We cultivate protein-rich winecap (Stropharia Rugosoannulata) mushrooms in our sanctuary duck compost and in wood/hay mulch plantings as part of our regenerative agriculture program. Winecaps are considered a choice edible, and we harvest the fruiting bodies at the perfect moment (when the caps are still curved and tight) to capture ultimate flavor.

We combine the young, dehydrated & toasted caps with water, house-made organic barley koji, and salt to make this unique amino paste that can be used as a deep flavoring throughout your cuisine.

Use this Barley-Winecap amino paste like a light miso or ‘bouillon paste,’ as a soup base, broth ingredient, as an enhancement to bean dishes, and even salad dressings. Rich, round, salty, sweet—carrying the many medicinal and nutritional benefits of mushrooms, combined with vital ‘umami’.

We cultivate winecaps in symbiosis with the ecology of our particular biome. Snakes move the spores from place to place, the mycelia colonize the aged green sawdust from our duck sanctuary, sequestering carbon and allowing the sawdust to join the soil ecosystem more quickly, while supporting crops like pumpkins, corn and mushrooms.

This amino paste represents deep intimacy with the land and excellence in creating delicious flavors from what the land offers us. We hope that your purchase expands the kinship we all share as people of this beautiful planet.