Meet Your Local FarmHer – Ximena Zamacona of Full Circle Mushrooms
Michelle E. Carreon, Food Justice Storyteller
Meet Ximena Zamacona, local FarmHer and founder of Full Circle Mushrooms! Primarily raised in Querétaro, Mexico, Ximena has always had an interest in nature. During college, she studied Agricultural Chemistry and was interested in knowing how plants work, how they grow, and the science behind it all. She figured that by understanding these deeper levels, she could help the environment. Upon graduation, she worked as a production manager in high-tech glasshouses in Mexico, Dallas, and Utah, where she developed an appreciation for both scientific methods and green thumb intuition. It was her experiences in Utah that led her to the Paso del Norte region. She relocated here with her husband, who is originally from Las Cruces, and she had the opportunity to start her own growing operation.
After spending months conducting research and trials, Full Circle Mushrooms was launched in January of 2020–at the beginning of the pandemic. Farming and growing mushrooms in the desert has become a tool for Ximena to show that there is a way to run a business responsibly and have a waste management system that works to close the circle of a low-carbon footprint system. She feels fortunate to be able to grow mushrooms in the middle of one of the oldest pecan orchards in the valley between Las Cruces and El Paso, utilize resources, and contribute to the same farm through dynamic composting efforts. Ximena sees “sustainability” as a complicated term and believes that being sustainable as a business first and doing the least amount of harm to the environment and to others is key.
In addition to increasing representation for women-led growers and farmers in our region, Ximena has shared being excited about the connections she and her team have made with the local community. Full Circle Mushrooms was also a farmer mentor site for our inaugural farmer fellowship this year, and the fellow who worked with them led a workshop with other fellows and staff focused on growing mushrooms at home. The fellows also had an opportunity to help build two compost bioreactors! These bioreactors (one pictured to the right) have high aeration capacity and will promote high fungal activity with no required turning. This is another step forward to closing the circle. From working closely with local chefs and experimenting with mushroom varieties to meeting folks at farmer’s markets, Ximena and her team are fostering meaningful connections in our region while exposing more and more folks to delicious and nutritious mushrooms. She encourages folks to “be brave” to try new things and sees the benefits of mutual relationships between growers and consumers to expand our local food system.
Full Circle Mushrooms grows year round and offers a diverse range of mushrooms, including oyster, black pearl, lion’s mane, shiitake, chestnut, and maitake. Ximena plans to expand to other varieties soon!
Full Circle is a regular vendor at the Las Cruces Farmer’s and Crafts Market, and their mushrooms can often be found in our weekly Farm Fresh farm boxes!
Check out their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
