Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Cultivation, Miscellaneous, Montana Mushrooms News

Shiitake Growing Kit

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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!

Books, Miscellaneous, Montana Mushrooms News, Wild Foraging

New Book on the Book Page

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Check out my book page with a new book added! “Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America” by David William Fischer.

This a well known book by a respected author. David also runs the American Mushrooms site http://americanmushrooms.com/ and helps people all over the world identify their mushrooms.

Miscellaneous, Montana Mushrooms News, Wild Foraging

Toxic Mushroom Lesson

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I found this little jewel while looking for edibles ! At first glance, half buried, it looked like a puffball.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I cut it in half, length wise, as we are taught to do with all suspected puffballs! We are looking for any color other than white, and we are looking for gilled mushrooms in the button or egg stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flesh of the  mushroom is all white , but as you can see, there is a baby mushroom inside. This one happens to be from a very toxic family, Amanita. From the orange layer I would guess this to be from the Muscaria part of the family. A mistake with this identification could cost you your life!

Learn the rules and then there is no worries!

Miscellaneous, Montana Mushrooms News, Wild Foraging

Commercial Morel Picking

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Finally was able to check out the burns by Darby. The burn I checked out was created as a result of the 2011 Saddle Complex Burn.

I have never seen so many mushroom  pickers in one place in my life!  They were everywhere scouring the hills for the elusive black morel. The whole scene was surreal with migrant pickers and locals camping in the same area and hunting for the same prize! Best way to make sure of your safety is to buy rifle scopes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The burn areas were dark, ominous, stinky and dirty. You could tell a destructive force had blown through causing death and mayhem. In some of the harder burned areas you could almost feel the force that had pushed through. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time as a rebirth had started. You could almost picture the fire as it ripped through and consumed everything in its path. The draws had chimney ed and everything in them was ashes that had flowed like rivers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


It was a great trip and I got to camp with the Missoula Mushroom Guru, Larry Evans! We talked about mushroom stuff that bores most people to death. I only found enough morels to eat, but I had a great time and it was pretty much what I had expected. The people that do this for a living, earn that money and deserve every penny!

Thank you to Larry and my other camp hosts!