Mushroom Mania

Because God knows I don't have enough going on in my life, I've decided to tackle yet another project--mushroom growing. My friend Alyssa got me this really great book for my birthday--Fresh Food from Small Places--and between that and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I've been on a grow-your-own kick. (My garden is shaping up nicely--this weekend I'll hit up Oakland for some more tomato plants, and probably some herbs for a pot garden.)

After doing a bit of research online, I found a company that got good reviews for their prolific mushroom starters (Fungi Perfecti, if you're interested). $30 and a few days later, my shiitake mushroom starter showed up in the mail. After cold-shocking it in the fridge for 4 days, I soaked it in a pot of water for 24 hours and it looks like this:
NB: I'm currently sans camera, and therefore sans pictures--this is one I borrowed from the web and shows a mushroom that I don't have yet. Once I get the camera back, I'll update with some photos.

This morning, I drained the starter, placed it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then speared it with chopsticks. The chopsticks serve to help keep the "humidity bag" inflated over the starter. (The humidity bag is just a plastic bag with holes in it.) From here on out, I'm supposed to mist the block with boiled tap water or distilled water 3-5 times a day. After a week or so of this, I should be getting my first "flush" of shiitakes. We shall see...

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Ethan said…
You have a pot garden?
April 28, 2009 at 8:49 AM
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