Anyone here grow their own mushrooms? (mycology)

[beaglady]

I grow shiitakes and oyster mushrooms on logs. You can buy the spawn here www.fieldforest.net The hardest part of the process is waiting for a year from the time you innoculate the logs, until they give mushrooms. Yum, though.

We're also going to try growing stropharia mushrooms between the rows in our asparagus beds this year.

 

[OHhappychicks]

That's so interesting!! I just read an article today on growing shitake mushrooms! The even referred to fieldforest.net to order your kit from. I was telling my dh about it this evening. I'm seriously thinking about it! Sounds like fun and I believe the more we grow our own food, the healthier we can be. You may be hearing more from me on this subject. May need help from the more experienced!

 

[mendozer]

bringing the thread back from the grave.

I have logs outside in the yard (shiitake, maitake, oyster). it's hard to get it constant with temperature because of our current heat wave. i don't feel it's ever really kept moist, despite my constant spraying. I'm thinking of moving them to the garage so they're always shaded and maybe put them in buckets with water on the bottom to keep em moist.

what do you all think?

i could add soil to the bucket if its one of those mushroom types

 

[beaglady]

Just wanted to pop in and brag a bit. I innoculated some poplar logs this past April with oyster mushroom spawn. So far, I've harvested about 1-1/2 gallons of oysters from them. I was delighted to see that they produced so fast!

 

[litmisredneck]

Where is the best place to get a kit for button mushrooms? I have been wanting to grow some, but I have not found a good kit yet.

 

[ginbart]

I used to have a family member grow Portabella Mushrooms. They had the logs in a shaded area and it was very damp. They bored holes and sealed them with, I think wax. It was neat watching them come out of the logs the next year.

My DH now knows nothing about mushrooms, only how to eat them and he would like to know how you can tell the difference between the good and bad in the wild. I hope this is OK to ask here since you all know what you are doing. Thanks.

 

[juststruttin]

I heard you can boil straw, innoculate with spores and hang from oak trees in baskets. I am not sure what kind. I have been wanting to try.

 

[ChristineR]

I haven't tried it yet, but it's something I'd like to do, one of these days, if I ever have the time. The "mushroom guru," Paul Stamets, lives in Olympia and I've been meaning to buy a kit. I've heard really good things about him and his company, Fungi Perfecti. There's an online store, too. www.fungi.com

 

[DaikaijuTorira]

I grow shiitakes and oyster mushrooms on logs. You can buy the spawn here www.fieldforest.net

Chicken mushroom Chicken mushroom Chicken mushroom No chicken mushroom... Oh well, don't even know if they'd grow well here, something to look into though, thanks!

My DH now knows nothing about mushrooms, only how to eat them and he would like to know how you can tell the difference between the good and bad in the wild. I hope this is OK to ask here since you all know what you are doing. Thanks.

There is no easy answer to that. Buy, read, and re-read at least one field guide. Learn the terminology and mushroom parts, as well as how to do spore-printing, and what to do in case of a mistake. Collect and attempt to identify a sample, refer to field guides and online searches (if possible.) Pay especially close attention to deadly look-alikes and what differences there are to tell them apart, the field guide will probably tell you. Remember though, no matter which field guide you have, even if you have several, there will always be something that is not in the guide. Once you are mostly sure you have correctly identified the species, call an expert, a real expert, you could be placing your life in their hands. Do NOT skip consulting an expert if you are a beginner. If you were right, awesome, try with some others. If you have decided to eat any wild-collected mushroom, save a sample, refrigerated, uncooked, just in case it was incorrectly identified. The hospital will need it to identify the best method of treatment. Never eat any species that cannot be positively identified. Also, only eat a little bit of any new species, wait a few days before eating any others. Even if it isn't toxic, any particular species could cause an allergic reaction. Always make sure they are completely cooked unless you are positive the species is ok for eating raw, some can cause serious digestive problems raw but are fine when cooked. Be aware of possible problematic interactions with other things, as an example, Alcohol Inkys are ok by themselves, but alcohol should not be consumed for a few days after eating them, preferably not before either. It can be dangerous, really, but if you put the effort into learning what you need to know, it can be very rewarding. My husband and I gathered several wonderfully delicious species while we were still living in NY. We were lucky enough to have had Mr. Katsaros living close by and willing to check our mushrooms. Since we've been down here all that we've managed to identify were quite deadly.