Earthy Delights a Michigan based company specializes in “wild mushrooms and other seasonal wild-harvested items, fresh specialty produce, artisanally produced cheese, aged balsamic vinegar, exotic spices and hard-to find ingredients.” Earthy Delights is also a ShopMyNorth vendor, so MyNorth’s Eliza Foster checked in with Ed Baker, President of Earthy Brands including Earthy Delights, to get some background on what Earthy Delights is all about (and how you can snag some dried morels!)
Tell me about Earthy Delights, why did you start this business?
Earthy Delights was started in 1986 as a non-profit called Michigan Marketing Association (MMA). It seemed there were products such as wild mushrooms, edible flowers, hydroponic greens, that were being grown or harvested, with no way to get them into the hands of the chefs who wanted them. At the same time, there were chefs who wanted these products but had no knowledge of where to find them. MMA helped fill that gap.
What makes your company unique?
The knowledge we have gained over the last 25+ years of sources around the US and the world for high quality, hard to find products. We have also developed better ways of handling and packaging wild mushrooms and other fresh produce for shipping. Finally, we have been recognized by MDARD as having the expertise to identify edible wild mushrooms and other wild foods. This makes Earthy Delights one of the only recognized and certified sources for Wild Mushrooms in Michigan.
Where do you get your mushrooms from?
I could tell you, but I would have to kill you. We get our mushrooms from all over North America, and sometimes from Europe. The majority of our wild mushrooms come from the Pacific Northwest, where fresh wild mushrooms are available year ‘round. We also get mushrooms from throughout the mid-west and Canada seasonally.
Do you have any favorite products?
Oh my. I do love the wild mushrooms, especially the dried ones (they are sometimes better than the fresh) I love some of the aged cheese we sell, especially Pleasant Ridge aged cheddar. I love our Balsamic Cream, Redoro Olive Oil, Truffle Oil, Yuzu Kosho… so many..
You sell dried morels as well as several other kinds of mushrooms. What are some additional products that you sell other than mushrooms?
We sell lots of fresh truffles and truffle products such as truffle oil and truffle salt. Aged balsamic vinegar, Extra virgin Olive Oil, American Artisanal Cheese, Charcuterie, many Asian and other imported ingredients, BLiS Maple Syrup aged in bourbon barrels…