This week I got to know Tori Deetz, the designer and founder of Good Growing, a brand of homeware objects for growing food, including GUS, a modular ceramic vessel for growing mushrooms.
For the design of GUS, Tori immersed herself in the wild world of mycology, learning everything she could about the cultivation of mushrooms and reigniting her childhood passion for science. With the launch of Good Growing, she hopes to encourage growing healthy food at home, as a familiar and joyful ritual of everyday living.
If you are interested in staying connected to Tori, follow her here, and be sure to join the waitlist for when GUS is available to purchase again. I’m hoping to get my hands on one soon - they are so stunning.
How the heck did you get into growing mushrooms?
In 2016 I was experiencing brain fog from burnout, my short term memory felt non-existent and my productivity was suffering hardcore. Today there are a million mushroom supplements and nootropics that solve for that kind of thing but that wasn’t the case at the time. My initial research all pointed to the Lion’s Mane mushroom, an incredible superfood that is proven to improve cognitive function. After visiting my local grocery stores and many of New York's farmers markets, I didn’t have any luck finding fresh Lion’s Mane. I loved growing my own veggies and herbs so, the next question I threw into google was: “how to grow lion’s mane mushrooms”. To my amazement there was an enormous community of DIY mushroom farmers, growing mushrooms at home, in contraptions made from plastic storage bins, plastic bags and buckets. That was the beginning for me. Fast forward to the pandemic, and out of necessity I was growing pounds of mushrooms at home. During those strange days, having an abundant supply of mushrooms was a way to make cooking myself 3 meals a day, healthier and less of a bummer. Naturally, as a designer, I began prototyping other vessels that were a little more chic on my kitchen counter and less wasteful than the plastic bins I learned how to build from reddit threads. I was building early versions of GUS for my own use, but at some point I realized this was something that could be developed further as a tool for other home growers.
What does it really take to grow mushrooms at home? Can anyone really do it?
Let me be clear and honest, you do not need a fancy ceramic vessel to grow mushrooms at home. There are endless resources online that teach clever ways to repurpose household objects as growing vessels. Anyone can do it. Some varieties of mushrooms are far easier than others. Like any hobby, there are beginning, intermediate and expert levels of DIY mycology. Oyster mushrooms are very straightforward, so I always suggest new growers start there. You can find ready-to-grow fruiting blocks online and from there you just need a spray bottle and some time. More specifically, you need a window of about 5-10 days where you will be home to tend to your mushrooms at least once a day. Once mushrooms begin growing they mature quickly. Oyster mushrooms specifically should be sprayed at least once per day, other mushroom varieties need more moisture. I designed GUS to make the experience effortless, fun, beautiful and clean. I would say, consistency and observation are the two most important skills in mushroom growing. So, if the vessel can live neatly in your kitchen where you already frequent throughout every part of the day, you won’t forget to spritz your mushroom, and you’ll have the joy of seeing the mushrooms transform in real time.
In a basic sense, how is growing mushrooms different than growing vegetables?
I’ll speak to the difference in the growing experience rather than the scientific differences. Growing mushrooms feels very different from growing vegetables. You don’t need a green thumb to successfully grow mushrooms. I often hear a concern from customers that they always kill their houseplants or don’t have much luck in their veggie garden. That points to the biggest difference in my opinion, from a user experience standpoint which is the timeframe. With veggies, from the time you notice a seedling, you need to consistently care for your plant and fend off pests, for many weeks, months or multiple seasons. Once you notice the mushroom pins forming, which are the fungi equivalent to seedlings, the growth is rapid and you’ll likely be harvesting within a matter of days. When growing mushrooms, you can already see the finish line from the moment you notice the first signs of life. Also, you absolutely do not need outdoor space or a sun-drenched home to grow mushrooms, they thrive indoors, and out of direct sunlight.
What do you want someone with a GUS planter to feel?
I want them to feel super excited to jump out of bed in the morning, just to see how much their mushroom has grown overnight, it truly is thrilling. Every stage of growth is like a new work of art by mother nature, in the form of this strange being that is the evolving mushroom’s fruiting body. Here’s your warning though, when it comes to mycology as a hobby, what starts as excitement can lead to an obsession or at very least a deep curiosity for all things mushrooms!
What fascinates you most about mushrooms?
How little we know about them. We are only starting to understand fungi especially when it comes to their healing properties, the mycelial network, and the way fungi can offer solutions as we navigate the climate crisis and our global sustainability goals. Also, I love experimenting with new cooking methods. Mushrooms are magnificent flavor vectors in any dish. Their texture can be so easily manipulated with different preparation and cooking techniques and that opens up so many culinary possibilities.
What has surprised you most in building this business?
I was developing versions of GUS well before this cultural mushroom moment we are in, so initially I assumed this would be a niche product for a niche audience. I could not have been more wrong. GUS seems to capture the imagination and interest of a wide range of people who are curious and inspired to start cultivating mushrooms for so many different reasons. I am surprised and honored that for some people, GUS is their first exposure to the idea of growing mushrooms at home.
Be sure to follow Good Growing on Instagram and if you want to grow mushrooms at home, get on the waitlist!
Reading the book Wellness by Nathan Hill - thanks
for the rec. It’s the perfect combination of intricate family history, questions about raising children, suburban living and psychology. Haven’t had a book in a while I look forward to getting on the train to read.Carina Wolff
Check out the organization Chef’s For Impact They have an exciting event coming up called Her Farm, Her Food to raise female voices in hospitality that I will be attending.
Remember those giant Wonder trucks that used to drive around the suburbs? Well, after those failed, Marc Lore has recommitted the brand to ghost kitchens and delivering branded meals in under 10 minutes. I have a bit of an eerie feeling reading about it because he has enough money to get more people ordering expensive deliveries and further disconnected from their food and ingredients. He has engineered a way to cook a “Bobby Flay” steak in 7 minutes that one would usually pay top dollar at a restaurant. Wonder quietly bought Blue Apron and already has big deals for food service at concert and sports venues. The larger story is here which is a glorified ad.
Last week’s piece from
about the reliance of food content creators on brand deals to make a living. For those of us thinking critically about our mindless consumption and waste economy, is there any money to be made if we are not promoting product after product?Alicia Kennedy
I’m getting married in June and have been struggling to find a dress I like. I’ve tried on a couple and felt overwhelmed by expensive dresses that I would only wear once. I stumbled across this small California company, Dare and Dazzle, that rents dresses that are specifically designed to adjust to your body and I have a dress coming this week to try out!
We found the best gelato in the city, Gelateria Getile - FYI
Caramelized Onion, Sunchokes and Feta Galette ✨
Just like all of my recipes, you could truly put anything you want in this galette but it’s a reminder that galettes are delicious, making dough is not that bad, and you can use up what’s in your fridge. I do recommend the caramelized onions though. I experimented with making dough from chickpea flour for this one which worked well.
INGREDIENTS ✨
Either make chickpea flour dough or your favorite pie dough recipe. People love
pie dough we love Samin Nostrat. You will need butter, flour, and salt.Alison Roman
4 small or 3 medium yellow onions
Sunchokes from your farm box, thank you Farm to People
Lemon
Feta
INSTRUCTIONS ✨
Make pie dough and let it rest in fridge
Caramelize your onions, you will need 20 minutes
Slice your sunchokes thin and roast in oven. If you don’t have sunchokes you could use potato, squash, or cauliflower. Roast any non-water veg
Roll out your dough into a large circle. Place your caramelized onions in the center, zest your lemon, and arrange your sunchokes on top. I added some blanched broccoli rabe.
Fold up the sides of your galette, watch any Youtube video if you’d like precise technique, I just wing it.
Bake for 10 minutes then add the crumbled feta
Bake an additional 5-10 until the crust is lightly brown
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