Some time off? Why not get entirely enthralled in a new hobby?
Mushrooms: expensive (up to 20$/pound), loaded with vitamins and minerals, protein-packed, easy to grow, and only ONE, bland variety is sold in grocery stores ( the Agaricus species).
That last point is only valid until very recently, because you see, mushrooms have gone mainstream for the season. BOOM!
Mushrooms: expensive (up to 20$/pound), loaded with vitamins and minerals, protein-packed, easy to grow, and only ONE, bland variety is sold in grocery stores ( the Agaricus species).
That last point is only valid until very recently, because you see, mushrooms have gone mainstream for the season. BOOM!
Mushrooms, ladies and gentlemen, are having a moment... and there is an easy way to cash in, or at least not pay the prices listed as above.
From Kits to Colonizing
I got into mushrooms from a kit. A grow kit that I have details in my previous posts from December. Check those out first in the Archives tab to the right (top).
The kit is straight forward. You purchase a block of Oyster Mushroom "spawn" in a convenient box, and mist it with water. Time passes and you get a quarter pound of "exotic", tasty mushrooms for 9.99. Recently, I have gotten a batch and now I am working on a second "flush", or growing of Oyster Mushrooms. I had to change the cardboard box because it was falling apart.
I put the block in a slightly salty water solution and left it in the fridge overnight to help induce a second growth or "flush" of mushrooms. Then, I fashioned a new box.
The kit is straight forward. You purchase a block of Oyster Mushroom "spawn" in a convenient box, and mist it with water. Time passes and you get a quarter pound of "exotic", tasty mushrooms for 9.99. Recently, I have gotten a batch and now I am working on a second "flush", or growing of Oyster Mushrooms. I had to change the cardboard box because it was falling apart.
I put the block in a slightly salty water solution and left it in the fridge overnight to help induce a second growth or "flush" of mushrooms. Then, I fashioned a new box.
However, I don't like paying 9.99 for things. I like paying nothing, or 2-3 dollars. I like owning the means of production.
And so, my hobby for mushroom-growing was inoculated (inoculation refers to the act of injecting mushroom spores into a "substrate", or growing medium so that they grow, mate, and produce a fruiting body (mushroom)... it's a metaphor).
I will now show you some steps to the process. Keep in mind, that the spore syringe I use, will be reloaded for free when I get a mature mushroom cap, collect its spores (which are hydraulically ejected from the bottom of the mushroom cap), and inoculate the next batch of substrate.
Only read on further, if you want to know how to produce your own.
And so, my hobby for mushroom-growing was inoculated (inoculation refers to the act of injecting mushroom spores into a "substrate", or growing medium so that they grow, mate, and produce a fruiting body (mushroom)... it's a metaphor).
I will now show you some steps to the process. Keep in mind, that the spore syringe I use, will be reloaded for free when I get a mature mushroom cap, collect its spores (which are hydraulically ejected from the bottom of the mushroom cap), and inoculate the next batch of substrate.
Only read on further, if you want to know how to produce your own.
Punch some holes into 1/2 pint Ball jars. These jars will host your mushroom Mycelium. Mycelium can be thought of as the "roots" of the mushrooms. In reality, these are the male and female versions of the mushroom organism. They eat decaying material. They also produce mushrooms where they cross paths, if conditions are favorable.
I can't wait to update the blog with the jars hopefully being colonized by Oyster Mushroom spawn (visible by white patches). If I fail, I will also post. Stay tuned!