16 replies to this topic

[Oldpunk]

Hey y'all. I've started my first journey into growing gourmet mushrooms. So I better start myself a log book and a place to post any questions. I've become thoroughly hooked on growing in the last year or so, but a man can only eat so many magic mushrooms and my obsession is bigger than what this man can eat. My brain (and busy schedule) can only consume so much. My belly however....wants more. So let's transfer some obsession onto a plate.

Big thanks out to jkdeth for stocking me up on some beautiful syringes of LC to help me get started. And also to those of you filling this site with info and teks and a willingness to answer stupid questions from us newbs.

[Oldpunk]

Not much to show at the moment. But the game has begun and I'm going to try making my first blocks as soon as my schedule permits. Got some jars getting ready and several more in the lineup. If only I didn't have to waste so much time working and participating in life. But for now...

King Oysters

Lions Mane

Wine Cap

Black Poplar


Jars are a mix of wild bird seed, popcorn, and popcorn supplemented with brown rice flour.

Edited by Oldpunk, 17 May 2022 - 09:21 PM.

[Oldpunk]

Rainy day here yesterday so i made my first blocks. I used coarse sawdust from my planer. I'm thinking it was maple, hickory, and black ash. I'm definitely going to be buying some fuel pellets soon but wanted to see how this worked. I'd really like a good use for some shop byproducts.

Soaked the sawdust in a couple of extra large coffee cans and then hung to drain for several hours. When I filled the bags up i got 1 block per giant can of sawdust. I added a little bird seed to one and BRF to the other as that's what the spawn material liked best for my lions mane and king oyster. Figured add a little bit of what they were already thriving on.



Put the blocks in PC and ran for 2.5 hours. They appear to have tried puffing up and shifted the plate I had placed on top. One section of a bag looks like it swelled and stretched but there was no apparent holes so I guess I will just be careful with the thin section and still use it. Any good tips to avoid that bag expansion? I didn't tape the flaps on top of block very well. Maybe try taping better? Or not taping at all?

[rockyfungus]

Watch the videos on flat folding by unicorn bags.

No presealing and no tape. Just fold it over and the vacuum should form a strong temporary seal.

Looking good! I wouldn’t bother supplementing the wood. Straight saw dust will get you plenty of fruits and is really resistant to contam.

Just hydrate wood and spawn. If you add any BRF, soy, nutrients you can use less spawn but have a higher chance to contam.

The supplements are really unneeded. They are for production when you want to stretch clean spawn.

Lots of gourmets you can get away with like 1/2-1/4 qt spawn

[Oldpunk]

Opened up my first 2 bags tonight. Pretty cool stuff.
The king oyster was definitely colonized. So I opened it up and added a thin casing layer.



The Lions mane still looked like partially clean sawdust, but it's got little fruits starting.



So I cut a couple squares out of the bag and we'll see how they grow. They're about ping pong ball size already.



And I picked up some wood fuel pellets to try out for the next bags which are just about done in the PC right about now. WAY EASIER preperation. I found my amount to make 4 blocks and could barely get them into my Presto. But then there's no room for the plate to sit on top and the plastic would have been up against the regulator intake. I ended up only running 3 blocks to make sure a plate fit on top.



These are going to get some blue and golden oysters, and some black poplar. Which I also started on coir/verm to see if they would grow out like cubes. It'll be interesting to see if it works and how it will compare to the wood block.

[Auhron]

The Oysters will eat up the coir. They eat everything, Coir is no where near the food source that wood is, so your oysters on wood will be more prolific.

 

Lots of FAE on that Lions Mane, My best results on LM were when they were on the top shelf of my fruiting chamber. you'll have some delicious eats in no time!

Edited by Auhron, 06 June 2022 - 12:03 AM.

[Arathu]

OH yeah! Those look very healthy....very nice punk! Man I'm telling you this IS the best hobby ever! 

 

Logs are fun too and I find the mushrooms have even deeper flavors when I grow them on different kinds of wood's....

 

As you mentioned...MUCH they are longer term projects...I'm a bit sore today from laboring yesterday, over the weekend actually....

 

Wish my spawn had showed up Saturday not Sunday at 3:00 PM......whatever, they got here and now they are HOME at the acre...

 

A

[Oldpunk]

Starting to get excited and antsy to try this out. Getting closer

[Arathu]

Nice! I'm so fungified it doesn't even matter what species (obviously within the boundaries of safety and reason).....

 

Pins and developing fruits just draw and hold my attention like a curious little kid...... cooking them and enjoying a nice meal is icing on the cake!

 

Good job man!

 

A

[Oldpunk]

Hey hey. When I started this thread I was super excited and planned to keep track of things better. And then life happened. Been super busy at work and taking care of family stuff and you all know how it goes. I've all but forgotten to check on projects. .

My first sawdust blocks grew a few good lions mane clumps. I real quickly harvested and sauteed with butter garlic n salt. Wanted to try a couple other recipes but the 2nd flush got neglected/forgotten. To the compost bin.
My king oysters never grew any fruit.

During these weeks I made up a couple straw buckets and spawned some blue oyster. I made a straw bed for some wine cap. And started some fuel pellet blocks of King oyster, black poplar, and chicken o the woods. . I finally remembered to check on things and the oysters are seeming happy. Took the buckets out to hang up under a shady overhang.



Checked on the blocks I made up and they look 98 percent colonized. Almost ready. But i think I need to change up my fresh air into my tent. Right now it's pulling down from a hepa filter at top of tent. And any thing that sets below it dries out too much. Think I need to pull the fresh air with the fog mixed in. Haven't had time to fiddle with it though.

Hopefully I get to it and can keep on top of projects...

Oh yeah, any advice on the Kings before I open up the 2nd block?

[MushLuvR]

I can tell you @OldPunk that I didn't have luck with KOs in a higher Air environment.  I did much better overall with different blocks in a cycled Air environment (LM and Oysters loved the constant air, but I've been successful with both varieties cycled as well) with the humidified environment from the Fogger.  My best KO fruits have been from a cased block, one year i was out of peat and used C/V with Calcium Carb, worked like a charm, 3 flushes inside and 2 OUT.  I may even try a pre-pin strategy in a Tub, and then drop in the Martha.  A PRE fruiting chamber (High Co2) if you will.  Food for thought.  

 

MushL

Edited by MushLuvR, 13 July 2022 - 04:42 PM.

[Oldpunk]

Couple days later and I picked the fist 2 clusters of blue oysters.



I wanted to try a faux steak recipe I saw so I heated up a pan with some veg oil and then pressed and browned the clusters, seasoned with some grill dry rub and steak sauce.

It definitely was NOT steak. But it was pretty damn tasty.

[MushLuvR]

Those look Amazing, I've been meaning to rock out some Pinks in a bucket with Aspen Chips.  This is why I love buckets or bags; they created their own evaporation which is surface level humidity (win win).  I've seen and grown some monsters outside with a loose fitted bag with holes in it (misted here and there) or just a cased block on the backside of the house misted with the hose (like below). Those look DAMN healthy Sir, and you should be proud.  Well Done!

 

Battle Scar Galactica!

 

 

MushL

Edited by MushLuvR, 15 July 2022 - 03:39 PM.

[Arathu]

Indeed! Very well done punk............Beautiful mushrooms.........

 

And yummy too.......

 

A

[Oldpunk]

Thanks. The buckets are making more than I can use. But I got a couple friends who are happy to help me eat them up.



I checked on all my other projects and moved the new blocks to the tent. Got another try at King's, some pioppino, and chicken o the woods on HWFP blocks. And I soaked some more straw to try some paddy straw and straw shiitake spawn. That about wraps up my first round of spawn jars. Still wanted to make some logs and try some more types of gourmet. But I've been completely swamped with work and will have to see how much time I have to get stuff done

[Oldpunk]

Hey y'all. Been super busy and neglecting the gourmet grow. Things have still been happening slowly. My black poplar started popping up big fat fruits. Harvested a flush and made up some mushroom gravy to serve over mashed potato and some big fat steaks. It was a delicious meal.

Still no king oysters after 2 blocks attempted. But like I say. Too busy to pay much attention or play around changing up tent settings.

[MushLuvR]

Phat Poplar Pins you have; they are happy looking No doubt.  I like the mushroom gravy idea, definitely need to make that happen.  Nothing like Growing your own Food.  Nice Work.