At the end of Rockhouse Rd., down yonder past Hippie Holler, exists one of our town’s best kept secrets. Ozark Mountain Nibbly Organic Mushrooms (Omnom) or simply “the farm.” It’s not only vital to our community because it is a producer of local food, but also a great working model of affordable housing for unique and diverse habitation.
Longtime local Ashley Hill founded the farm in 2017 with the sole purpose of growing organic mushrooms. Once the spores of this inspiration were injected into these Ozark woods, a mycelium of counterculture quickly mushroomed into being. “I think if anybody opened up their property to others, they would be able to create their own masterpiece. It is still their vision, but a shared vision as well,” Ashley said.
For thousands of years, humanity has considered the mushroom both food and medicine. Omnom has mastered growing as many funky strains of fungi as years in existence, sort of becoming a mushroom maestro in the process. Lion’s Mane is considered a superfood known to protect against neurological deterioration. Reishi, known in China as Ling Zhi, has been proven to boost the immune system. Their menu also includes other primary decomposers such as Shiitake, Blue Oyster, Oyster, Pink Oyster, Black Pearl King Oyster, Beech, and Chestnut mushrooms.
The harvest cycle of each strain varies from four to 12 weeks. Omnon has synchronized the timing of these cycles and is able to harvest each strain every day. The farm is harvesting twice a day with a weekly yield between 200 and 400 pounds.
Sterilization is a key part of mushroom growing. Spawn and oak sawdust are both sterilized before injection by being pressure cooked in an autoclave. The autoclave is set at 250° and 50 psi for an hour. The sawdust is then placed in a plastic bag and the spawn is inoculated.
Growing mushrooms in sawdust, as opposed to logs, allows for better yield, more consistency and for the business to not go dormant in the winter. Logs also take longer to get started, as oftentimes it is two years before the first flush. Creating and maintaining a climate-controlled environment for humidity, air flow and temperature is vital.
Ashley Hill still lives in the same school bus he arrived in, equipped with a wood burning stove and electricity. “Wood heat, I wouldn’t live without it,” he said.
Eight others live on the farm, all of them choosing to live in school buses or other non-traditional housing. The property has electricity and running water, the buildings are communal. There is a bathhouse with a washer and dryer, a community kitchen (Derksen Building) and two grow buildings.
Those living in the community work the business. They learn skills from each other, and build, farm organically, play music, and cook. The model is working and Omnom is expanding. There are many roles one can choose to fill, from growing mushrooms to packaging and labeling. Every step is handled in-house except for sawdust imported from out of state, which good or bad, leaves no footprint on Carroll County woods.
Through trial and error, Ashley eventually produced 100 pounds a week. Once the bathhouse was built, he decided to open his property up. The process wasn’t easy and, like all rhythms in life, sinusoidal.
Opening up one’s property to others is one thing but maintaining order while allowing for individual freedom is another. Alcohol is not allowed on the property. Weekly meetings are attended by all members of the community, and every member has a say at that meeting. Quiet Hours are from 10 p.m.-7 a.m., a culture of respect for each other.
The farm is automating processes, such as controlling the climate of the grow buildings. Every farmer learns every job. This allows for Ashley to step away from the day-to-day growing operations so that he can oversee the business. Without the business there is no community, and without the community there is no business.
The biggest issue facing the farm is the culmination of their plastic bags. It is a pressing issue because of the amount of bags used and the farm’s location on the Kings River. Omnom is thinking about switching to ceramic pots but is not sure how to access that many pots and how to sterilize them.
Omnom is an original Eureka Springs experience and is not open to the public, but talk to Ashley at the local Farmers’ Market on Thursdays if you’re interested in mushrooms or taking a tour of the farm.