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Monday, March 28, 2011

Grow your own; Mushrooms

We have began harvesting mushrooms here on the Neophyte Homestead.

our first mushroom

yes, it is as big as his hand

You can go and purchase a mushroom growing kit or make your own.

First you will need a shallow container, something like a plastic storage bin works well.


mushroom growing

We use a cardboard box lined with plastic.

Mix equal amounts of sterile compost, potting soil and peat, filling your container with a 2-to-3-inch layer. Reserve 1/4 cup for use later. Smooth the top layer of soil as uniformly as possible.

Now gather some shroom spores. If you know your wild mushrooms then go for it. However, if you are not sure, it is best to purchase your mushrooms. Grocery stores are fine to purchase them, as pesticides are not used in mushroom production. Once you have them you need to do some spore printing. Remove the stems and with gills down, press you mushroom caps down on a piece of clean white paper. Set aside and wait 12 hours for the spores to be released.

Mist the soil of your new kit with water enough to make the soil glisten. Scatter the spores over the top, then sprinkle your reserved soil over the top. Place plastic wrap over the top, poking several holes in the plastic for air flow.

Place this into your closet or anywhere that is is relatively dark and cooler, no more than 75F no less than 55F. Keep the soil lightly damp by misting every few days.

Mold will appear on the soil. when this happens (usually in about a week), remove the plastic wrap and cover with a light towel. Mushrooms could appear in as little as 10 days. Harvest your mushrooms at will.

You should be able to get mushrooms for 6-8 weeks using this homemade kit.

How to sterilize your soil/compost;

Place soil in an oven roasting bag (like those turkey bags you see at the store). Add a bit of water (dampened) and tie off the bag. Place the bag on a cookie sheet and poke a hole for a meat thermometer. Heat oven to 200F. Bake soil until the dirt temp reaches 160-170F. (if soil reads higher, reduce your oven heat). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely before using.

18 comments:

Amy said...

Thanks for posting this! I have researched growing mushrooms till the cows come home but have never seen an easier way to do it than this. I am totally trying this one. I have a question about the sterile compost, how do you get sterile compost?

Phelan said...

Amy, I edited the post to add that info for you and anyone else that needs to know.

I also know how to do it to an entire garden area if any one wants to know that.

Rae said...

That's fabulous! I've done the kits before, but never thought of doing it from scratch. May have to try this soon!

esp said...

I've also been reading about mushroom cultivation, and this is the easiest and cheapest method I've come across!

I see a trip to the grocery store for some mushrooms in today's plans...

Once your finished one harvest, can you re-innoculate your same box? Or do you start over with fresh soil/compost/peat?

Thanks for this helpful post!

Phelan said...

esp, you will need to start over as they will deplete their "food".

Lisa said...

I would love to know how to do an entire garden area! PLEEEEASE!

Phelan said...

ok Lisa, tomorrow's post will be all about it.

darius said...

That's pretty cool. I had forgotten how easy it is to collect spores.

Jane said...

Thanks for sharing this ,I will be trying this,thanks Blessings jane

SkippyMom said...

Amazing post! Sounds like an easy and economical project.

Thanks Phe - now I can't wait to read tomorrow's post.

Dmarie said...

wow, what a great step toward self-sufficiency. love this!

LIsa said...

THANK YOU Phelan, can always rely on you for the best info!

Kimberly @ We Call Her Momma said...

Thank you for this post. One of my daughters recently asked me about growing our own mushrooms. Now we know how.

Cloud said...

This is so so cool! I've been wanting to grow my own mushrooms since I started gardening. Not because I like to eat them, but because I love making mushroom based broths!

Anonymous said...

Fyi from the description you use it doesnt sterilize, it Pasturizes it. I am a newbie to this and even I know that.

Phelan said...

It is indeed heat sterilization. Pasteurization would require you to cool it immediately, and is normal used for liquids. We are killing everything in the soil in this instance.

kymber said...

i don't know if you will see this comment as it is an older one...and i can't believe that i haven't ever left a comment on this post...but anyway - this post is the one that i have bookmarked and have probably sent this post hyperlinked to about 20 different people over the past year!!!!

just sent it to another friend a few minutes ago. you are teaching the world to grow mushrooms, girl, one copy and paste at a time!

thanks Phelan! your friend,
kymber

Phelan said...

Lol! Well if it gets me further away from being the butcher queen, I'm all good:)

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