of this sort. Eager shoppers would sell out his table week after week, and he saw potential to do more to impact his community.

Black Forest Mushrooms aims to change the norm of how mushrooms typically reach our tables by hyper-localizing the supply chain. Harvesting is done within just 2-4 weeks of inoculating (the seeding step). Across all stations throughout their 10,000 square foot indoor farm, up to 10,000 pounds of delicious mushrooms are grown every month. With a 365-day harvest available, you can always count on the freshest pick for your plate.

Beyond just a great product line, Nathanael weaves building comradery into every component of the business. At their table, he offers space for dialogue and insight at any stage of familiarity passersby may have with mushrooms.

“I want people to get reconnected with their food,” he said.

Nathanael hopes to encourage people’s curiosity, letting his produce be a gateway to learning more about sustainability, food security, and cultivating genuine community through food.

Shop fresh mushrooms alongside mushroom jerky, powders, growing kits, and more from Black Forest Mushrooms. You can find them 7 days a week on the farm tables starting in June.

Bonus: Check out their mushroom market in Everett to explore monthly guided tours of your food straight from the source with their rangers. Their woodsy, ranger station-themed space will immerse you in an outdoor foraging adventure. Find out more here.