October is a great time to start outside growing projects.
This cool damp weather reminded me to turn some mycelium loose outdoors!
Category Archives: Cultivation
Shiitake Growing Kit
I recently started offering Mushroom Grow Kits on my website, so I thought I would grow one out to show how easy it is to produce fresh mushrooms indoors!
I picked the Shiitake Mushroom Patch first.
I ordered the kit on Thursday and it arrived at my
door on Monday by UPS.
Then the kit had to go in the refrigerator for 4 days. After that was 4 hours of soaking in water to initiate the flush!
The humidity tent went on and it was misted 4 times a day. I started to see life right away!
That is a perfect Shiitake in my world! I harvested about 1 pound and now it will rest for a couple weeks and I will start the cycle again. I will repeat this 4 or 5 times or until the kit only produces tiny mushrooms. Then comes the bonus…the kit will be used to inoculate some logs!
Mushroom Grow Kits
Have you ever wanted to grow mushrooms, but didn’t know where to start?
Mushroom grow kits are a great way to begin growing mushrooms.
Mushroom Grow Kits
Mushroom Puzzle
I was taking advantage of a green cottonwood in town that had fallen. Several blocks about a foot long and 2 to 3 foot around were free for the taking. I stacked them on top of each other and was planning to split and store them to cure.
I noticed mycelium growing on the face where they were stacked together, and did not recognize the mycelium smell or look, but decided to let them grow enough to identify them.
Mushrooms are more valuable than fireplace fodder!
My guess at that time was Pholiota or honey (shoestring rot) or possibly (hopefully) oysters. The mycelium didn’t smell like oyster, but I had seen oysters growing on this tree before. The tree had rotted so honeys were possible, and pholiota grows everywhere.
They were Pholiota after all. I had suspected this all along, but had to verify. Their bumps, brown spores and smell of garlic gave them away!
Spring Mushroom Season
Spring mushroom season is almost here, and I can hardly wait!
The mycelium is underground waiting to start growing again. I like to think it is as excited as we are to see spring finally come. Probably more because it’s life literally depends on it.
Growing projects established last year will be stronger this year and should start growing earlier and flush sooner. The weather has been cooperative for starting spring projects also.
Wild mushrooms still need more moisture for a good flush, but that remains to be seen! Snowbank mushrooms are simmering under tons of snow and will follow the snowbank out as it thaws.
I made a mushroom spread last night and will make a soup today from my dried wild stash. Enjoying dry wild mushrooms and planning for the upcoming season is a good way to wait for nature.