In this episode of America the Bountiful, host Capri Cafaro travels to Kennett Square, a small town in southeastern Pennsylvania known as the Mushroom Capital of the World. With a population of just 6,000, Kennett Square produces more than half of all mushrooms grown in the United States. From indoor grow houses to forest foraging, this episode celebrates the culture, science, and flavor of fungi in all its forms.
A Town Built on Mushrooms
The story begins at Phillips Mushroom Farms, one of the oldest mushroom operations in the region. At The Woodlands, a historic farmhouse-turned-retail store, Capri meets general manager Jim Angelucci, who shares how Kennett Square became the epicenter of commercial mushroom growing in the United States. The industry began in the late 1800s when a carnation grower’s son used the space beneath flower beds to grow mushrooms, importing techniques and spawn from Europe.
Today, Phillips produces nearly 100 million pounds of mushrooms each year. Capri also meets the Phillips family’s third generation, who explain how their patriarch William W. Phillips pioneered large-scale mushroom farming starting in 1927.
The Science of Growing Fungi
Capri heads into the grow rooms with Tina Ellor, Phillips’ technical director and resident mycologist. Tina shows how agaricus mushrooms, like white button and cremini, are cultivated in compost beds within concrete grow houses called “singles and doubles.” The compost is made from recycled agricultural byproducts including straw, horse manure, poultry litter, and cottonseed hulls. These mushrooms are both sustainable and packed with nutritional benefits. As Tina puts it, “This mushroom is the cheapest health insurance you’ll ever buy.”
Capri then meets Pete Gray, who oversees specialty mushroom production. Pete highlights each mushroom’s unique growing cycle and health benefits, including cholesterol-lowering compounds in oyster mushrooms and cognitive support from lion’s mane.
Cooking with Cultivated Mushrooms
In downtown Kennett Square, Capri visits Portobello’s, where Chef Brett Hulbert and his wife Sandra Morris showcase locally grown mushrooms in their menu. Capri samples a roasted white mushroom soup with thyme and sage, and a lion’s mane fritter with ginger, cilantro, lime, and citrus aioli. Chef Brett shares how fresh mushrooms changed his culinary approach and that introducing skeptics to well-prepared mushrooms is one of his greatest joys.
Next, Capri heads to La Michoacana Ice Cream, where owner Noelia Scharon shares her now-famous mushroom creamsicle. Made by blending local mushrooms into a vanilla ice cream base, the bar is a local favorite during the annual Mushroom Festival. Capri tries it with a sprinkle of chili powder for extra kick.
Into the Wild: Foraging for Morels
While cultivated mushrooms dominate in Kennett Square, Capri ventures into the forest with forager Drew Zimmerman, known as “Unkle Fungus,” to hunt for wild morels. Drew explains how morels thrive in symbiosis with dying elm trees, which provide the nutrient signals needed to trigger mushroom growth. Capri and Drew find morels and other wild mushrooms like chicken of the woods.
A Foraged Feast
Back at Drew’s home, Capri and Drew cook a springtime feast featuring their fungal harvest. The main event is morels stuffed with ramp and ricotta, piped into the mushrooms and finished with mozzarella pearls. They also prepare ribeye steaks marinated in mushroom shio koji, seared scallops, and a brown butter cream sauce using rendered scallop butter.
As they share the meal with Drew’s family, the conversation reflects on how foraging deepens our connection to the environment. For Drew, mushrooms are more than food. They’re a gateway to learning, exploration, and family tradition.
Recipe: Ramp Ricotta-Stuffed Morel Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh morel mushrooms
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped ramp leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Small mozzarella balls
- Beef tallow or neutral oil for pan frying
Instructions:
- Clean morels gently with a damp cloth. Trim stems.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, ramps, garlic, olive oil, and seasoning.
- Pipe filling into each morel, alternating with a mozzarella ball.
- Sear in beef tallow until golden and crisp.
- Serve with brown butter cream sauce or alongside steak or scallops.
Mushrooms as Medicine, Culture, and Connection
Whether plucked from the forest floor or carefully cultivated in climate-controlled rooms, mushrooms offer more than flavor. They nourish the body, enrich communities, and remind us of nature’s quiet brilliance. In Kennett Square, fungi flourish, and so does a deep-rooted food tradition that feeds America in every sense of the word.
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