Mushroom Gardening?

[Chris222]

This is a great thread. Thanks for all the updates! I see that this project was stared back in 2015 - I'm assuming the continued flushes are from the original plugs? If you could put a number on it - how many flushes do you think you've had?

I'm having a couple of mature pin oaks cut down in a few weeks, and will be able to basically build as many of these as I have room for. I've been wanting to do it for several years, but haven't had the right combination of time and materials until now. I'd be a happy camper to get anywhere close to those results!

[applestar]

Yep same logs, same plugs. If I was more dedicated to this project, I would have started more logs every year. — but I’m LOVING how well they have performed. I really couldn’t tell you how many flushes...sorry.

...btw that bag of spores in brown rice substrate in still in the fridge — solid white block. I really should have inoculated with them before. Now I don’t know if they are still viable, but I managed to procure two oak stump rounds ... I might try a (modified) totem technique.


I’m looking forward to hearing how yours turn out

[applestar]

Unfortunately, it looks like my shiitake logs have been taken over. This is what I found today.



...I have tried picking up fresh oak logs and rounds to start new inoculated logs, but have not been able to get it done for one reason or another. You can see a couple of rounds I had hoped to make totem style stacked rounds in the collage growing “weed” fungi as well.

I’m planning to move these logs and use them for pond-side landscaping.

___
ETA — bottom-right is a polypore and almost definitely Turkey Tail, so maybe good to use for immune system enhancing tea. But the other lighter colored one has gills, so I’m not sure what it is.

...maybe it’s this ...
Trametes betulina - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_betulina

[applestar]

Aaaargh! I forgot to take pictures!

I just inoculated a large oak trunk round with Lion’s Mane E. americanum. I really, really wanted to do a totem, but I couldn’t get the right kind of logs, and ran out of time even for fall inoculation and indoor incubation/colonization (in the garage), so I “winged” it.

... single big trunk round in a brown kraft paper-cushioned black plastic bag, inside a wheeled bucket, then liberally inoculated with crumbled spawn on both cut surfaces then papered with more brown kraft paper, then covered with second black plastic bag and string tied/tucked in on all sides... Wheeled into the center of the unheated garage where hopefully temperatures will stay above freezing long enough for the spawn to colonize a bit before going dormant for the winter.

Since I very carefully wrapped it up with plastic — loose enough for air vent but tight enough to hold in moisture, I refuse to go uncover and take pics. Let’s just say “stay tuned” for the reveal in the spring when I can put it outside.

The Mushroom Forager – Lion’s Mane: A Foolproof Fungus
https://themushroomforager.com/2010/09/2 ... /#comments

Lion’s Mane on Logs
https://www.fieldforest.net/pdfs/Lions_Mane_web.pdf

- I have about 3/5 of the Lion’s Mane sawdust spawn left since I couldn’t inoculate another one before it started to rain buckets, and I needed to drill the log for the 2nd inoculation strategy.

- I have to see if I can saw a 1/2 round trunk piece in half for inoculating with Maitake/Hen of the Woods. This one is tricky because you have to pasteurize the Log first, and, as it is, it’s too big...Oh! hmmm maybe I could put it Whole in the kettle grill and steam it....?

[applestar]

I’m finding myself dragging “mushroom growing” to the front burner.

...I might be getting ahead of myself, but am currently toying with the idea of pressure cooking some substrates in 1 qt canning jars to inoculate with some of the Lion’s Mane spawn, Maitake spawn, and some scraps of the Beech mushrooms we had yesterday, ...

Also pressure sterilizing larger amounts of substrate in autoclave bags for Lion’s Mane and also this Shiitake —

Subject: Mushroom Gardening?
Fri Jan 13, 2017

-- that's actually a small (about 1/2") weather dried shiitake cap that I stuck in there. I'm guessing there were viable spores on it.

...I STILL have that and need to get it out of the fridge. It looks like the spawn is still alive, but I’m not sure if they have enough life in them to make a run....

[applestar]

I’ve mentioned it before — my garden has internet access and secretly monitors what I post about them on-line... then respond to show what they think of my misconceptions. They are particularly impressive when refuting any suggestion that they are “done” or when I post that I have “given up” on them.

This morning:


— and if you look to the left of the beautiful lone shiitake, I think I see another pin forming.

[SQWIB]

That is so awesome.
I'm starting some Winecaps "King Stropharia" this weekend
Spawn should be here by Friday, have one bed prepped for them and a few other spots.

[applestar]

Ooh keep us posted. I’ve been wanting to try that. Starting them in the fall might be the better idea — I had to give up this spring because I couldn’t find straw.

[applestar]

Having spent the last several days researching Turkey Tail mushrooms, and having actually braved making and trying a decoction tea from freshly harvested samples, I have decided to accept them as part of my Mushroom Garden.

Despite some bodacious health claims, there are definitely widely varied opinions on efficacy, but at least it is researched and sufficiently widely consumed to let me feel more confident. But you should definitely do your own research and make your own judgment.


Apparently, I am fortunate enough to have the more frequently described Turkey Tail look-alikes growing side by side for ID comparison and verification — I am prettty confident in my ID of these ...

Trametes versicolor
“The” Turkey Tail


Stereum ostrea
“False Turkey Tail”


Trametes betulina
The Gilled Polypore
(formerly Lenzites betulina)


...even this...

Trichaptum biforme
Violet-toothed Polypore

(https://www.mushroomexpert.com/trichaptum_biforme.html)

...and possibly this, though still not absolutely sure, based on this description...

brackets soon lose their pristine appearance, developing brown radial lines and deep furrows near the margin on the upper surface and a yellowish tinge to the fertile underside.
https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/tram ... escens.php

Trametes pubescens
a bracket fungus

- Wondering if his yellowed brown dried up one is also Trametes pubescens



But pretty sure (and excited) that these are likely to be also well colonized Turkey Tail, promising future harvest to come


...even this big trunk round that I had *intended* to inoculate with shiitake this spring but didn’t get around to it seems to have been colonized by Turkey Tail...

[SQWIB]

My better half thought I was crazy when I brought this home and ate it.
I do a bit of backpacking on the AT and I am laways looking for something to supplement my meals.



Here's a small one I found at work. This was was rather good












For the dip I used Outbacks Blooming Onion dip recipe, this dip is great with anything breaded and fried.
If I were in the field this guy would be chopped and added to eggs or a stew or something.

[applestar]

Giant Puffballs, right? I found one growing in the (safe part of the) lawn a few years ago, cut it open and it was white solid, so I ate it.


...I’m going to post this collage as a place marker that I did this. I will report on the results and details later IF they are successful... (unless someone wants to know NOW, then I’m not opposed to describing the process I used)



...they will need to incubate at warmer temps for the spawn run, then opened up in cooler location to breathe for primordia development, and finally fruiting of the mushrooms ... all kinds of things can go wrong, so it’s a big challenge.


- I still have some Combs Tooth (H. americanum) spawn left to process — I do want to inoculate in a big substrate, either another log or bag of sawdust mix since these won’t develop into larger fruiting masses in small containers ...these jars were just for fun. I didn’t try the Shiitake because one source said shiitake is one mushroom that won’t grow in a jar.
- Even though the shiitake is in a big bag of substrate, I’m not entirely confident about the spawn being alive/active after all this time. It didn’t smell like shiitake either, which I think is a big clue — it smelled more like something pickled, maybe bokashi, which is bacterial... it could even mean that all that white stuff isn’t even mycelia hyphae — but DH said he really wanted me to try growing shiitake, so I’ll see what happens. I did throw in the basal stem and a piece of the under cap from that last shiitake I harvested.
- Beech mushroom is another one that’s mostly an experiment. I stuffed in the stem base that you normally cut off and throw away, using the straw to load and inject.

- I’m waiting to inoculate the Maitake/Hen of the Woods until last because I don’t want to open the spawn bag until I’m ready to use them all. Apparently, Maitake is easily contaminated and won’t spawn when competitors are present. I can’t keep them too much longer, so in the next couple of days.

[HoneyBerry]

I am wondering if the type of wood for the logs matters. Does each mushroom variety have a favorite log? I have a walnut log. Would that work?

[applestar]

Type of wood definitely matters. At a quick glance Lion’s Mane/Comb Tooth are the only ones that will grow on Black Walnut/Walnut, and walnut species generally is to be avoided — definitely not for Shiitake

Here’s one nice chart, but there are several really good sources
https://www.fieldforest.net/pdfs/Tree%2 ... 0Chart.pdf

In Washington State and Pacific Northwest in general, undoubtedly the best source for spawn is Fungi Perfecti. I would have to pay for express shipping to make use of their quality product, so I use other sources closer to home. Especially when growing outdoors, you would want mushroom strains that are acclimated to, and known to thrive in, your local climate/conditions anyway.

[HoneyBerry]

Yeah, I stood in on one of their classes once. They are popular around here. They have a nice selection of health food supplements.
Mushrooms, a very interesting subject. There are alot of foragers around here. Lots of fungi around here.
The Hoh River area is really wet and mossy. We camped there and of course it rained. Very mossy and beautiful. Lots of wild mushrooms there.

[applestar]

My understanding is that better part of the tiny NJ state for mushroom foraging is in the Northwestern regions — at least 1 hour to 2 hours away... although I have thought about signing up for guided foraging activities at state forests in the more local areas.

I HAVE observed some cool looking tiny mushrooms in the Pine Barrens as well, however.

[HoneyBerry]

I have never foraged for wild mushrooms. I am afraid to. I don't know enough and would probably make a mistake. I would rather cultivate them in my yard from a kit. That way I know for sure which mushrooms I have and that they are safe.
I need to acquire a taste for mushrooms. I don't care for them really. Probably not cooked right. I sometimes don't like the texture. They are expensive to buy so it's not worth it to pay so much for something that isn't all that enjoyable. The last time I made soup I threw in some shitake mushrooms. I didn't like them. They were slimy. I admit it. I'm picky.

[applestar]

I wonder what kind of soup this was? Trying to imagine shiitake being slimy and failing.

Shiitake has a distinct flavor and aroma, so I tend to cook them into simple, uncomplicated broth if for soup or noodle soup. But IMHO, almost any mushroom is great lightly salted and gently cooked in butter (or good oil ... I guess I use sunflower, safflower, sesame, or EVOO) until they release their moisture and edges are slightly browned/caramelized.

[applestar]

Still hoping this is the Bellwether shiitake. It is definitely starting to look lively—


...I have been turning, jostling, and shaking the bag every day...

[HoneyBerry]

applestar wrote: "I wonder what kind of soup this was? Trying to imagine shiitake being slimy and failing."

It was just veggie soup, no recipe. The shitakes were just a little bit slimy, not super slimy. And not all of them, just a few. The shitakes were chopped into very small pieces. The soup wasn't ruined. It's just that the shitakes weren't all that fantastic like I was expecting them to be. I need to learn more about mushrooms and how to cook them. I grew up with the standard white mushrooms, crimini I think. No shitake or maitake or portabello etc. Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup was my most expanded mushroom experience back then. Sometimes we fried crimini mushrooms in butter and soy sauce. That was considered fancy. I didn't even know there was such a thing as shitakes, etc, back then.

[applestar]

OK. So it took me this long to move ahead with this project, and I was still unable to get the supplies together and I’m really REALLY out of time. I tend to NOT follow directions, but SOME procedures should really be followed to the letter — I’m afraid my chances of success has significantly diminished.

...this is likely going to turn in to “what NOT to do” arc from my mushroom growing stories...

Here’s what I did — this is the bed to the NNE side of the house where the Orchid Fern has established for years. Since the Arrowwood Viburnum and Alternate-leaved Dogwood, as well as Carolina Allspice have grown to mature size, and the big Siberian elm behind the neighbor’s house has grown taller, the area is pretty well protected from direct sun.


- I cleared an area and laid flattened cardboard down, then layered a fluffy bed of damp Douglas fir shavings
- put down some of the sawdust spawn, then laid the trunk round on top
- put down more sawdust spawn, then covered with brown craft paper and more shavings.
- I forgot to take a picture, but for the Combs Tooth in the foreground, I left some of the spawn in the bag and fitted it over a cut off stub of a branch to one side. I also scored the surface of the round before putting down the spawn
- it turned out that the 2nd big round I chose for the Maitake was already growing some kind of fungus — this was truly bad, but I did the Comb’s Tooth first and had no more oak round to work with, so I ended up thoroughly spraying the surface with peroxide and scraping off what I could, letting it air for a bit, then went ahead by only putting down the maitake spawn where there were nothing obvious on the surface. I also covered the spawn with the empty spawn bag and left the “weedy” portion of the log uncovered and unprotected to hopefully dry out and stay colder (die! )
- I loosely covered both with black plastic bag to hold in moisture better, then covered with cardboard box to reduce further contamination and insulate them a little, but with the freezing weather already upon us, I’m not sure how much chance they have of surviving. If the oak rounds are already contaminated by more winter hardy fungi, then the Maitake, which dislikes competition, and even Comb’s Tooth probably won’t be able to colonize due to competition pressure.


In the meantime... I had a bag of same substrate as the shiitake which I had pressure cooked the next day, then never had the chance to inoculate. That had been sitting in the pressure cooker on the corner of the stove unopened all this time. I had intended to re-pressure cook first, but ran out of time and energy, so I simply inoculated it with the Maitake spawn as shown in the top two photos below. I’ll keep that in the same room as the shiitake for now.

The shiitake bag looks like the 4 photos below. As you can see the “block” is well-colonized, BUT there are two patches of mold contamination. I’m not sure what to do now. I may take this out of the bag and try to see if I can get at least one flush of mushrooms to fruit before the mold takes over....



...of the 3 jars, the Combs Tooth had become spotty with bits of mold contamination.

- I think the leaf/twig substrate was too wet and should have been drained a little better, or better yet, should have been steamed rather than boiled, the combo may have been too rich, or it’s because I hotwater bath’d, but NOT pressure-cooked the jars. I actually emptied one of the jars and mixed it in with the Fir shavings under the Comb’s Tooth round. I misplaced the 2nd jar or I would have done the same. Not sure if that was going to be good or bad... but Comb’s Tooth is said to be pretty competitive so maybe?

...I didn’t get the chance to look at the beech mushroom jar yesterday.

[applestar]

I found pretty clear-cut instructions for “fruiting” the shiitake block here (although this doesn’t tell you the optimum temperature range....)

Grow Your Own Shiitake
Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
https://northspore.com/collections/grow ... n-shiitake

- I put the bag of colonized shiitake substrate outside on the patio overnight (I don’t have room in my fridge for this), and also left out a big pot of boiled water to chill. The temperatures went down to 40’s around 2AM and stayed in the 30’s all morning.



- This morning, I opened the bag, pulled off the worst of the moldy patches, and plopped the shiitake block in the pot of water and left it covered to submerge, then after dunking it a couple of times, brought it inside in a colander to drain, and then set it up on the kitchen counter.
- Here’s a glimpse —


I’ll let you know what happens.

[applestar]

Update on shiitake block —

I became worried because the kitchen temp has been higher than expected for this time of the year and it reached 75°F, which is the upper limit of the desirable fruiting temp range. I took everything off, and sure enough, there was a large patch of green mold and a smaller patch, plus a few scattered micro-spots. I wiped down the counter, removed and washed everything, baked the chopsticks and additional bamboo skewers to sterilize, covered the surrounding area with kitchen wrap and then began what felt like brain surgery —
- patted the bigger mold spots with rum-soaked paper towel (dark green to nearly black) then
- pulled off moldy substrate with tweezers, while
- blotting the “surgical field” with rum-soaked paper towel/sponge, then
- detailing with rum-soaked cotton swabs.

I was amused to see that when completed, the paper towel and cotton swab only picked up brandy-colored liquid from the substrate, which I equated with “clean blood” LOL

- it was even funnier to see that the analogy held, when I had excised all of the affected substrate and found pure white mass “healthy tissue” underneath.

I wiped down the counter again, rigged a new humidity cover using the bamboo skewers and some plastic wrap, then covered the top with washed and squeezed damp cloth napkin. I’m planning to “soap-wash the napkin and damp cloth drape” several times during the day to keep up the humidity. (I can do this at the same time when I’m rinsing the sprouts) — hopefully after this “surgery” and with the more airy new set up, the shiitake mycelia will be able to compete-overtake-colonize the block without further infiltration.

I have a better set up going than the last time I grew indoor shiitake, but this weakened block may have a hard time maturing.

With the previous indoor shiitake block, I ran into a much worse green mold infiltration when I tried to get the block to fruit for the second time after a full and productive flush. But I’ve learned a few more tricks since then, and I know where I went wrong the last time. Hopefully, this one will fruit for me at least once.

[applestar]

- empty brown hollow top-right is the “surgical site”

[applestar]

On Sunday — Used about 2 dozen cotton swabs sprayed with rum to clean up scattered blue-green mold that sprang up in surgical site and as tiny patches around lower portions of shiitake block. Replaced condensation-covered plastic wraps.


- there’s a dinner plate under the upside down steamer tray (resting on a couple of straws for airgap). I wash the plate twice a day, spray the underside with rubbing alcohol, and add some fresh tap water to evaporate through the day to maintain humidity
- even using boiled water and only misting the inside of the plastic wrap rather than the block directly seems to increase risk of mold
- overt/beaded condensation seems risky too

[applestar]

Shiitake block update:

Yesterday when I was cleaning up a few blue-green mold spots and patches, I realized the shiitake block had become too light — it was drying out. So I left it outside in the overnight drizzle — unseasonably warm about 60°F.


(Can you see how the mycelia have mostly filled in the “brain surgery hollow”? The dark patch in the top-right photo is a new area that was starting to grow mold on the surface, wiped with rum soaked paper towel and then detailed with cotton swabs. )

This morning, I swished the block around in the accumulated rainwater, then put it in a bag with cold bottled spring water from the jug dispenser and soaked for about 30 minutes, pouring out the water after thoroughly shaking and swirling the water to hopefully rinse off the mold spores. (I might do this again one more time in the next couple of days.)

I loosely closed the bag and put it back on thoroughly cleaned counter and bake/sterilized steamer. For now, I clipped off the top corner of the bag to provide a tiny bit of ventilation while maintaining high humidity for a while longer, but will review what to do from here.



I’m going to try the following, but keeping the block fully enclosed in the bag may increase opportunities for the mold to gain ground....

Shiitake Mushroom Kit Growing Instructions
Richters InfoSheet D8655

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) prefers cool temperatures (45-70 degrees Fahrenheit, 7-21 degrees Celsius), and a high humidity (75-85% relative humidity). It requires light – direct sunlight is too strong, but “skylight”, or light from a fluorescent lamp up to about 15 ft. away, is fine. It requires fresh air, but, a lot of air movement will tend to be too drying and may sweep away too much of the carbon dioxide produced by the growing mycelium.
In a less than perfect environment, it is beneficial to keep the bag on the substrate block as much as possible, to minimize the drying and maintain slightly elevated carbon dioxide levels. Open the top of the bag a little, to allow for increased ventilation which helps to induce fruiting (“pinning”) but minimize drying. The substrate surface should be moist at the times when flushes of mushrooms are wanted. When small mushrooms are evident, open the op of the bag a little more. As the mushrooms develop a little more, slit the bag down the sides of the substrate block [...]

[applestar]

In case you are wondering, this hopefully shiitake block is still alive.

The white block developed a “bark-like” brown crust over the entire surface, which is what you want, but then it failed to start pinning, so I have tried exposing it to more moisture and chilly temperatures — soaking for 24 hours in the 30’s~40’s°F garage. interestingly, the brown bark-like surface prevented it from soaking up the water, and I found it still bobbed like a cork after the 24 hr soak, even though I submerged it with a weight on top.

It’s back in the ventilated bag on the counter:



If this still doesn’t work, several shiitake block instructions say “giving the substrate block a thump on the counter/table will promote pinning”


...I should probably reassure folks who are trying to decide if this is something they want to try, that when I tried growing an indoor kit purchased from a reputable on-line source that rightly insisted on express shipping — which I think I described in the beginning of this thread or maybe in another thread — the block fruited a full flush in 5 to 6 weeks. This one is an experiment that I grew from substrate on my own, so any number of gardener errors could be present, certainly not optimal conditions by any stretch of the imagination.

[applestar]

Some of you may remember that I had GIVEN UP on these shiitake logs....

Subject: Mushroom Gardening? Sat Sep 15, 2018

Unfortunately, it looks like my shiitake logs have been taken over. This is what I found today.


...I’m planning to move these logs and use them for pond-side landscaping.

...although there did appear to be a sign of shiitake life later in November —

Subject: Mushroom Gardening? Wed Nov 07, 2018

I’ve mentioned it before — my garden has internet access and secretly monitors what I post about them on-line... then respond to show what they think of my misconceptions. They are particularly impressive when refuting any suggestion that they are “done” or when I post that I have “given up” on them.

This morning:


— and if you look to the left of the beautiful lone shiitake, I think I see another pin forming.

Ha! Did I say “impressive”? Today, I went outside to take out grocery bags of kitchen scraps for the compost pile (it’s winter and they are slow to decompose even just inside the back door, especially when the temperature outside had been dipping down to negative single digits).

It’s ridiculously warm today — 65°F — and I decided to take a stroll around the garden, just to look around, you know?

...this is what I found (2 views of same logs)


Quick! Go back in the house for the cell phone and something to harvest them in!



Biggest ones are about 3 inches in diameter. Some had been drying up — freeze drying more likely — most had been growing for a while. There were only 2 or 3 that had the freshest creamy-white gills. But none of them smell bad or even have a noticeable smell, so to me, this means they are all OK to eat after brushing off. Some will be cooked fresh but most will be dehydrated since this is a big harvest. Ones with holes that are suspect are normally soaked in salt water first, but I doubt anything would be alive after the severe cold temperatures we just experienced.

[applestar]

I cooked up part of the fresh shiitake harvest with caps that started to flare out. Rinsed in salt water to let debris float or sink, cut up and light coated with EVOO, dotted with unsalted butter and sprinkled with Himalayan pink rock salt. Oh, the fresh shiitake aroma was wonderful



...then baked coverd with aluminum foil in the casserole at 325°F for 30 minutes — and the resulting cooked shiitake was heavenly — no chance to take pictures

[applestar]

My shiitake logs are still producing — though dwindling.


...I had some of these today — chopped and butter-suer with onions, kale, diced leftover pork chops, frozen corn, and lettuce, ...finished with saved turkey drippings (already used up pork chop drippings in another dish )

[Chris222]

I finally had 3 mature pin oaks taken down in my back yard that were on the decline. I wound up with a dozen or so logs roughly 5-10" in diameter, and about 4 feet long. I have plugged two of them with shitake plugs, and just got another 200 plugs in the mail which should be enough to plug another 4 or so logs. I currently have them under my deck leaning up against the foundation. The won't get rain, so I am debating moving them, vs having to water them. I'll be a happy camper if my results are anywhere close to yours! I know it will be a while before anything starts happening with them, but once it does (hopefully!) I'll post an update.

[applestar]

I last posted about my home-made shiitake block in January.

Since then, it didn’t show signs of pinning/developing mushrooms, fungus gnats got in, and after futile attempts to get rid of them, I closed up the bag tight and let them go through full-blown infestation cycles until they died out. Then I put the dried out block in the garage and attempted to soak it... then forgot about it until well into spring.

After that it didn’t make sense to do much more with it, so I perched the block on top of my shiitake log pile.

...and then this morning...



— DD2 said the photo looked like the silver dollar-sized shiitake was waving “Hello! (...still here...)”

[applestar]

Two more popped up from that home-made shiitake block.



...unfortunately I didn’t see them in time and their caps have blown, but they are still in good condition and will be good to eat.


...I’m going to hard-prune the persimmon tree this winter since the leader is getting too tall and I wouldn’t be able to harvest that high. The trunk diameter might be 3 inches or so even up there, and there will be lateral branches, too.

I looked it up, and Persimmon wood is good for cultivating woodear fungi, Enoki, and Reishi. My family likes Enoki, and of course Reishi has many attributes. Woodear might be too difficult to differentiate from the local wild ones. I may have to put mushroom growing back on the front burner....