4 Things We Learned at This Year's Mushroom Festival!

AARP Pennsylvania was proud to be a "Shiitake-level" sponsor of this year's Kennett Square Mushroom festival on September 7th and 8th, a one-of-a-kind event in a place known for its mushroom farms. About 50 percent of the mushrooms Americans eat come from Kennett Square, where they’ve been grown commercially for roughly 150 years.

The Mushroom Festival celebrates mushrooms, mushroom farms and Kennett Square—the Mushroom Capital of the World. Festival attendees can sample a variety of mushroom-centric foods, from fried mushrooms to mushroom soup and many other dishes, and learn about mystical and interesting process of mushroom growing.

AARP staff and volunteers met thousands of attendees of all ages from around Chester and the surrounding counties. We are proud to be part of the Chester County community!

There was no shortage of mushroom facts at this year’s festival, and here are four interesting things about mushrooms we learned, via MushroomFestival.org and KennettMushrooms.com:

1. Quaker-Made

About 150 years ago, a couple of Quakers in Kennett Square started growing mushrooms in unused greenhouse space. This sparked interest among local farmers, especially with ample horse manure available from the nearby city, a key ingredient for mushroom cultivation.

2. Re-Use

Mushroom cultivation combines recycling, science, and efficiency, making it one of the most sustainable food sources in the U.S.

3. Compostable

Mushroom growers are "ultimate recyclers," turning agricultural byproducts—like corn cobs, hay, and manure—into compost for mushroom production, resulting in a smaller environmental footprint than most farms.

4. 1 Million Mushrooms

One acre can yield 1 million pounds of mushrooms annually, contributing to over 900 million pounds of Agaricus mushrooms produced each year.