Kane's Family Farm Homegrown Mushrooms - L.A.

Mushrooms are known to spark creativity.

How fitting, then, that when a poet with an M.F.A. from U.C. Irvine married the daughter of two Toronto fungiculture professionals, the couple started farming exotic mushrooms on their one-acre property in La Habra Heights, along with help from their then-11-year-old daughter.

Cliff and Marisa Kane, of Kane's Family Farm, are now bringing their sublime homegrown mushrooms, which currently include shiitake ($3 per box) and brown, blue and yellow oyster mushrooms ($3 per box), to a handful of local farmers' markets.

Sarkis Vartanian is one chef who is already entranced by the Kanes' mushroom stand, where fungi are often dramatically displayed still attached to their organic growing logs.

Vartanian has introduced the products into his repertoire at Daily Dose Café, where he folds blue oyster mushrooms into scrambled eggs and serves them on a bed of garlic spinach ($9).

Look for the Kanes and their goods at the Echo Park, Uptown Whittier and Atwater Village markets, as well as the Fullerton and Costa Mesa markets in Orange County.

Kane's Family Farm, available at the Echo Park (Fridays, 3 to 7 p.m.), Uptown Whittier (Fridays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Atwater Village (Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Fullerton (Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Costa Mesa (Mondays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) farmers' markets.