Anyone here grow their own mushrooms? (mycology)

[ChickenLeg]

I recently decided to try growing my own mushrooms to cook with, you never know what contaminates are lurking on the ones from the store! Just wondering if anyone else on BYC has tried growing their own?

 

[nivtup]

I have not,

Yet.

I think it would be a wonderful thing to do though.


Good luck.

 

[MaggieRae]

I bought one of those grow your own kits online last year and had a nice little farm going. They were quite delicious! Unfortunately, I went out of town for a couple of weeks and without being watered, the mushrooms all shriveled up and my little farm just didn't fully recover after that. I'm hoping to order another and give it another shot!

 

[GardenGal]

I haven't yet, but I read about a way to do it that I'm just dying to try! Set the cap part of the mushrooms gill side down wax paper. Let it sit overnight and then sprinkle the spores on damp soil. Set it somewhere dark and mist it frequently until the mushrooms are ready to harvest.

 

[sumi]

Can you do that with shop bought mushrooms? I thought they would've shed their spores already.
It's weird, DH just told me a minute ago about a small brewery who uses their used barley to grow mushrooms in...

 

[ChickenLeg]

Ive recently started collect spore prints too of wild mushrooms! I traveled to east tn back in the fall and went hiking and collect many spore prints, mushrooms, and photos! It's a fun little hobby, and the shrooms do taste very delicious!

 

[GardenGal]

As far as I know you can collect the spores from commercially raised mushrooms.

 

[ChickenLeg]

I think the spores usually have all fallen off by the time we buy them at the store, especially once theyve been washed (but im not positive)

 

[Dunappy]

Yes I got one of those box kits one time and loved it. I'm going to try Portabella mushrooms this time instead of the button mushrooms. I haven't been able to grow the mushrooms on a log yet as I can't seem to get the humidity right for those in my arid climate.

 

[ChickenLeg]

yeah there is definitely work involved in making sure everything is set up correctly to produce a good colonizing environment. I hope one day I'm able to introduce a strain into our yard, in hopes of the spores surviving throughout the year so that theres recolonization year after year but thats just a fantasy LOL