Mushroom man

I remember when I was very young, we would go get our mushrooms from this old couple who lived on a steep street. There were concrete steps up to their front door and garden, and the garden was not very big but full of produce. Under the house the man grew mushrooms in polystyrene boxes, the ones that fruit and vege shops have for oranges. To my young eyes, it was a wonder to be in that earthy scented room, to see mushrooms of all sizes against their dark dirt. Then it would be a trip upstairs where the woman would ask if I wanted a boiled lolly, and the knife would come out to prise one of them loose to give to me. I knew to avoid the red and white ones which were hot peppermint, and the black and white ones which were licorice. I have no idea how the arrangement came about. How did dad meet these people? Why did we eventually start buying mushrooms from the fruit shop instead?