Emma Brown is a woman of many hats, including a scientist, mother, mushroom farmer and owner of Forage & Cultivate.

Her business is one of the new ones among the more than 80 vendors at the Franklin Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. As an expert in the foraging field, she knows the best ways to improve your health or the flavor of your food through the unassuming power of mushrooms.

Q: How did you get started in mushroom farming?

A: I’ve always been interested in mushrooms and have read lots of books about growing them. I thought, “When I retire, I’ll probably start a little farm and just grow mushrooms for myself.”

Then the pandemic hit while I was earning my degrees in chemistry and neuroscience, and everything switched to online. I was applying for PhD programs with a focus on addiction, and I have a personal history with addiction that mushrooms have helped me with a lot. Instead of going back to school, I decided to start a mushroom business well before retirement age.

Q: Tell me about the first mushroom you grew.

A: I foraged a native wild oyster from Bowling Green, Indiana. I made my own Auger plate, did a tissue transfer of the oyster and then grew it out on grain bags. In six weeks, I had grown 30 pounds of that mushroom in my garage in Indy that I sold to some restaurants. That was in 2019, and I started my business in 2023.

Q: How are grocery store mushrooms different than the mushrooms you sell?

A: The mushrooms I grow are completely organic and toxin-free. They also have depth of flavor that you don’t experience from store-bought mushrooms.

Q: How did you come up with the name Forage & Cultivate?

A: I ended up with the name because I started foraging and ended up cultivating the product that I had foraged. Now, I grow mushrooms in a barn in Greenwood, but it’s probably not what you imagine. It’s more like a warehouse with a lot of equipment and machines.

Q: What kind of mushrooms do you usually have at the farmers market?

A: I sell to a lot of restaurants, so I never commit to having a certain variety at the market. We grow shiitake, comb tooth, Lion’s mane, a variety of oysters, reishi, chestnut, maitake and others, including medicinal mushrooms.

Q: What are some of the health benefits of mushrooms?

A: Mushrooms have been scientifically proven to provide the body with compounds that support its natural functions. Lion’s mane is great for treating Alzheimer’s and dementia. Chaga is one that can only be harvested and not grown. It’s great for hormone regulation and brain health. Cordyceps grows out of bugs, and it’s like a natural steroid that boosts testosterone. It’s popular with athletes.

Q: What other products do you manufacture with the mushrooms that you grow?

A: I have a line of non-synthetic and toxin-free skincare and tinctures that I make with medicinal mushrooms. I also make mushroom-infused honey, which is as potent as a tincture without the alcohol.

Q: Why is buying locally grown food important to our health?

A: I believe if you're eating something grown locally, it's actually benefiting your immune system more than something from across the country. Because what that plant has encountered in its growth season is similar to what you’ve also encountered.

It’s also a great way to support your neighborhood because you get to know who you are buying things from and where it was grown.

Q: When everyone else is sleeping in on a Saturday morning, what makes you want to be at a farmers market?

A: My oldest son and making his life easier are my motivations. I hope that one day either of my sons could work in the family business and turn it into something even more profitable. If Forage & Cultivate succeeds, then it could impact generations.

Q: Do you sell your products online?

A: Yes, you can shop our skincare and tinctures on our website at forageandcultivate.com.