We have been experimenting with growing mushrooms over the past 4 months. I must say that this journey in mycology has been quite facinating. I feel like I have taken a crash course on how to do it after reading many of Paul Staments books and watching many hours of youtube videos.
Point is that we have sucessfully cultivated the Phonex Oyster, The Pink Oyster, the Pearl Oyster, and the Blue Oyster. We are working on a variety of button (warm weather variety commonly know as torques), lion's mane, Shaggy Mane, enoki, maitake (hen of the woods), king stropharia, the black poplar, the prince, ABM, and a bunch more.
There is a great demand for fresh mushrooms in the Highlands. We hope to fill that need in the near future.
Here's my question:
Is there anyone out there intrested in growing your own mushrooms (from a kit). We have found some clever ways to transfer our colonized substrate into small containers.
The kit is simple. I do all of the hard work. I innoculate the grain with a mushroom spore and incubate it for 2 weeks to allow the mycellium to develope it's rooting system. The mycellium is where the mushroom gathers it's nutrients. After doing this in a completely sterile environment (don't want to grow and other type of fungus) I then pasturize straw with a touch of hydrated lime. I then add pasturized coffee, vermiculite, brown rice flower, and leeched horse manure to the mix (Secret formula). Finally I add my innoculated grain that's full of mycellium. I let that colonize for 3 weeks and then I transfer this substrate into small packing containers (Clos box wine, or box juice containers for instance). Once in the box I allow the mycellium to heal for 72 hours. Now the fun part. Here's where you come in. You would buy this kit at this stage. Take it home and open the two sides of the box (the opening will be pre cut). All you have to do is mist it with water daily and keep it in an area inside your home where it can receive 10-12 hours of indirect light. A normal reading light is sufficient or a window pane (as long as it doesn't get direct sunlight). Mushrooms only require light to start fruiting so by simply exposing the kit to indirect light for a period of 10 to 12 hours a day your mushrooms will start to form and in as little as 3 weeks (sometimes sooner), you're harvesting your very own mushrooms. The great thing is that once it's finished with it's first "flush" of mushroom keep misting it daily and your kit can and generally will produce 3 to 4 more times. That's 5 harvests off of one kit. The only factor that will determine the quality of your production is water. Mushrooms are 90%water therefore they need to be watered or "misted" daily. Just like your plants outside.
So there you have it. I love playing and learning about this fungus. I am still amazed every time I see a mushroom grow and even more amazed by how fast they grow. Let me know if this is something that you might be interested in. We plan on starting some kits soon of the multiple oyster varieties and they will be between $10 to $15 a piece depending on the variety and how many are ordered (quantity discount).
Finally if you are wanting to take up the hobby of growing mushrooms I can offer you a private class for $40 dollars which will include a step by step process from beginning to end on how to cultivate mushrooms in your own home in Panama. We will hold the class at my house where you will see how we do it with the limited space that we have. Lunch is included. You will also receive a pound of innoculated grain to help you get started. If you already know how to grow mushrooms and all you need is the spores to get started I also have that available. I have 1/2 pound bags of innoculated grain spawn with your choice of spore (whatever I have available) for $5.00 each.
Hope to hear some feedback. Let me know if you are interested in a kit, a class, some spores, or simply mushroom talk. I love it all
My personal email is cajuneric@gmail.com and my cell number is 6866-0072
Eric
Crazy Cajun
Replies
Where does one look for morels? I only know where to look in Ohio. They pop up under dying elm trees.
Hi Eric, today I found woodear mushrooms in Jaramillo Arriba. Would you be interested in cultivating them? They are attached to the coffee wood. I found several, if you are interested, I can give them to you to colonize or if you like, I invite you to look for more here where we live J.A. Let me know - I love your project~
Hello, its very interesting your post, have you tried the Lactarius Indigus mushroom?, this only grow in simbiosis with roble trees I think (I forgot if its robles or cedros trees ) once we picked while we were climbing on La piedra del Musgo here in boquete. the thing is Lactarius Indigus are blue and one of the few natural blue food on the world.,...here is the picture of the musrooms we picked that day...
I will definitely look you up. Mycology is a fascinating science.
Dudley
What a fantastic idea. I will be in Boquete in April and would love to do the grand tour.
dudley
Hey Crazy,
I love it,, I grew mushrooms in upstate NY. Shatiki, and (sorry cant remember the exact name) big reds. The big reds were about the sie of a large dinner plate. Think a pizza with a thick mushroom crust:) Experimented with growing shatiki on green ash (since there was a lot of that on our land) instead of the usual oak. Didn't fruit for as many years on green ash but it was easy to get/work with.
The Mushroom people up there grew the oyster kits in clear plastic bags. That may be an easier containment then recycling boxes from juice and wine.
I would love to get some kits or some spawn. With the mild temperatures here would be a year long harvest!
Love it!!!!! Good job!!!!
Kathy