‘So Mush Goodness’ is the name of the new business started by an innovative couple who bring their beautiful mushrooms to Castlemaine every Wednesday to the Castlemaine Farmers Market. They look like art installations with their extraordinary shapes and colours.
Ana (originally from Columbia) and Paola (from Italy) started their business of growing your own mushrooms because they believe in the health benefits as well as the delicious flavour. They find that people who want to reduce the amount of meat in their diet use mushrooms as a great alternative.
Ana said they began growing, researching and experimenting with mushrooms around two years ago and things grew from there.
“It took some time to get established so that we were producing an amount where we could sell to the public but we officially started our business around 12 months ago.
“Due to covid many markets were closed and Castlemaine Farmers Market was the first market we were able to attend. We have received magnificent support from the local community and enjoy visiting Castlemaine every Wednesday and for the monthly market,” Ana said.
The Daylesford couple sell a variety of fresh mushrooms including Shiitake, Pioppino, Oysters and King Oysters and also ‘Grow your own’ kits so that you can grow your favourites at home.
The pair are also fascinated in the medicinal benefits of mushrooms with some varieties credited with improving memory, clearing toxins and enhancing circulation.
“It’s something we are exploring more deeply and we hope to move into this area too in the future to share the health benefits with our clients,” Ana said.
Check the stall out next time you are at the market and Ana will explain the different varieties they have and how to grow them successfully.

A new poetry collection by renowned Castlemaine poet Rob Wallis was officially launched at the Northern Arts Hotel in Barker Street Castlemaine last Saturday.
Down Rainbow Road: New and Selected Poems will be unveiled at 2.30pm by poet Nathan Curnow.
Down Rainbow Road includes two new sequences of poems by Wallis. Inheritance is a multi-voice history of Australian gay experience from the earliest days of exploration and settlement. Muscular Flirtations gathers more personal reflections on a life – struggle towards acceptance and love. Selected Poems presents the variations of Rob’s poetry through five earlier collections. See the Mail for the full story. Out Now.

Recently 20 members of the Castlemaine Probus Club enjoyed a five day getaway in the Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale area.
Around a dozen of the members are pictured here about to set off on the picturesque cliff top walk to the pier.
A wonderful time was enjoyed by all.
The local Probus Club meets on the second Wednesday of the month at the Mount Alexander Golf Club located at the top of Wimble Street, Castlemaine at 10am. New members are always most welcome.

Young families and local school children joined the fun of National Simultaneous Storytime ­on Wednesday at Castlemaine Library as libraries across the region celebrated Australia’s biggest storytelling session! The same book was read at venues across Australia and New Zealand at the same time.
This year’s book was Philip Bunting’s Give Me Some Space! a delightful story that expertly merges non-fiction facts with imaginative play and was proudly read by special guest Cr Rosie Annear.
Children also enjoyed some songs packed with space facts with Castlemaine librarian Stuart Winser.