The year is 2018 in the cool hillsides of Manchester, Jamaica. A lone farmer is trodding through the hills collecting dried cow manure to use with compost for growing good ganja. Along with his trusty doggo’s scoping out the scenes, guarding against any incoming threat, the hills are scoured of that valuable poop. After collecting the manure travel back home. The manure is placed into piles covered by banana leaf trees, some placed into compost, and some placed into raised beds. After a few weeks, a few rains and some heavy mist coming out of our neighboring hillsides, mushroom fruits started popping out everywhere. I start picking and ID’ing and one of the few turns out to be a few Panaleous Cyanescens. I eat a few after positivley IDing, and noticing the blue bruises indicative of the psilocyin. At the front of my moms house on the lawn with my dogs. I end up in a whirlwhind experience, waves of eophoria crashing on and off. My dogs would check up on me ever so often aware of my incapacity. It was my first trip and one that sent me on a years long journey, learning more, meeting wonderful people and sharing the fruits and knowledge that lead me on to an amazing journey.

Id eventually connect with other individuals in the industry such as PROPEL(Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages), World Univsersity Service of Canada at their Mushroom Stakeholder meeting which we met Dr Lightbourne from NCU, RIP and Trodd Cotter who shared alot of his mushroom knowledge, also Ms Pauline Smith who with the Association of Mushrooms Producers Ltd shared their oyster mushroom growing process with lemongrass/fever grass and bamboo. During these times is when I started to dive deeper into cultivation getting first sets of petri dishes, doing grain jars, attempting to pasteurise substrate. 

In 2020 I migrated to U.S.A where i continued my mushroom business upgrading to a barrel steriliser and increasing production capacity along with variety of mushrooms, clients and meeting other growers in Rochester, New York. Went to several farmers markets in the area and see how the market is .

In 2024 moved from the city of Rochester to a suburb called Irondequoit. Since moving, business has halted as one has to apply to do business in the town. I’ve been denied twice and on my 3rd application attempt. Hoping to overcome this beauracry and get back to producing top quality fresh mushrooms.