My Hobby - Growing Mushrooms
I’m obsessed with mushrooms. It’s no secret!
During the summer, fall and spring seasons, I spend most of my weekends hiking and looking for mushrooms to identify. But once fall is over, I tend to suffer a severe case of PMSD (Post Mushroom Season Depression).
In order to cope with my PMSD, I have to develop alternative hobbies.
I tend to accumulate too many mushroom books, and winter is the best season to read them. I also enjoy quizzing myself on MycoQuebec website. But my favorite hobby is growing mushrooms.
If you read my intro post, you probably know the whole story, but for those of you who haven’t read it, I’ll give you a quick summary.
I had a beautiful experience with Psilocybe cubensis (“magic mushrooms”) when I was 17 and I started growing my own. And as many other people, I started growing magic mushrooms only but I quickly developed an interest for all kinds of fungi.
It has been a long and painful process.
When growing mushrooms you have to be very clean and precise. Mold and bacteria will try to compete with your mushroom, and at first, those little bastards will always win. It takes a lot of patience to overcome your defeat over and over, but it will only make it more gratifying when you finally succeed.
I've been growing mushrooms for over 10 years and just recently, I've been teaching mushroom growing classes and writing small zines about my hobby. In fact, I've published a couple on Steemit, here's one, and another one.
And here are some pics of my beautiful successful attempts.
These are my beautiful Pink Oysters (Pleurotus djamor).
The picture on the left is how they look when they're pinning, and the pic on the right shows their mature state.
And here are some pics of my Grey Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus).
I have been growing them using the PF tek (pic on the left), and using straw bags (pic on the right).
Right now, I have several projects going on. I've been trying to grow Cordyceps militaris but I'm having some problems getting them to fruit. I'm also trying to scale-up my mushroom growing operation and I've included a new species to my mushroom minifarm, Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods).
I'll post more pictures soon.
In the meantime, I'd be glad to answer any questions that you might have. And if you like it, follow me for more mushroom related content.
The Future is Fungal!!
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I love Mushrooms in cooking, When I was in the Ukraine recently, I had the pleasure of eating stuffed Vareniki (a type of dough where potatoes, mushrooms or meats, can be added. With sour cream, oil and a bit of mushroom sauce, it is probably one of my favorite dishes. I don't know how the people in these areas know which mushrooms are edible and savory and which ones are full of poison and thus need to be avoided.
in Russia it's popular too)
and bliny have you tried them? they can be with mushrooms too)
I have not tried them but I bet they can be delicious.
WOW!
Thank you for joining hobbyhub so that we become aware of this interesting hobby. :)
It is both a interesting and fun post to read, and i had a good laugh about your PMSD situation now and then, and believe most people with a hobby will recognise a similar situation.
I find this so interesting that i follow you now, and will read your posts.
I have many questions about this, but most of them i will ask in your other posts.
I know little about this, but find everything in nature interesting.
And only a couple of years ago i learned how important fungi is for forests and how they interact and cooperate with trees, and since then i have found them more and more interesting.
I hope you have a great day when you read this, and that it will be a long time before your next PMSD. ;)
Thanks for your comment.
I'm already fearing my next PMSD, it's been quite dry in Ontario this Fall and it won't be too long until Winter is here.
I live in Norway, and the winters here is pretty heavy.
But as you say, that gives us a excuse for doing more indoor activities, like reading and research. :)
My interest in Viking history also made me read about a "magic" mushroom they used.
I dont know the English word for it, but in Norway it is called "Flein sopp" (Sopp mean mushroom) and it was something the berserkers used to get in to the right mood more easy.
They also named some of their arrow heads after that mushroom because of the shape of the mushroom that was designed so they could not simply draw them out the same way they got in.
(they used different arrow heads for war and for hunting)
Thank you for this super awesome entry into the Hobby Hub challenge! Tell me please, do you simply create the ideal environment for the type of fungus to grow , or do you use cut offs from the mushroom too? We discovered a mushroom recently, about the size of a soccer ball with a bright red top, im assumings its poisonois? Thanks again for your participation :)
You can start from spores or cut a piece of a wild mushroom and culture it on agar before adding it to the nutrient mixture.
Do you have any pictures of that mushroom you found. I'd love to see it.
awesome @fabulousfungi. Looks like you are a master at growing mushrooms.
So far I've gotten as far as getting a super growth of the mycellium from a small container of brown mushrooms. They were on sale at a local store because they were getting 'mold like' growth on them.
I cut the mushrooms up in pieces and layered them between strips of cardboard that I soaked in boiling water and they 'sprouted'. I left them too long and they tiny mushroom shoots died back but the cardboard turned to compost like some small organisms ate it and converted it to fine moist earth.
this winter I am going to try again and see if I can't get to the next stage and actually grow some mushrooms.
If the mycelium was brown, they were most likely Shiitakes (Lentinula edodes).
Shiitakes are a bit difficult to grow. The easiest option for beginners, it's Oysters.
And I'm no master at all, I have figured out how to grow Oysters, and I'm planning on trying other species.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do my best.
Shit-akes 😂😂😂😂
good to know and I appreciate the offer. I'll be looking for more mushrooms to try the first stage again this fall. I purchased a bag of mushroom compost cause I saw on YouTube that it makes a good growing medium to go from the first stage to the second 'grow mushrooms' stage.
Sounds like you're quite resourceful.
thanks @simivalleyjeff53. yes, I like to experiment and explore and try and find ways to get things to work.
Amazing post. Love it! Mushroom grower myself! Also I run the website http://www.medicinalmusies.com, check it out! Following you now!
What do you grow?
I really enjoyed reading your post. What an interesting hobby!
Thank you for sharing with us.
What do you use to grow mushrooms? Can you tell us more about what mushrooms are you favorite to grow?
In Oxnard, California they use cow dung to grow certain fungi. I remember that because I grew up in Ventura County. If you don't know where this city is it is about 50 or so kilometers South East of Carpinteria and Santa Barbara fame.
You have gotten a great hobby @fabolousfungi, this kind of hobby beautify the heart of upcoming youth..keep publishing to pass the good and beauty of your hobby to others..keep steeming
This stuff is so cool - and the frustrations you talk about have been sufficiently annoying in the past that i just stopped trying. But seeing this reignites my excitement. Those pink oysters
If I manage to get the Cordyceps to grow it would have been worthy. If it works I'll definitely post some pics on steemit and if you want I can send you some liquid culture for you to give it a try.
Wait, does that mean you have a vat full of moth larvae or something that you're spraying with liquid spores?!
Nope. It can grow on other substrate too. Right now, I have Cords growing on grain and another experiment with vermiculite and brown rice flour.
I had no idea - i appreciate the spore offer - but i think i'm gonna start with something simpler - if I could get a few decent oyster flushes that would be awesome. But I've got to rev myself up
Cool hobby. I'm always checking out different types and colors of mushrooms when outside. Your post has inspired me to get that oyster mushroom growing kit I ordered online months ago out of the kitchen drawer and use it.
Oh wow. Now that is one cool hobby! Gg :):)