Spore and Stem Shroomery
Fresh grey oyster mushrooms grown by our family right here in Timaru
Small batch, harvested daily, and ready for your kitchen.
Enjoy the rich, buttery flavour of mushrooms picked at their absolute best and handed straight to you - no long-distance shipping required.
The freshness difference
New Zealand grows some of the best food in the world, yet so much of what sits on our shop shelves is still shipped in from overseas.It feels a bit backwards that everyday produce spends days or weeks sitting in shipping containers and distribution centres before it ever reaches us down here in South Canterbury. By the time it makes it to your kitchen, it has lost its true freshness. For mushrooms, that means they end up dry, tough, and rubbery by the time you go to cook them.We don't think your dinner should have to travel across the world to get to your plate. You deserve truly fresh, locally grown ingredients that cook up beautifully and taste incredible.
Meet your local growers
Spore & Stem started at our kitchen table after a wedding anniversary dinner in January, knowing we had to give something of our own a go.What started as a YouTube deep dive turned into growing grey oyster mushrooms at home, learning through plenty of trial and error along the way.Honestly, we weren't even a mushroom-eating family before this! But these completely converted us. Fried up simply in a bit of butter or bacon grease, they are hard to beat! Even our fussiest eater rushes to clear the plate.Today, it’s a full family effort. James is the face of things, and he’s usually the one you’ll see, while I stay happily behind the scenes, where it’s quieter and there are fewer cameras. The kids are right into it too - harvesting, misting the mushrooms, and keeping the humidifiers topped up. The boys have even found their own side hustle turning our used substrate into garden mulch.Together, we’ve gone from knowing nothing to growing food we are genuinely proud to share with our neighbours.
How To Order
1. Choose Your Box
Grab a single punnet to try, or keep things simple with a weekly or fortnightly subscription so your kitchen stays stocked.2. We Harvest Fresh
We grow everything in small, careful batches and harvest them when they are at their absolute best.3. Easy Local Pickup
We’ll send you a quick text as soon as your order is ready for pickup here in Timaru. Take them home, toss them straight into a hot pan, and enjoy.
Why choose us?
Grown right here in Timaru. You know exactly where your food comes from and who grew it. No overseas shipping containers or long-distance food miles.Harvested fresh daily. Picked at their absolute best so they stay firm, last longer in your fridge, and cook up beautifully.A simple way to eat better. A quick, nutritious addition to everyday family meals that even the fussiest eaters approve of.Zero waste, full circle. Nothing goes to landfill. Our leftover substrate becomes nutrient-rich garden mulch for the community.
Shop & Subscriptions
Because we grow in small batches to guarantee freshness,
availability can vary a bit. Pickup only in Timaru.
A small taste of our fresh grey oyster mushrooms.
Perfect if you just want to see what the fuss is about.
Our standard size, freshly harvested and ready for a proper family dinner.
Keep it easy with a fresh punnet ready for pickup every single week.
A simple option for regular fresh mushrooms without overcommitting.
Sustainability
Real food, nothing wasted.We like keeping things practical and low-waste. Once our mushrooms have done their thing, the boys take over the leftover substrate blocks, breaking them down into nutrient-rich garden mulch for their own little mulch side hustle.No massive international supply chains, no unnecessary plastic wrapping, and zero overseas food miles. Just a local family building something of our own, helping our community eat a little better every day.
Spore and Stem in the News:
NZBN: 9429051500764
