Chester County Mushroom Farming

by Bruce Edward Mowday

Overview

Chester County is well known for its sprawling scenic views, rich farmland, the Main Line, and mushrooms. Chester County, and specifically the village of Kennett Square, is known as the mushroom capital of the world because of the quantity and quality of mushrooms grown there. Mushrooms have been around for centuries, with the French beginning cultivation in the 1600s, and mushroom farming began in Chester County more than 120 years ago. The earliest farmers were Quakers, but over the years members of the Irish, Italian, and Hispanic communities have joined the ranks of Chester County mushroom farmers. The local mushroom farmers were responsible for the forming of the American Mushroom Institute more than a half century ago.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738556581
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	07/07/2008
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Bruce Edward Mowday is a local author who has lived in Chester County all his life. He is the author of four Arcadia books: Along the Brandywine River, Coatesville, Downingtown, and West Chester. The photographs in Chester County Mushroom Farming have been culled from the files of the American Mushroom Institute and its Community Awareness Committee.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     6
Introduction     7
Mushroom Growing     9
American Mushroom Institute     33
Mushroom Science     55
Mushroom Promotions     71
Mushroom Celebrities     93
Mushroom Life     107