Abandoned underground mushroom farms are pretty common in Europe. It was a booming business in the 20th century and many old underground quarries or tunnels got reconverted into underground mushroom farms. After all, rent was pretty cheap since those place had no other use. Plus the dark surroundings and humid climate are excellent growing conditions for mushrooms.
For more then a decade I’ve been exploring abandoned underground quarries and therefore i’ve come across many old abandoned mushroom farms, but this one was something different. It was a freshly abandoned mushroom farm. Due to some personal health problems, this small hobby farm in an underground quarry got abandoned. The last mushroom harvest from these beds was only months ago.
There are still a few “Champignons des Paris”on these beds that look just fine and edible whilst the rest looks overgrown. In reality it was 50 times worse, with an unbearable scent of fungus and manure you could smell from far away. The raised mushroom beds had large puddles of water underneath coming from the manure that was used to grow the “Champignons”. Actually I had to pause and run several times between taking pictures to prevent throwing up.
Still I was fascinates by the unique structures and colors that have appeared. One thing is sure, i’m not eating mushrooms ever again!
