The short verdict
Both of these small brands sell liquid extracts and whole-food powders or dried products to people who prefer plant-based supplements, so a shopper choosing between them is usually choosing between a mushroom tincture and an herbal extract or greens powder. Our pick for most buyers is Hodgins Harvest: it is the stronger store overall, it grows the mushrooms in its own tinctures on a certified organic New York farm, and it accepts returns on unused, non-perishable items with a prepaid label. Optimally Organic is only for shoppers who already know they want its fulvic mineral drops, freeze-dried grass juice powders, or single-herb extracts, because every sale is final.
- Mushroom tinctures (lion's mane, reishi, cordyceps, turkey tail): Hodgins Harvest.
- Growing your own mushrooms: Hodgins Harvest grow kits, from $27.
- Wheatgrass or barley grass juice powder: Optimally Organic.
- Single-herb liquid extracts like ginkgo or pau d'arco: Optimally Organic.
- Wanting the option to return something: Hodgins Harvest, for non-perishable, full-price items.
- Wanting to call a person before ordering: Optimally Organic, which publishes a phone number.
Neither brand's products are medicines. Check with your doctor before starting any extract, especially if you take other medications.
Side by side
| | Optimally Organic | Hodgins Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Our take | Only for buyers who know what they want; all sales final | Stronger pick: farm-grown sourcing and a real return option |
| What it sells | Fulvic mineral drops, 2oz herbal extracts, freeze-dried grass and fruit powders, bee products | Mushroom dual-extract tinctures, organic grow kits, dried mushrooms, farm merch |
| Catalog | Dozens of extracts and powders | 19 products |
| Typical prices | $19.95 extracts; $37.95 to $44.95 powders; fulvic from $34.95 | $24 tinctures; $27 grow kits; $12 to $18 dried mushrooms |
| Shipping | Flat rate; up to 14 days to ship, 9 to 21 business days in transit | Processed within 48 business hours; free US shipping over $100 |
| Returns | All sales final; refused orders lose 20% plus shipping | 30 days for unused items with prepaid label; perishables and sale items excluded |
| Contact | Phone, email, two physical addresses | Email and form only |
Product comparison
Extracts and tinctures
Hodgins Harvest sells four single mushroom tinctures (lion's mane, turkey tail, cordyceps, reishi) plus a lion's mane and cordyceps blend. Each is a dual extract, using alcohol and hot water, made from 100% fruiting bodies grown on the farm, with no grain fillers. A 2 oz bottle starts at $24, the 4 oz size is $34, and a sampler with one 4 oz bottle of each single mushroom is $105 against a $154 compare-at price. The brand suggests 2 to 4 mL daily. These contain alcohol from the extraction, which some people avoid.
Optimally Organic sells 2 oz alcohol-free herbal extracts made with what it calls a patented cold water extraction, in a vegetable glycerin base with its own fulvic minerals added. The Raw Earth Ginkgo Biloba extract is $19.95 for about 60 servings; Pau D'Arco is $29.95. Some blends are named after health conditions or goals (Lymph Cleanse at $47.95), and several listings omit herb amounts per serving. Read the ingredient list, not the name. Ginkgo and pau d'arco can interact with blood thinners, per our product notes.
Optimally Organic's signature product is Fulvic Ionic Minerals, in X100 ($34.95, 54 servings), X200, and X350 strengths. The listings make sweeping detox and weight loss claims that aren't established by mainstream medicine. If you're curious, the X100 is the lowest-commitment way to try it under a no-returns policy.
Powders and dried products
Optimally Organic's freeze-dried juice powders are its clearest products. The Wheatgrass Juice Powder ($39.95) and Barley Grass Juice Powder ($37.95) are organic, juiced to remove fiber, freeze-dried rather than heated, and come in half-pound bags of about 130 two-teaspoon servings, with no carriers or preservatives. That works out to roughly $0.30 per serving, more than many whole-leaf grass powders. Acerola cherry powder is $44.95 per half pound but doesn't list a serving size or vitamin C content.
Hodgins Harvest sells small amounts of dried mushrooms for cooking or tea: 1 oz of organic lion's mane for $12 and 1 oz of organic cordyceps militaris for $18, both with free shipping to the lower 48.
Grow kits (Hodgins Harvest only)
Hodgins Harvest's organic grow kits are its most distinctive product. Each $27 kit is a block of certified organic mycelium that, per the farm, can yield up to 2 pounds across several flushes. Pink oyster fruits fastest (about 5 to 10 days), standard oyster takes 7 to 14, and lion's mane 10 to 21. You'll need to mist two to three times a day. A 3-pack of all three is $67. Kits are live, perishable products and can't be returned, so start them soon after arrival.
Policies: the deciding factor
Returns. This is the biggest gap. Optimally Organic says all sales are final, with no refunds, exchanges, or returns on any product; incorrect shipments must be reported within 7 days, and refused deliveries are credited minus a 20% restocking fee and shipping. Hodgins Harvest accepts return requests within 30 days of receipt for unused items in original packaging and sends a return label, though perishables (grow kits, dried mushrooms), sale items, and gift cards are excluded. Since 9 of its 19 items were on sale when we checked, buy at full price if returnability matters.
Shipping speed. Optimally Organic allows up to 14 days just to ship, then 9 to 21 business days in transit, so order three to four weeks ahead. It does ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and US territories at a flat rate. Hodgins Harvest processes within 48 business hours, calculates shipping at checkout, ships internationally, and is free over $100 in the US.
Contact. Optimally Organic publishes a phone line, (818) 292-8809, plus email and two addresses, which helps because you can't return a wrong pick. Hodgins Harvest uses email and a form.
How to shop for extracts and superfoods sensibly
- Ignore condition-named products. Supplements aren't evaluated by the FDA to treat disease. Judge by ingredients and amounts.
- Look for amounts per serving. A listing that names herbs but not milligrams makes comparison impossible.
- Check the extraction base. Alcohol-based tinctures and glycerin-based extracts differ; pick the one that suits you.
- Know the source. Hodgins Harvest uses fruiting bodies it grows itself; that kind of sourcing detail is worth more than marketing claims.
- Start small. Buy one bottle before a bundle, especially where returns aren't possible.
- Talk to your doctor if you take medication, are pregnant, or have a health condition.
Who should pick which
- Curious about lion's mane: Hodgins Harvest 2 oz tincture at $24, or grow your own with the $27 kit.
- Wants to try several mushrooms: Hodgins Harvest 4 oz tincture bundle.
- Gift for a home cook or gardener: Hodgins Harvest 3-pack of grow kits.
- Daily greens drinker: Optimally Organic wheatgrass or barley grass juice powder.
- Already uses fulvic minerals: Optimally Organic X100, before committing to a bundle.
Bottom line
Hodgins Harvest is the better choice for most shoppers: farm-grown, transparent sourcing, fair prices, and a real return option on non-perishables. Optimally Organic has clean single-ingredient grass powders and reachable phone support, but its all-sales-final policy, slow delivery, and bold health claims mean you should buy only what you already know you want.