Wild mushrooms can be scary if you don't know which ones to pick.

Oyster Creek Mushroom Company owner Candice Heydon would never sell an iffy mushroom. And she knows her mushrooms.

She started her company in 1990. Her first crop of shiitake mushrooms, picked from oak logs, was sold to local restaurants and markets. She soon joined her first farmers market.

Juliana Hoffman has been manning the Oyster Creek Mushroom Company stand, that offers a myriad of different species, at the Boothbay Farmers Market this season. She doesn't suggest novices go out looking for mushrooms.

“I would never encourage you to go pick wild mushrooms without a wealth of experience under your belt,” Hoffmann said. “Or at least have someone with more expertise look at them.”

Hoffman, from Jefferson, works for Oyster Creek and sells the mushrooms, wild and cultivated, at several mid coast area farmers markets, and the Lewiston one. She said other team members cover the Camden market on Saturdays and Wednesdays and Damariscotta on Fridays.

The only mushrooms Oyster Creek cultivates are shiitake and oyster, from late spring into the fall. Until wild mushrooms are in season they are imported from other areas, including chanterelles from France. Primarily a wild foraging company, over the years the company has developed a network of foragers who they buy their mushrooms from.

“Foragers know what they're doing and where to get the wild mushrooms,” Hoffmann said, “It's often information that's handed down through generations of families. It's not something they'll often share, because it's their livelihood, and their exclusive knowledge. It's part of their income so they're protective of that knowledge.”

Hoffman said for anyone who isn't familiar with mushrooms the best way to start is by looking for the freshest looking ones. “I would buy whatever is local and in season at that time.” It connects you to the woods in a different way and it gets you to try new things. And it's always a fun experiment.

“My favorite every day mushroom is shiitake,” she said. “But they’re all good. She recommends to anyone trying new mushrooms to simply sauteé them in some oil or butter and maybe add a little garlic.

Oyster and shiitake mushroom growing kits are also available through the company. “If you're feeling adventurous or industrious, they're pretty easy to do,” Hoffmann said. “They take around a year to start producing. The trickiest part is finding the right spot to grow them.”

The company also offers mushroom-infused oils and dried mushrooms and powders. “The powders are great to use in almost anything. They're awesome,” Hoffmann said. In the early spring the mushroom company sells wild greens: ramps, fiddleheads and watercress.

Mushroom varieties available at Oyster Creek Mushroom Company are: black trumpet, chanterelle, chestnut, chicken of the woods, hedgehog, hen of the woods, honshimiji, king oyster, lion's mane, lobster, matsutake, morel, oyster, shiitake and yellow footed chanterelle.

Oyster Creek offers a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. By joining you will help support the beginning of the mushroom season when cash flow through the company is needed. Their flyer states: “Your CSA share will expose you to new mushrooms during their peak flavor. It is a great way to broaden your palette and stay in tune with the seasons.”

“CSA people love mushrooms but they may also be interested in learning how to forage for themselves,” Hoffmann said. “And it's a great way to learn what to look for at certain times.”

The mushroom farm is located at 61 Standpipe Road, Damariscotta, Maine 04543. Call 207-563-1076 for more information. Visit the Facebook page here.