2024 year end update
This little mushroom went to market
It’s been a minute! Welcome to our 2024 update. Let’s jump right in and pick up where we left off last time…
By the end of 2023…the kids were healthy, (check) clothed (check) and reasonably educated (check). The gardens were put to bed after a humble though fruitful, second season growing and learning (Check) Controls against chicken coup carnage had been put in place and the default status of the flock was generally “alive.” (Check) Solar panels were installed. (Check) Our nanny Deidra hadn’t abandoned us yet (despite a certain ornery rooster!)! We even had a lovely Christmas miracle heralding an auspicious beginning for the new year.
Oh – and there was an old, refurbished c-can sitting unassumingly by the garage.
Within it a motley mosaic of mechanical parts, pipes and tubing had been laid – some scavenged from previous grow ops and others finally delivered after a season of supply chain delays on items not exactly Amazon common. PID controllers, two large bubba barrels, rows of shelves for the fruiting room, a laminar flow-hood, humidifying systems – these all comprised Pete’s future mushroom lab. (More on the construction journey can be revisited in our 2023 update).
By the turn of the new year, just a few more components needed to come together and the dream would soon be a reality.
Update 1: Mushroom Mania
Pete got busy building his steam capture and recirculation system. It was important to ensure the steam coming off the pasteurization barrels was captured properly, lest the water transform the c-can into a rain forest. Next, he had to test all the intricate systems for temperature control automation among a host of other functions.
The first half of the year consumed Pete’s time running tests, troubleshooting unexpected snags, taking things apart and reassembling them.
At the dawn of a hot summer, when all the equipment seemed to be finally humming smoothly, Pete found himself confronted with a question.
“I’ve planned a business, and I’ve built a factory… but can I grow a mushroom?”
Inquiring minds wanted to know.
The answer was disheartening at the beginning. An intense heatwave in July destroyed Pete’s very first batch. After installing temperature controls (i.e. air conditioner) he started again.
“I’ve planned a business, and I’ve built a factory… but can I grow a mushroom?”
And then it happened - one day … the mechanical menagerie manifested mushrooms!
After separating some for sales we were left with a humble 200 or so grams of lovely blue oysters to try ourselves.
I recall the moment we cooked them in a simple butter and garlic melange with some white wine to serve with a rib-eye steak. It was an opulent moment. Pete tallied some numbers.
“Steak - $40, potatoes, $5, celebratory bottle of wine $15 with a side of mushrooms valued at… $45,000.”
He wasn’t wrong. To this point that was about the cost of the equipment and parts that comprised the lab, and that’s without factoring in over a year of planning and labour.
It was now time to depreciate the value of these mushroom morsels!
Taking baby steps, Pete was able to slowly increase the volume of blue oyster mushrooms, distributing them first to friends.
Soon he introduced lion’s mane mushrooms to the grow rhythm as well.
Lion’s mane mushrooms are a miraculous marvel of nature. Their flavour and texture experience has often been described like lobster or scallops. Fried and enjoyed with a bit of tamari, or even simply sautéed in butter is amazing; each bite is worth its weight in gold. More importantly, however, is their medicinal qualities.
Friends of ours started growing lion’s mane to treat her debilitating symptoms of long-covid – and it was effective. Well before we were growing, I was enjoying powders and tinctures in my coffee and noticed I could write more efficiently, for longer hours when client workloads were heavy.
The challenge with lion’s mane is their longer grow cycle, causing them to consume limited grow space in the lab compared to blue oysters which also sell quickly. But the demand and price point for lion’s mane relative to this community make it worth it to grow alongside the blue oysters.
“Steak - $40, potatoes, $5, celebratory bottle of wine $25 with a side of mushrooms valued at… $45,000.”
For a brief time we enjoyed experimenting with preparing and cooking the mushrooms in different ways.
We also experimented with freeze drying some mushrooms (initially for personal use and to explore the development process of value added products like bouillon or medicinal powders, etc.) at our local innovation hub which offers commercial scale equipment and preparation space to local food producers.
The reality is, we don’t have the luxury to play around with recipes as our list of interested customers is much longer than what we have been able to accommodate. As mushrooms have a very short window of freshness and seem to require harvesting in waves, efficiently scaling up is a delicate and exacting science.
The next challenge entering into 2025 will be to work out some continued issues impacting our yield quantity and to establish a steady rhythm of harvest for more efficient and predictable distribution. The ideal scenario currently is serving the highest volume purchasers, which are essentially retail. Pete has started selling at volume to a local herbalist that makes lion’s mane tinctures. Our local Independent (Loblaws) also supports local growers and is interested in carrying the mushrooms. There is good evidence other grocers in the region would follow suit and we’ll pursue distribution to grocers once we’ve struck the rhythm and scale required to shoulder the associated insurance costs and exacting packaging standards.
For the time being, a grower direct to consumer and small business approach is working well. We never have trouble selling off a harvest – which is unfortunate because we rarely get to enjoy the mushrooms ourselves. But there is a gritty street wisdom to not using one’s own product! Fortunately, there is a enough enthusiastic interest around town for these luscious beauties to be optimistic for where this fledgling little enterprise will take us in 2025!
Update 2: From pastoral to pastoral.
In an unexpected plot twist, our last update reported Pete taking on part time work with our local church, which sent both Pete and I on an intensive 9 month ministry training program which we completed along with 30 or so other trainees across Canada and the United States. It was quite the experience. Returning to that headspace of deep study (systematic theology) was surreal, on top of the other daily demands, but the beautiful connections and friendships made, phenomenal speakers and insightful presentations made the experience an unforgettable, season-defining endeavor.
Now that the program is complete, Pete has delivered a handful of sermons thus far. I’m probably biased, but I love Pete’s preaching style. While of course he has some room to grow in some areas of his oratory craft, on the whole I think sermonizing comes naturally to him (which doesn’t sound like a compliment). I find his approach to be a sincere, often humorous, and heartfelt exposition of scripture and relevant history applied to his own humble accounts of life’s challenges, and the meaning and hope we have (in the spirit of 1 Peter 3:15). Anyone close to Pete can attest to the alarming clarity with which he enumerates society’s corruptions and follies; it has been life-giving to watch soulful groans slowly transform over the years into confident professions of hope and truth.
Update 3: Highlights from behind the desk
Why would we share the minutiae of our consultancy endeavors? The mushrooms and ministry milestones deserve most of the glory due to their novelty. But if you’ll recall, one of the intentions of our update is to not only keep family and friends abreast of our new adventure, but in some ways, this has also been a demonstration project for ourselves and others.
…this has also been a demonstration project for ourselves and others. Taking account of the ways we’ve been blessed to continue participating in meaningful careers despite moving to a rural community cultivates deeper gratitude.
Taking account of the ways we’ve been blessed to continue participating in meaningful careers despite moving to a rural community cultivates deeper gratitude while illustrating a whole new world of available possibilities to the 21st century professional. In an earlier post we asked the question: Could two city-slicking business professionals really live a rural homesteading lifestyle while still having an economic foot in their former urban world? The answer for us has (so far) been yes. While our long-time readers have known about our journey since 2022 when we first announced it, I haven’t been as bold to divulge all the details to my professional network (though my immediate clients were aware). Sometimes it felt like my lack of transparency on this major move was eating me up inside.
Now that I’d had consistent success consulting in our new location, I decided to share my first LinkedIn post announcing our move with a hope that our story might serve as an inspiration for other professionals contemplating something different or unique. My message to them was/is: Don’t settle for less. You never know the possibilities that lay ahead if you don’t jump in, take risks and expand your story.
It affirms our faith to take an inventory of what we’ve been empowered to do and share it with others. Each day, serving each new client, and receiving each new opportunity is like feeding directly from the hand of God. Putting ourselves in this place of vulnerability, being out in the middle of nowhere, has only illuminated the power of divine providence in our lives. Word of mouth marketing was critical, but I believe it only takes you so far.
Putting ourselves in this place of vulnerability, being out in the middle of nowhere, has only illuminated the power of divine providence in our lives.
How does my name still get passed around in circles despite my physical exit, fading into seeming bucolic obscurity? What is the power that brings my humble little business to the minds of former colleagues and corporate decision makers? Who moves the mountains and shapes the events of history? It’s God. If you have any faith at all and really want to put it to the test… if you really want to find true peace and rest and end the constant striving, do something that makes you dependent on Him. Honour Him in your endeavours and I promise you, He will honour your faith with every success that aligns with His will.
Top highlights from the desk of 2024 included:
Book 3 of three-part history series: It was the 60th anniversary of one of Canada’s largest churches (and our own Calgary home church). What started off as something that was supposed to be a small commemorative book, took on a life of its own after I interviewed over a hundred leaders and highly involved congregants. Beginning in 2017, the life-changing interview journey resulted in three history books and many enduring new friendships. The books (released in 2018,‘19 and ’24 respectively) took an intimately personal approach to capturing the historical events, changing times, personal stories and spiritual insights from congregants at CSC, beginning from the 1950s up until the present. The third book was distributed during services on the weekend of Dec 21/22 of 2024 and will continue to be available to pick up at any of the church’s five campuses across Calgary.
Beginning in 2017, the life-changing interview journey resulted in three history books and many enduring new friendships.
Centre for the City Opening: One of the most meaningful moments this year was seeing the completion of construction of the Centre for the City after having supported CSC over the last seven years to raise the funds for a $25+ million capital campaign. The campaign funded several significant construction projects including the Centre which provides food, clothing, skills training and a place to belong for growing numbers (hundreds) of new Canadians and people in need.
Finalizing construction of this new facility was a treasured moment as it represented a successful milestone both for the church and my own communication planning role in the fundraising journey. I had the privilege of planning and organizing the news conference (with support from the team executing on the ground); which included a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by people impacted by the program, the Mayor, the Alberta Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism and local media among other community leaders.
The most poignant part of that experience was the testimony of a residential school survivor who grew up on the streets. I helped him prepare to share his story with community leaders and Calgarians at the conference. He was one of hundreds of people deeply impacted by the program along with several other ministries at CSC, resulting in a spiritual shift and relationship with his Creator that he proudly declares, “lifted him out of addiction, homelessness and despair.” Today he volunteers at the Centre and shares his story to others similar to himself, encouraging them to come to church, link arms with God and let Him do the rest.
Hearing his joy and clarity as he shared his story cast a light on the limits of my own faith that I hadn’t fully identified. When you observe the abject state of many people living on the margins of society, especially if they are mid-life, terminally ill and in the throes of addiction, you find yourself doubting the possibility they will ever experience anything more in life. I first interacted with him in 2017 and the way his story unfolded over the last few years altered my schema of faith for what is physically, mentally and spiritually possible - including the disappearance of a tumor in answer to prayer! As I quoted at the end of our last update – with God, all things are possible!
…the way his story unfolded over the last few years altered my schema of faith for what is physically, mentally and spiritually possible.
Although I organized the news conference, I was sadly not able to attend because I was in Whistler BC working at another conference …
Capturing advancements and stories in autoimmune science: This year I got to do something fun that expanded my understanding of the intricacies of the human body. I took on a new client - an autoimmune disease research fund that holds an annual conference attended by immunology scientists from around the world. Dedicated to finding the root cause of autoimmune diseases, this organization is unique because it is not attached to any one specific agenda. This gives scientists the freedom to collaborate in the highly competitive industry of biomedical research and challenges them to pursue areas of inquiry that are outside the box of medical convention. Their hope is to make the discoveries that will move society beyond the treatment treadmill (aka infinite recurring revenue) and lead to marketable cures.
Capturing their stories and understanding the complex science was a steep, fascinating learning curve. I look forward to discovering more about the intricacies of autoimmune science and ultimately helping the organization level up their storytelling and online presence in 2025.
Discovering fascinating shifts in logistics and supply chain: This year I was also involved in communication planning and outreach for a new rail and logistics firm building up media and public awareness for a soon-to-be-constructed, world-scale logistics hub in Northeast BC. We find it very interesting that a new client found us (of all people) who are fellow travellers aware of, and actively preparing for, some fascinating shifts happening in the complex world of supply chain in North America.
This client was a neat fit for Pete and I. As readers know, our concerns regarding the vulnerabilities of Canada’s supply chains, and the trends towards a multi-polar geopolitical reality, were among many reasons we chose to leave the city and pursue a life of semi self-sustainability. Though we are light years away from this utopian ideal, it was interesting to have some of our impulses affirmed on a macro scale with a growing trend of corporations across sectors responding to a number of global shifts by nearshoring their operations (moving company operations/manufacturing back to North America instead of only China - also known as China plus one or simply C+1 ).
In other words, while a growing number of individuals are focusing on personal/household resilience (google the growing trend of homesteading) and reducing dependency on supply chains, so too are many corporations increasing their resiliency by bringing supply chains home and reducing reliance on overseas operations. North America (and Canada, if we’re smart) may see a lot more investment in rail infrastructure and warehousing to accommodate unit trains (100+ cars) over the next decade and businesses will have to work together to invest in these needs because they are expensive, and Canada’s rail providers are heavily investing in and shifting their priorities toward the continental advantage that the nearshoring trend is exploiting (hence the name change from Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC)).
On the homefront
That’s enough about our professional pursuits. I’ll conclude with a report on the welfare of the household. As mentioned previously, the children are alive, clothed, educated, and as happy as children living in the woods can be! They have many friends here and are loving homeschooling. We learn at our own pace and they have a classroom they attend twice a week where they interact with many other children. Helix began Kindergarten this year, and has been a quick study with his math, art (he’s very prolific at drawing superheroes with cityscape backdrops) and letters (despite apraxia of speech which has been rapidly improving). Additionally, the girls are loving learning Spanish and piano.
Last month when my client workload subsided, I relished the opportunity to take on some of the homeschooling for the very first time. This allowed Pete to troubleshoot the aforementioned challenges with his mushroom inoculation process and address some barriers in process efficiencies for both of his jobs.
I’ve always been aware that the domestic front can be pitted with more anxieties than client work, though each domain comes with its own unique challenges and rewards. Taking on the homeschooling for a time reinforced this and added to my appreciation for all the foundational work Pete has done. I’ve been blessed with a fantastic partner on the homekeeping front, along with the help of our nanny Deidra - who is pretty much family - and is never allowed to leave (for the record, since she moved out here with us from Calgary, she has always been here of her own free will!).
Our household added an additional member when my brother Joel moved out with us this last May.
It’s a difficult world and economy to navigate alone these days, for anyone, but if you’re experiencing snags and challenges in the journey, as my brother did, it’s important to have a village you can turn to. The kids love having their uncle here with us and it has been a pleasure for us to expand our tent pegs, creating a safe space for people to recalibrate, heal and get a foot hold for their next level. This is just one example of the growing trend we’re seeing in returning to the village model of living - extended family, care providers and friends under one roof. Our prediction is that the extended family village is coming back and within 10-20 years will be mainstream.
Our household added an additional member when my brother Joel moved out with us in May.
One truth that has animated our pursuits for greater self-sustainability is the knowledge that one’s true wealth is found in community. There is no such thing as real self-sustainability - we are indeed collective creatures. Of course, this truth has been distorted for political gain (we believe voluntarism and shared values are key to healthy collectivism and that this vision will not be efficient, effective or sustainable if we continually deflect all our responsibilities to the State). Our affluent culture may have created an illusion that we can be independent, and displace our responsibility for charity and service to government bureaucrats. But when it comes down to it (i.e. we start running out of other people’s money, and the latitude to keep printing it out of thin air), nobody can actually thrive alone. Our voluntary collaboration and interdependence on each other is a fractal reflection of our voluntary relationship and ultimate dependence on our Creator.
May we learn to do the same in our own lives, and may we learn to depend on God, not hollow human philosophies - right, left or centre.
It would be unusual to send our readers new years greetings for a happy upcoming year of divine dependency. But we’ll leave it on that unique note and wish each of our readers just that - along with a prosperous, relational, purpose-driven 2025.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
