Originally published by Watershed Magazine in the Fall 2019 Issue.
Words by Signe Langford. Photos by Johnny C.Y. Lam
Derick Greenly is the third generation on his family’s 75 acres of pasture, orchard, and woodlot near Warkworth, but it might not have been so. He left the farm for several years, travelling and busking – he’s a star on the Celtic harp scene – but he was drawn home.
“When Grandfather died, I started thinking about my roots, but I was discouraged with traditional farming. Travelling had exposed me to other farming methods and that opened me up to possibly coming back to farm. What I do now is miles away from cash crops and a conventional dairy herd. This way allows for creativity.”
Greenly grows gourmet mushrooms – lion’s mane, chestnut, hen of the woods, shiitake, oyster – as well as fruit and nut trees. He began growing mushrooms as an offshoot of forestry, a way to utilize small bits of wood by inoculating them with spores. Now, Greenly’s mushrooms are grown in compressed blocks of locally milled hardwood sawdust: maple, hickory, oak, and birch. “It’s exciting when I try a new, oddball species, I know [folks like] Doug [from ‘Sper in Warkworth] will be interested and he’ll make something great with it.”
Watershed Magazine celebrates life in Northumberland, Quinte and Prince Edward County with page after page of award-winning editorial and design. Find out more at watershedmagazine.com
Explore more places to eat and drink in Kawarthas Northumberland here:
