Sunshine Farms

When Amber Sinha and his family purchased a small hobby farm in rural Huron East, farming wasn’t in their plans. They were just looking for a retreat from their busy lives in Mississauga, and the property seemed to be idyllic and an easy commute.

But as they grew to love rural life, Sinha began researching ways that they might utilize the small holding. He landed on the idea of specialty mushrooms, despite the fact they weren’t a staple in India where he grew up, and Sunshine Farms was launched. The small footprint required was exactly what he was looking for, since the commodity is high value for a smaller volume of produce.

 

Last spring, he began construction on a new facility that was exactly what he needed to grow and he has been up and running since July of 2024. By October, the farm was busy and he hired two staff to help him grow the three varieties of mushrooms that they currently produce: oyster (the main crop), lion’s mane and chestnut.

 

Sinha’s substrate consists of hardwood pellets and soybean hulls, which mimics the dead wood that the mushrooms would naturally grow in. The pellets and hulls are mixed in bags to create a substrate and placed in the autoclave overnight to sterilize, to eliminate any bacteria or contaminants that might compete with the mushroom spores. Grain is added to the substrate to provide the nutrients, and then only air and water are needed to grow the mushrooms. The bags are then inoculated with spawn (the spores) and then moved to a dark room where they start to colonize. After two to three weeks, the mushrooms begin forming and the bags are cut open to encourage growth. Once the bags are fully formed with mushrooms, the bags are moved to a high humidity room so the mushrooms will fully fruit. The room is kept at a steady temperature, and the lighting is set to a day/night schedule to mimic the ideal conditions for the mushrooms to mature, usually within two weeks. Each bag produces a pound of mushrooms per harvest and is harvested twice. He’s currently harvesting 200 bags per week.

 

Specialty mushrooms have a shorter shelf life than white button mushrooms, so it is crucial to get them to market as quickly as possible. Sinha has a growing network of restaurants, distributors, independent grocers and markets and customers who pick up at the farm.

 

Once the bags have produced two harvests, they are no longer viable but they make great garden compost and are free to anyone who would like to pick them up when available. Because mushrooms attract no pests, the compost is completely pesticide and fertilizer free!

 

Mushrooms are available in 2-lb cases, by appointment and tours are available. Reach out on Facebook or call 416-844-3959. 43067 St. Michael’s Rd, Brussels.