Montgomery ‘Shroom’ Specialist Is a Popular Farmer's Market Attraction in Central NJ

Wildspawn Mushrooms, a homegrown business success story

By Rikki Massand | September 6, 2025

Montgomery native Jeff Mertz is co-founder and owner of Wildspawn Mushrooms, a blossoming agribusiness. Weekend farmers’ market attendees are often drawn to Wildspawn’s colorful array of the freshly-foraged and locally-grown fungi.

Jeff Mertz in his “Magical Shroom Room” in his home on Bridgepoint Road in Belle Mead.

Photo by Rikki Massand

Mertz grew up near the Mill Pond Bridge on Dead Tree Run Road; the second-oldest of four siblings. He was in the first class of students that attended all four years in the “new” Montgomery High School in Skillman, graduating in 2010. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics at Ithaca College, he returned home for a job in engineering. While working for Discovery Semiconductors in Ewing during the pandemic, he said he realized his work life was missing a spark.

So, with his friend Cody Iannozzi, whom he met at an indoor rock-climbing gym in Flemington, they decided to spend more time in nature. Mertz developed a passion for fungi and foraging while hiking.

“Cody worked in mosquito control so his job was being outside in the woods all day,” Mertz said. “He had plenty of time to scope out stuff. I leaned on him to learn where to go and what to look for. Together we started cultivating mushrooms.”

After establishing Wildspawn together, in 2023 Mertz took over as sole proprietor. Iannozzi still forages and donates his “excess” to Wildspawn for sales. 

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Cultivating Mushrooms

The cultivation operations started in Ringoes, but early this year Mertz moved to a quaint house in his hometown on Bridgepoint Road. The rented property is a great setting for him, his hound dog, and a roommate. 

Mertz set up what he calls a “Magical Shroom Room” in his converted, two-car garage.

The products are kept in a climate-controlled environment, deemed an appropriate use by the township zoning office. Mertz does not have to worry about bugs or pests since his ‘produce’ is growing indoors.

“I have not applied to get certified organic through the state, though everything I do here is organic with no chemicals involved. The substrate blocks our mushrooms are forming in are organic and the spawn is organic,” Mertz noted.

Inside the temperature must be kept at 68 degrees; infrastructure includes a humidifier system producing vapor puffs in the center of the room, and a wall-mounted UV sterilizer.

Chicken of the wood mushrooms are a great starter mushroom to try, since they have a mild earthy flavor and a similar texture to chicken breast, which explains the name. Common to Montgomery Veteran's Park.

Photo from Jeff Mertz

“Mushrooms rely on having high humidity so the machine is needed. I was lucky to get a $5,000-grant from the NJ Department of Agriculture.”

The grant for “underserved, beginning, and military veteran farmers” is funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP).

There are close to 200 pounds of mushroom varieties being cultivated in the garage. This summer the Shroom Room includes Pioppino (velvet Pioppini), Pink Oyster, Yellow Oyster, Blue Oyster, and Chestnut – a vibrant  “showstopper” with a nutty, earthy flavor.

A deliciously chewy mushroom that's relatively new to mushroom cultivation, chestnut mushrooms are one of the few species of Pholiota that are safe to eat, according to Forager|Chef.

Mertz said Wildspawn also sells Shiitake mushrooms grown on a friend’s Pittstown farm. He also brings in Maitake mushrooms for farmers markets.

Locally, he likes to forage the Sourlands and in Montgomery parks, as well as on private land when he gets permission. 

A common mushroom he finds in Montgomery Veterans Park is “Chicken of the Woods” – which has a chicken-like texture and taste. This meaty variety grows on trees and spawns into wide fans.

“I’m always on the lookout for new spots,” he said. “Mushroom foraging has been transformative for me, and I want to pass that experience on to more people.”

Where to Buy Wildspawn Mushrooms

Fridays: Rutgers Campus Market.

Saturdays: Pennington Farmers Market at Rosedale Mills, 101 Rt. 31 North, and at the Yardley, Pa. Farmers Market;

Sundays: The Hunterdon County Farmers Market at the 40-acre Case-Dvoor Farmstead, 111 Mine Street in Flemington.

Also, The Asbury Park Farmers + Makers Market. 

Mushrooms tell a great story, evolving from their ritualistic uses by shamans in Europe to the groovy look of their shapes, patterns and texture. Some customers seek mushrooms for the visual appeal. He has sold to photographers and artists.

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Mushroom Coffee

Several people have asked if he sells or makes mushroom coffee.

“I’m all for it but people should do research to learn about the brands. I do drink mushroom coffee, and I think Four Sigmatic and Ryze are two good brands. If you are trying to replace coffee completely then it isn’t a perfect substitute, mushroom coffee usually can’t give you that same stimulus, but there are brands that have a much stronger punch of nutrients, especially from Lion’s Mane, that will have microbiomes that are good for your gut, for energy, for your brain and your skin,” he explained.

Check out WildSpawnMushrooms.com for recipes, information, and convenient online ordering. ■