When it comes to growing mushrooms, some imagine it to be nothing but a smelly, dirty, mess. However, home cultivation of mushrooms is actually a growing trend. Learn from a mycologist how it can be fun, economical, and even clean.
Featured Expert:
Paul Stamets is one of the foremost mushroom enthusiasts in the world. He has researched and cultivated mushrooms for over 30 years. He has written five books on mushroom cultivation, use and identification, including his successful Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms. Paul operates his own company in Shelton, Washington.
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Introduction to Mushrooms by Michael Beug is written to give the viewer an introduction to 79 species that are generally very widespread in Northern Temperate regions.
Introduction to Fall Mushrooms features some of the many large, showy edible and poisonous basidiomycetes that might tempt the budding mycophagist.
We have selected a few fun fungi activities for mushroom enthusiasts of all ages. None of these employ cooking or eating so are relatively safe for all ages.
Fungus king Paul Stamets says there's no limit to what his spores can do from cleaning up toxic spills, stopping poison-gas attacks, and curing deadly diseases.
Mycelium is a root like structure growing underground. It is the white fuzzy stuff that can be found growing under a log that has been lying on the ground for several months.
Much of the fuzzy stuff you see is mushroom mycelium. The mushrooms may not form for months or even decades. They can lay dormant for hundreds of years before they fruit, or produce mushrooms.
Picking mushrooms does not harm the mycelium.
Fungi and plants are in entirely different kingdoms.
Plants respire oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Fungi respire carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen.
Mushrooms are subset of fungi.
There are 1-2 million species of fungi, about 10% of those are mushrooms. There are about 150,000 estimated species of mushrooms. Approximately 14,000 species have been identified.
Mushroom Types
Although some mushrooms are edible and are even considered to be delicacies, many are nonpalatable or are instead poisonous and even deadly.
Every year across the United States, more than 9,000 cases of mushroom ingestions are reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
There are a variety of mushrooms, divided into categories or groups. Each category causes different symptoms.
Tips on Misconceptions about Mushrooms from Paul Stamets
It is not recommended to pick and eat wild mushrooms unless you are trained to do so.
Simply touching a poisonous mushroom cannot poison you.
All mushrooms should be cooked or pickled to make them more readily absorbable.
You can eat them raw for flavor and for texture but not for nutritional benefits.
Health and Nutritional Information
Health and Nutrition
Mushrooms are an ideal food - they contain almost no fat, sugar and salt but are a valuable source of dietary fiber.
The claims for medical uses of mushrooms, centre on the claim that they boost immunity. This has been said to help reduce the risk of cancer and to help treat cancer once it has developed.
This site offers helpful information on the essential minerals contained in mushrooms.
Medicinal mushrooms are used in Japan, China and Korea where they have been reported to have anti-tumor properties and to stimulate the immune system to fight disease.
Mushrooms can attract fungus gnats, which are like fruit flies. This is only after the mushrooms have heavily sporialated. Picking the mushrooms when they are young will prevent this problem.
Mushroom production is completely different from growing green plants. Mushrooms do not contain chlorophyll and therefore depend on other plant material (the "substrate") for their food.
Mushroom farming consists of six steps, and although the divisions are somewhat arbitrary, these steps identify what is needed to form a production system.
Lighting Requirements
Mushrooms lack the ability to use energy from the sun. Mushrooms extract their carbohydrates and proteins from the rich medium of decaying, organic matter vegetation.
Mushrooms need light but do not do well in direct sunlight. They should be grown in a shaded place.
Mushroom growing is one of the most unusual stories in agriculture. Here is a summary of how the most popular varieties are cultivated.
While there are many species of mushrooms and there may be variation in the lighting requirements they all need some indirect light. As a general rule of thumb Mushrooms grown from kits or logs need indirect light to grow. Placing them in a room with north facing windows is the best place for them in your house or outside on the north side of a building.
One of the exceptions to the rule is the white button mushroom, which is usually grown in the dark.
Tips on Growing Mushrooms from Paul Stamets
Mushrooms have a very short shelf life- by the time you buy them at the store they are at the end of their life and will not last more than a few days in your fridge. Grown at home, mushrooms are healthier, last longer, and taste better.
Mushrooms are a perishable as fish.
If you grow mushrooms at home you can be assured that they are clean.
If you have enough space for a dinner plate you have enough space to grow mushrooms.
It takes only a small amount of effort to grow mushrooms.
One of the biggest hurdles is to get over our fear of the unknown.
Mushroom kits can be ordered online from many reputable sources.
A single kit can produce between 2-3 pounds of mushrooms.
You will need to spray your mushroom kit at least twice a day with non-chlorinated water. To dissipate chlorine from tap water let it sit for a few days.
Usually you don't water enough, but as the mushrooms mature if you see small brown spots appearing it may be a sign of over watering.
You should make sure to open oyster mushroom kits immediately after delivery.
To prolong the incubation period place the kit in the refrigerator.
The real indication of when an oyster mushroom is ready to harvest is the formation of the gills, and the flattening of the surface. Also they are fleshy and thick.
It is better to pick them before they form spores, which are seeds that appear as white dust around and below the mushrooms. Once they sporelate the flesh becomes thinner.
It is best to pick the mushrooms when they are young. They can really be eaten at any stage.
You'll find satisfaction in watching and learning how mushrooms grow and develop before you consume them.
Shitake mushrooms are not as sensitive as oyster mushrooms. You can wait longer to open and start the kit.
Shiitake mushrooms form all over the block once the mycelium is exposed to the air.
The ideal temperatures for mushrooms is between 55 - 75 degrees F.
Exposing the block to drastic temperature change or "cold shocking" stimulates mushroom growth, so prior to submerging the block place it in a refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Do not expose mushrooms to direct sunlight.
Usually within 5-7 days after starting a kit the mushrooms begin growing.
With shitake mushrooms the white mycelium will turn brown. That shows it is maturing.
It takes about 1 week after the mushrooms begin growing for them to fully mature and be ready to harvest. In cooler climates it may take longer, and in warmer climates in may be quicker.
If no mushrooms form within 2 weeks place the block in a bucket of non-chlorinated tap water submerged over night. Do not use distilled water. Rain and well water contain vital minerals which distilled water lacks.
After one crop in produced then wait one week and let the block dry out. Then place it in water overnight and begin the process of spraying daily once again to begin growing a new crop.
Tips on growing Mushrooms on logs from Paul Stamets
Another method for growing mushrooms is to grow them on logs.
For this you will need to purchase plug spawns. You will need a freshly cut log. It is ideal to cut the log in the spring when the sap is running, before the leaves come out. You can use a wide variety of wood, such as alder, oak, poplar, willow, aspen, cottonwood, or others. Do not use cedar or redwood because they have anti-fungal compounds that prevent them from rotting.
Freshly cut logs should not be immediately inoculated.
Logs should be 3-4 feet long, and no more than 14 inches in diameter.
Alder wood is best for growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms.
Do not use dead logs or dead trees that have been lying on the ground, because these could already have other types of fungi growing in them.
The best time to inoculate logs is in the spring after the last hard frost.
Use a 5/16 inch drill bit and drill a row of approximately 5 holes in the log. Turn the log 90 degrees and drill another series of holes, placing them half way in between the other holes. The holes should be 1 ½ - 2 times the length of the plugs.
Make sure your hands are clean before handling the plugs.
Tap the plugs into the holes with a rubber mallet so that it is flush with the surface of the log.
Then cover all of the plugs and the ends of the log with wax. This keeps insects out and prevents plug from falling out. Prepare a container of melted wax (cheese, or beeswax is good, don't use a petroleum based wax) and dip the ends of the log in it. Dipping the end of the log prevents infection of other fungi.
You want to keep the log off the ground, but near the ground since the humidity is higher near the ground and the temperature does not fluctuate as much as higher in the air.
It needs to be placed where it will be out of direct sunlight, such as the north side of the house or in the shade in the woods.
When you see that the white mycelium is growing on the ends of the log, soak the log overnight in water, take it out and let mushrooms begin to grow. You should have mushrooms within one week of soaking.
Remember to use non-chlorinated tap or rain water.
Logs require 9-12 months between inoculation and mushroom sprouting.
Logs lie dormant for one month between flushes.
Mushroom Preparation
Using a soft brush to rid them of dirt is the best method, because they will soak up water when you rinse them, diluting their flavor.
