64 replies to this topic

[MushLuvR]

The full KO jar went 12 days, or just under (hours), wasn't much left to colonize from the previous photo.  The half pint Melmac jar with the small wedge was shaken the day before and is recovering nicely.  I reshot the Pint with APE LC, and the jelly jar I realized with my flashlight, the damn wedge is stuck to the top of the jar lid.  I'll give it more time to see if it's going to jump off, if not, I'll throw something at it.  All good though, I brought up my PC a tad fast as well, so it's not a perfect prep and my first round.  I will be shaking all grains when they are hot, seems to be the ticket, I lightly shook/tumbled the Oats, and they turned out NOICE!!  

 

Melmac tester Swab/Agar T-1

 

Boom... Beautiful!  

Edited by MushLuvR, 07 December 2022 - 05:15 PM.

[YoshiTrainer]

Nice job Mush!

I hate it when you don't notice the agar sticking to the lid for days.

[MushLuvR]

I did a 4-jar run of Milo (no prep/no rinse) and the S75 shiitake that is fast, jumped off in under a day, the other 3 are barely showing, or not at all yet.  The picture below is about 2 days from a fresh LC I made awhile back.  

 

 

I won't be going 2 cups again (not the same as 2 cups of Oats), I like full quarts (2 of 4 were rough), but it's more than I bargained for and wasn't easy to shake.  DEFINITELY needs a shake after PC has unlocked. I usually shake whatever I'm using hot or warm anyway prepped or NONE.  These could have come out better, and it's my fault, I accidentally went a little under on the water, not sure what I was thinking really, probably an overanalyzing situation.  Still came out fine, but I'm betting they would have been easier to shake with a little more water (20ml).  All good, colonizing fine and it's good to know it doesn't have to be perfect.  

Edited by MushLuvR, 11 December 2022 - 03:21 PM.

[YoshiTrainer]

Thank you for testing the milo Mush and I'm glad the shitake is off and running! Yes, milo needs a hot shake or it is tough, especially larger jars. I've been wondering if a touch more water might make the milo easier to shake. I revisited the wheat prep and found a touch more water allows you to cold shake. I'm going to run a couple more Qts before changing that one.

[MushLuvR]

All jars are showing growth, even the slow WineCap has some spots happening and looks happy along with the Beech Mushroom (last of the LC for both).  I'm not used to seeing so many sticks and different seeds in my jars since I usually rinse them a ton of times.  I figured it's a great test to see if unrinsed dirty milo will sterilize all the same, which I've had a few sticks and stems in the past, and it didn't matter then and probably won't now.  I want to say I went a solid 1/2tsp per jar of fine gypsum to hopefully combat compacting since it's really dirty milo.  I'm going to run more jars soon since I need to G2G that Melmac and test out the FP+ LC and the 4oz jar of FP+ that I dropped another wedge of...  it's starting to jump off.  The no prep pint jar I shot up again with APE LC is starting to show growth. 

 

I'll be going 1.5 cups for Milo this next round, I could probably fit 1 and 3/4's of a cup, but I'm betting 1.5 will be pretty full, and leave room for G2G.  Still playing with it and perfecting, ALL the Best  YoshiTrainer.  

Edited by MushLuvR, 12 December 2022 - 11:33 PM.

[Severian]

Yoshi- planning a no prep rye run this evening- does rye require an immediate shake when still warm?

[YoshiTrainer]

Great work Mush, thank you for all your efforts!

Severian, rye does not need a warm shake, you can let it cool completely in the PC. You may need to whack the lid of your jars a couple times (cold) to get the grain puck off the bottom of the jar. Once it starts moving, it should shake up nicely.

Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

[Mycol]

I’m going to give this a go soon with oats .

That’s an interesting note about warming up on medium thanks for that.

Edited by Mycol, 13 December 2022 - 01:00 PM.

[YoshiTrainer]

Good luck Mycol!

[MushLuvR]

Hey @YoshiTrainer, just paying it forward and this is definitely my new grain jar method.  I did a full run of 7-quart jars with 4 jars @ 1.5cups and 3 @ 1.75 cups with a tsp of gypsum per and 180ml(water)for 1.5 and 210 for the 1.75. Much easier to shake with either or, the 2 cups were very difficult, I actually dumped a few seeds out of one (in SAB), it was just too many.  However, the 2 cup jars are doing fine all the same.  Mush Luv broseph, time saver and effective.  I'm still getting used to multiple different objects in my jars, asthetically displeasing, but a clean jar is all that matters.  Be as ugly as you wanna be.  

 

 

 

The above jars were ready within 4-5 hours of being removed from PC.  I wasn't ready right away

so they were NOC'd 2 days ago and the FP+ is already showing.  The first round of FP+ that failed was SLOW AF, this wedge

to LC was QUICK to jump off to LC, ready in 8 days without a stir bar.  The pic below is about a day after Squirt

 

 

 

The Melmac G2G to 2 quarts from the half pint no prep Oats One day later recovering nicely

 

 

I always meant to go to No prep style, but we do what works for us to get to the finish line.  Glad to SWITCH over Fungus Friend.  

Edited by MushLuvR, 16 December 2022 - 08:21 PM.

[YoshiTrainer]

Thank you for putting in the extra effort for the LC crowd! I'm glad to see it is working the way you want. If you want aesthetically pleasing grains, you could always rinse. :)

With all the saved time, you can grow even more mushrooms! :)

Edit: or beautiful flowers!

Edited by YoshiTrainer, 17 December 2022 - 01:25 PM.

[MushLuvR]

I was thinking about rinsing them in the jar and use a lid to drain them for less work moving seeds around, but it's NO prep, and the gypsum is countering sticky grains without a rinse no problem (My Oats are super clean in the bag, I never rinsed them).  This last run was the easiest to shake and colonizing everything fine, there are legumes, oats, wheat, all kinds of stuff in it, as long as it's a clean culture of grains, it's all food for the fungus.... Friend.  

 

Beech Clam has never been this fast on Oats, must be a Milo No Prep Fan 

 

 

Another KO jar almost finished won't be long now.  The shiitake jar not pictured

is further along than the KO.  Fastest shiitake I've worked with.  

 

 

The full AF jar is Wine Cap and Trinity to the left, both LC

 

 

And the G2G Melmac... Agar to half pint to 2 quarts I also have a small 4oz jar of FP+ that I had to drop another wedge of (stuck to lid).  Doing well, but no photo.  The FP+ LC jar was the first to show growth, looking forward to playing with this one.  Damn Gandalf is crazy slow, but I have a clean dish growing currently, I'll end up LC'n this one as well, it's just a CRAWLER.  I don't think I've worked with anything slower than this one (Cube)... EVER.  

 

 

I just wanted to tell you that your No Prep write up was perfect timing for me, I've been strapped for time lately with a hectic schedule towards the end of the year and (lost a friend from my childhood, the list goes on and on that I won't go into) so THANK YOU again my brother from another, you pushed me towards a different path and I'm truly grateful and if there is anything you need or I can do, YOU let me know.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to Everyone... Santa's Watching!  

Edited by MushLuvR, 18 December 2022 - 01:46 PM.

[YoshiTrainer]

I'm sorry for the loss Mush, hopefully the good memories help.

Your jars are looking awesome! Maybe all the extra nutrition that didn't get boiled and rinsed away are helping? Plus clean cultures of course! I'm glad it is helping!

Mushy Christmas and good luck in the new year!

[CatsAndBats]

Below is a chart I put together for no or low prep methods for various grains. To me, soaking, boiling, draining and drying are all a waste of time. For the most part, I measure my grains, add water, then lid/foil and into the PC. For a lot of these grains, it is that simple, for others, a little extra care is needed. With some grains, a pinch of gypsum seems to help, some need rinsing, a few need to be shaken while still hot. These #s are what works for me, you might need small adjustments for your materials. I will also add, smaller jars are more carefree than larger. The values below are grain:water.

Grain 1/4 Pint Pint Lb

Millet 2Tbsp:1Tbsp 1 1/3C:160ml
Milo 2Tbsp:20ml 1 1/3C:200ml
Oats 2Tbsp:20ml 1 1/3C:200ml
Pearled barley 25g:15ml 1lb:270ml
Rye 2Tbsp:20ml 1 1/3C:200ml
RGS 2Tbsp:13ml 1 1/3C:150ml
Wheat 2Tbsp:20ml 1 1/3C:200ml
WBR 25g:17ml 1lb:275ml
WBS 2Tbsp:20ml 1 1/3C:190ml

Millet: a great choice for no prep, cheap and easy to work with. It is 2:1 seed:water by volume, you can let it cool completely in the PC before using.

Milo: Kind of a pain to work with but seems to be good for spawn. Milo benefits from 1tsp of gyp per Qt and a shaking the jar while still hot, after the PC cycle.

Oats: Many love or hate these grains. They are a great price and work really well for hearty spawn. Fairly easy to work with, no gypsum, a warm shake is helpful but not necessary.

Pearled barley: I added this one mostly for edible mycelium TEKs, should be done in bags.

Rye: Another great choice, it is easy to work with, just grain + water, allow to cool in PC.

RGS: Surprisingly easy to work with grain. To measure it is a heavy 2 to a light 1 seed:water ratio by volume. I use RGS for high spawn rate with low nutrition.

Wheat: Another classic, fairly easy to work with, it does benefit from 1tsp gyp per Qt and a warm shake but not absolutely necessary.

Whole Brown Rice (WBR): Another grain I use mostly for edible mycelium TEK. Should use bags for this one.

Wild Bird Seed (WBS): This tends to be dirty and needs rinsing, especially if it has cracked corn in it. It also takes 1tsp gypsum per Qt and must be shaken while hot.
 

 

Well done! Hi Yoshi!

[YoshiTrainer]

Hello Cats, thank you, good to see your whiskers again!

[CatsAndBats]

Hello Cats, thank you, good to see your whiskers again!

Some have told me that my whiskers tickle!

[Arathu]

Nothing like seeing the Cats AND Bats........good to see you around! Nice whiskers.....

 

Tickle....tickle.......

 

A

[CatsAndBats]

Nothing like seeing the Cats AND Bats........good to see you around! Nice whiskers.....

 

Tickle....tickle.......

 

A

Someone get Mikey on the phone, I'm out of likes! Hi Dirt Smuggler! lol

[MushLuvR]

10 full days... today is the beginning of day 11.  Milo is definitely faster than Oats without a doubt, and in my area, cheaper, Oats are up in price for some reason.  All good, once the Oats are gone, I think it's a MOVE on situation for me.  Mush Luv for Oats tho', truly nothing bad to say, but the seeds are huge comparatively, and I like how the LC with Milo runs down the jar all the way and colonizes around the bottom.  Ok Ok, not a grain comparison thread, Rye or wheat probably wins that battle, but Milo/Sorghum is definitely my favorite going forward (100 lbs. almost $40... about 39cents a Lb).  I do have some Rye, but I usually save it for Stone jars, or if I just want to play with something different.  At the time I was looking for cheap grain, I was asking for Barley, Wheat, whatever is cheap, I do so many projects, it's just a must to buy in bulk.  When I first started out just over a decade ago or so, I would grab a 40lb bag of Pennington WBS Classic and go to work.  At the end of the day, they all can and are successful, rice, anything, shoot, I have legumes in my dirty Milo, doesn't make a difference.  Anyway, blabbin' on and on like a babbling brook.  This last No Prep run was awesome, everything colonizing FAST and I'm in the low 70's above my warm fridge and ripping through quarts.  All I can say is I've cooked grains and dropped Oats in boiling water for 45 mins and this is just so simple, and I've proved that you don't have to clean NADA (the bag says recleaned... I about fell on the ground laughing).  I'm in the foothills so I'm just about 100ft up from sea level (used to be at about 30ft), maybe a little more, and I've been sterilizing at 60 minutes for many cycles now with no issues. Well... the jars speak for themselves, no camera trickery here, just solid data.  

 

 

Check out how full that jar is, NOT recommended @ 2cups

for Milo

 

 

 

The Beech Clam has never been this fast on Oats... and this jar here

was so freakin' full, I should of dumped a few out in the SAB like I did the 

other KO jar

 

 

Check out the Wine Cap that is crazy slow on Oats, already shaken once as well

 

 

G2G just doin' it's Thang!

 

 

Re-Knocked this one up again with an FP+ wedge, SUPER small wedge, an isolated area I liked...

We Will SEE

 

 

This jar of S75 Shiitake is SO damn fast, it beat the KO by almost 2 days, colonized in just over 7 days.  Normal 2cc's or so of LC

 

 

The PROOF is in the pudding they say, I'm not changin' A THING (perfect moisture)!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YoshiTrainer]

Those jars are looking great Mush! It is just so convenient to no-prep! I bought a bag of Pennington for running no-prep tests on. I've been playing with WBS here and there, works nicely too.