PA is the country’s largest producer of one food: Can you guess what is is?
More than 60% of the country’s production of one food product is grown in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
The majority of the mushrooms grown in the U.S. come from the commonwealth. And the bulk of the Pennsylvania-grown earthy delights are produced in Chester County’s Kennett Square area, also known as the “mushroom capital of the world.” These mushrooms include the simple white button mushroom, the large portabella mushroom, and specialty mushrooms like shiitake. Kennett Square honors its mushroom heritage with a mushroom festival each year, and on January 1, it drops a 700-pound mushroom to mark the New Year.
Read on to learn how Kennett Square became the center of a shroom boom and took the top spot in the mushroom industry.
A short history of mushroom cultivation
What is it about Kennett Square that makes its spores so special? Mushrooms prefer shady and moist environments, but many will grow anywhere—you might, for instance, see oyster mushrooms growing on a log even in the winter woods. After all, for most of human history, mushrooms weren’t cultivated at all but were simply foraged from the forest. Mushrooms were first cultivated in China for food and medicine more than 1,000 years ago. In the 1600s, people in France began growing mushrooms in caves—remember, mushrooms like shady and moist conditions—a practice which later spread throughout Europe.
How Kennett Square became the mushroom capital
How did mushrooms make their way to the U.S.? The story goes that during the latter half of the 19th century, a Quaker florist in Kennett Square wondered what he could do with the empty space under his greenhouse benches. He had to order mushroom spawn—a colony of mycelium, the building blocks of mushrooms—from England, but he did just that, and successfully built the first mushroom production site in the U.S. Other flower farmers in the area began to grow mushrooms as well.
Here’s the thing: You can create moist and shady conditions pretty much anywhere, including indoors. But farmers in Kennett Square were the first ones to do it.
Mushroom farming, well, mushroomed in Kennett Square during the 1920s when immigrants from Europe who were already well-versed in mushroom cultivation settled in the area and helped transform local mushroom production into an industry. By 1955, the American Mushroom Institute had formed, headquartered in Kennett Square.
Today, the mushroom industry in southeastern Pennsylvania employs more than 8,000 people. In Chester County alone, there are more than 2,000 mushroom growing houses.
What mushrooms are grown in Kennett Square?
While more than two dozen edible mushroom species grow in the U.S., the Kennett Square area’s mushroom industry is mostly made up of the most popular one: Agaricus bisporus. That’s the white button mushroom most commonly found in grocery stores. But it’s also the cremini mushroom, sometimes known as baby bella. And Agaricus bisporus is also the portabella mushroom! They’re all the same species of mushroom! Rather, the brown cremini mushroom is simply a more mature version of the white button mushroom. And the portabella is just a full-grown version of the cremini mushroom.
During the 2023-2024 Pennsylvania mushroom growing season, farmers in the state grew 643 million pounds of Agaricus bisporus, valued at roughly $1 billion, according to U.S. agriculture department statistics. The commonwealth was responsible for 69% of total Agaricus bisporus sales in the U.S. California took second place, responsible for 11% of total U.S. sales (cue the sad trombone).
Farmers in southeastern Pa. also grow more exotic mushroom varieties, such as the umami shiitake, the leafy hen of the woods (also called maitake), and the fuzzy lion’s mane.
Fun(gi) things to do in Kennett Square
Now that you’re well versed on the mushroom scene in Kennett Square and the surrounding area, you might be seeking some toadstool-themed tourism. Good news: It’s not the mushroom capital of the world for nothing!
Plan a trip to the 2025 Kennett Square Mushroom Festival
The 2025 Kennett Square Mushroom Festival will take place the weekend after Labor Day—September 6-7, 2025. You can join Kennett Square as it celebrates the humble mushroom on its main drag, State Street, with rides, music, live entertainment, and food—including, of course, plenty of mushrooms. Last year, admission was $5.
Visit The Woodlands at Phillips Mushroom Farms
Phillips Mushroom Farms is one of many multigenerational family-owned mushroom businesses in southeastern Pennsylvania. It’s been growing mushrooms since 1927—nearly a century! Phillips is also the largest mushroom grower in the state. You can visit the company’s retail store, which includes a small mushroom museum, at The Woodlands at Phillips Mushroom Farms. You can purchase fresh mushrooms and other mushroom goods and also view a growing exhibit and other exhibits of the mushroom museum for free. The store even sells grow-your-own mushroom kits if a visit inspires you to farm your own fungi!
Eat at Portabello’s of Kennett Square
If you’re a fan of mushrooms (and you must be if you’ve read this far), you have to try them in Kennett Square courtesy of a local chef. Portabello’s of Kennett Square is a New American restaurant with a mushroom-forward menu. While mushrooms aren’t in every dish (in case you have a picky eater with you), the mushroom dishes like the stroganoff, portabella eggrolls, and roasted mushroom soup are the most popular.
Recipe ideas for all the mushrooms you’ve bought
After a trip to Kennett Square, your bags might be bursting with shroomy goodness. Unsure what to cook? We’ve got you covered. One of our favorite mushroom-centric dishes is mushroom risotto, which you can make super savory with cremini mushrooms as well as shiitake or oyster mushrooms. We also love mushroom stroganoff, which is a mushroom-focused play on beef stroganoff—just use mushrooms instead of beef. Finally, vegans everywhere have enjoyed “scallops” made with king oyster mushrooms, and they’re onto something, because the creamy smoothness of king oyster stalks lends itself well to a sauteed “scallop” dish.
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